It's a holiday weekend here in Canada. Victoria day if you must know. Except in Quebec where it's Patriot's day. Yeah, I don't care beyond the "holiday" part either. Actually, I don't care about the "holiday" part either -- I've heard of such things but rarely if ever experienced one myself. Still, I have family and friends congregating, and they're pressuring me to "get off that damn machine", so I'll keep this brief. Ish.

Grappling with Google+

I'm trying to use Google+ again. It's not easy but I'm trying. I go to Twitter and the last post is seconds or minutes old. I go to Google+ and the last post is hours if not almost a day old. I go to Twitter and I can interact with most of the people I know online. I go to Google+ and mostly I only see my friends from Android Central. And Scoble.

Maybe iOS and Google+ don't mix the way iOS and Twitter do, but Google put some effort into the new iPhone app. And Phil Nickinson swears it's a great platform for discussion.

So if you're there too, give me a shout and let me know what you love about it. Or hit me up on Twitter and tell me what you don't.

You can find me at +Rene Ritchie (or @reneritchie) -- and you we have a fantastic forum thread going where you can swap user names with other iMore members.

Do I believe

A 720p, 16:9 display at 4-inches would both shrink existing app UI elements and touch targets, and require an even larger letter and pillar box.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked online is "do you believe Apple will do XYZ." Right now it's "do you believe Apple will do a 4-inch iPhone."

Here's the thing -- my personal belief doesn't matter, and often doesn't exist. I'm not all Mulder or Scully about this stuff.

If Apple announces something, I'll report it. If we get a story from a solid source, or we can corroborate a story with a solid source, I'll report it in that context.

If you think I have secret information I'm not sharing, then either I don't or I can't. Either way, it won't inform any answer I give before it does a story I'll write.

So if you ask that question, the answer I'll give you is "I don't know".

Now if you ask me what I'd like or what I'd want...

Meet Gary, he's here to help

One of the biggest challenges we face at iMore is the incredible range of our audience -- from hard core geeks who want nothing more than the latest tweaks, to the soccer parents who just want to know how to iMessage a photo. It's an incredible challenge to balance our content and coverage to serve both extremes, and the many, many people somewhere in the middle.

Our current strategy is to do lots of really good stuff for both, and hope readers will congregate around what interests them, and either pass over, or pass along what doesn't.

And helping us do that is Gary Mazo, Mobile Nations' newest Senior Editor and all around how-to guru. Some of you might be familiar with Gary from the Made Simple Learning series that covered everything from BlackBerry to iPhones and iPads and back again.

Gary's done a few reviews and ninja-level how-tos for us so far, but this month he's going to be kicking it up another several notches.

If you want to know everything you can possibly know about iOS, or want handy links to pass on to friends and family so they can learn to do without you, he'll have you covered.

And he's starting a new series tomorrow.

3D movies are terrible

I've had 4 family birthdays in the last couple of weeks and all of them wanted to go see the Avengers. Yes, my family has good taste in movies. The first 3 times I saw it in blessed 2D. The last time I saw it in 3D. The 3D was, as expected, horrible.

Human eyes didn't evolve to focus and converge on different planes. That's why 3D makes overly sensitive people nauseous. The technology also isn't there yet. It's dark, and in the case of post-produced 3D, it looks more like layered paper bring dragged across the screen than actual depth.

It makes fight scenes look jumbled, special effects look cheap, and interferes with the narrative far more than it accentuates any experience.

The industry likes to tell us it's the next evolution and as natural a progression as silent to sound, black and white to color. It's not. It's a gimmick. And that they use it as a way to hike up ticket prices is a joke.

Hopefully Apple never announces anything 3D. Not a 3D display, not 3D content in iTunes. Not anything unless and until a technology comes along that works.

Like a holodeck.

Picks of the week, now more picky

One of the editorial goals of iMore is to more carefully curate what we present to our readers. We want everything we post to be deserving of your attention. With that in mind we're changing the way we do picks of the week.

Instead of editors and moderators choosing apps that interest them, we're reducing the quantity and upping the exclusivity considerably. Georgia, Leanna, Simon, and yours truly, with input from everyone, will make the calls.

Starting this week, we're picking one app, one game, and one accessory each week. And that's it. It might be brand new, or it might be a classic. It might be über popular or it might be a hidden gem. But it will absolutely be the best thing we could find.

Check it out, and let me know what you think. (We might even do them as three separate posts next week, if that works better?)

Features

Once again, an embarrassment of riches.

• The 4 inch iPhone by yours truly. If Apple does make the iPhone screen bigger, how could they do it, what would the benefits be, and what problems would it cause?
• Best free iPad games by Simon Sage. The definitive list of the best fun to be had on your iPad.
• Instacast vs. Downcast vs. Pocket Casts: iPhone podcast app shootout! by Ally Kazmuch. Which podcast app for iPhone reigns supreme?
• What Samsung's rise and Nokia's fall means for Apple and the iPhone by Chris Umiastowski. The smartphone market has almost literally turned upside down. Can the iPhone keep on capitalizing on the disruption?
• Facebook Pages Manager for iPhone review by Leanna Lofte. She had to review the Canadian App Store version, because Facebook hasn't seen fit to release it in the U.S. yet. Seriously.
• How to integrate all your social networks into your iPhone and iPad Contacts by Gary Mazo. He misses web OS and Windows Phone style social network integration. A lot.
• How to stop Twitter from tracking you across the Web by yours truly. Because knowing is half the battle.
• Pogo Sketch Pro vs. Kuel H12 vs. Jot Pro vs. Bamboo: iPad stylus shootout by Georgia. The results of our week long look at pro-level stylus pens. Which one is best, and which one is best for you?

Reading List

• Multiple Nexus devices could be a game-changer for Google and Android by Alex Dobie. If Google does press ahead with several hero devices from several manufacturers, what if anything does it mean?
• Four years of App Store by Federico Viticci. MacStories interviews developers about the state of Apple's mobile marketplace, and how it's changed -- and hasn't changed -- since 2008.
• Are apps bought or rented? by Ricard Gaywood. TUAW's resident number cruncher takes a look at the push-back on Instacast's new paid + in-app-upgrade pricing model.
• iCloud is the Difference Between Great and Excellent by Benjamin Brooks. iCloud is Apple's next generation digital hub. Competitors should be very afraid. (But probably aren't.)
• Web design manifesto by Jeffrey Zeldman. Finally, someone who proudly types even larger than Kevin Michaluk.
• Creating the Windows 8 user experience by Jensen Harris. An interesting look at the design decisions behind Microsoft's "no compromises" desktop to tablet to phone interface.
• How Yahoo! killed Flickr and lost the Internet by Mat Honan. A no-holds barred takedown of one of the worst corporate mismanagements in recent history. Something HP likely followed to the letter when running Palm.
• Hey did I miss anything? by Dan Harmon. Sony pictures drops the creator and show runner of the up-until-now-fabulous TV show Community, and apparently all the writers along with it, yet someone expects us to think the show will still be returning next season.

And now...

I'm getting off this damn computer.

With both Mothers Day and a birthday in the family this weekend, I didn't have time to compile my usual weekly column. But there are a few things I'd like to comment on and draw your attention to. So let's dive right in.

Podcasts

We've changed up the format of iPhone & iPad Live so that we're talking about less, but talking about it more in-depth. We'd gotten a bunch of feedback about this over the last few months, with many viewers and listeners saying there was just too much news and not enough analysis, too many app mentions and not enough opinion or discussion about how we use them, too many accessories and not enough comparisons. Well, we listened. Now we have one, more in-depth spotlight topic each week and a couple of discussion points. We're still tweaking things, so please keep the feedback coming. (Due to popular demand, we're going to start featuring your feedback on the show as well -- so if you haven't left a comment on last week's episode yet, get to it!)

Speaking of podcasts, the feedback on ZEN and TECH lately has been off the charts (special thanks to the blogging community who've told us how much they like it). The world we live in is more stressful than ever, and Georgia is by far the best in the business at helping people center their inner geek and deal with their connected lives. If you haven't watched or listened lately, do yourself a favor and watch or listen now. It can literally change your life for the better.

Last but certainly not least, we had Loren Brichter on Iterate this week. He created Tweetie which became the original Twitter for iPhone, and is still Twitter for iPad and Twitter for Mac. He also invented pull-to-refresh. Yeah. Genius. Give him a listen.

Rumors

iMore is really careful about rumors because we really value your attention. We're not a rumor site -- we're an enthusiast site. 9 out of 10 times we'll just link to rumors posted on rumor sites. A few times a year, however, we're fortunate to get some really good information about upcoming Apple products, and we're able to check into it and determine it's really good information. Like the iPhone 4S and the new iPad. It's never all the details, so sometimes we misunderstand pieces (i.e. we heard quad-core for the new iPad, and it turned out to be specifically quad-core graphics, not CPU), but overall the info we've gotten has been rock solid. Here's hoping last week was no different.

• 7-inch iPad on track for October 2012 release, $200 to $250 price: Apple doesn't want to leave any room for Amazon in the lower-end tablet space.
• iPhone 5 to be another Google killer -- but with a twist: A new Apple-powered Maps app in iOS 6 might just be the tip of the iceberg.
• iPhone 5 design still not finalized, still no big screen, still no metal back, still on track for October release: Despite some recent rumors to the contrary, we've heard Apple hasn't settled on a widescreen display or metal back yet.

Features

Some great stuff this week:

• Jailbreak concepts Apple should implement in iOS 6 by Ally Kazmucha. Last year Apple took Notification Center, Wi-Fi sync, and more from jailbreak. What should they take this year?
• Is there a future for jailbreak? by Ally Kazmucha. On the flip side, if Apple keeps Sherlocking jailbreak, is there a future left for it?
• Weekly Photo Contest: Black and White! by Leanna Lofte. She's been showing you how to build your iPhone photography skills, and here's your chance to wins some prizes.
• iOS 6: The opposite of widgets by yours truly. Rather than having widgets that take information from apps and splay it on the Home screen, we want that info inside other apps.
• SkyDrive vs. Dropbox vs. Google Drive: best cloud storage option for iPhone and iPad users by Ally Kazmucha. Whether you're new to cloud storage or simply want to check out other options, here's your breakdown.

And the stylus showdown begins:

• SGP Kuel H12 stylus for iPad review by Georgia. Your best bet for long-form note-taking.
• Adonit Jot Pro stylus for iPad review by Georgia. What you want if you're a technical artist.
• Wacom Bamboo Stylus review by Georgia. An okay stylus but not as good or as cheap as the pro-level competition.

Keep an eye out for a pro-stylus battle royal on iMore TV this week!

And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest mobile sites found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Mobile Nations was born -- to provide the coverage no generic tech blog could provide! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing several times, but their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then—for now, the Mobile Nations ASSEMBLE!

BlackBerry World 2012

Our sibling site, Crackberry.com did a fantastic job covering BlackBerry World 2012. Head on over there to read all about it, or check out reading list below for Kevin Michaluk's round up. tl;dr version: They loved it. I watched the Keynote stream and... it was more of a mixed bag for me. When RIM should have rushed to adapt to a post-iPhone world, they took so much time they nearly destroyed their brand. When they should have taken their time to release a proper tablet, they rushed and let the PlayBook drop like stone. Now, when they're bleeding market share and user base each and every day, they're taking their time to get BlackBerry 10 as perfect as possibl. It's absolutely the right thing to do, but they simply may no longer have the time or technology left to do it.

They weren't expected to show anything at the keynote but they ended up showing just a little bit. It was interesting -- very much the PlayBook made phone. It's heavily gesture-based, which means discoverability will be a problem and it'll skew towards a more savvy, less mainstream audience. But that's exactly who RIM is targeting.

The new CEO, Thorsten Heins, apparently came off far, far better than his predecessors during the event. During the keynote, however, he tragically maintained the Regis Philben schtick of Mike Lazaridis -- constantly staying on stage and consistently interrupting during tech demos. Hopefully when RIM watches the replay, they'll stop that from happening again. They also have to stop RIM Australia from doing dumb, distracting stunts just says before their big events.

RIM has a lot of challenges ahead -- they're incredibly late to market, their developer platform is still remarkably unfocused, and what they showed on stage did not appear to be as far along as what Steve Jobs showed off in January 2007, some six months before the original iPhone launch. Steve Jobs, however, didn't send developers at Macworld home with prototype hardware. He also didn't pledge $10k paydays for certified apps. Hopefully both those things will help make up the difference for RIM.

Bottom line, though, the only thing that really matters now is shipping. They have to nail the BlackBerry 10 landing. And they have to nail it hard.

Samsung Unpacked

Android Central likewise killed it at Samsung Unpacked. Unfortunately, Samsung did everything they could to kill the event first. Sure, I'm used to the polish and precision of an Apple event, but there's just no excuse for a lot of what happened at Unpacked. It was as if no one bothered to rehearse the presentation before hand.

Samsung announced the hugely anticipated Galaxy S III to thunderous applause and the director immediately cut to the crowd -- where no one was clapping. Samsung announced their new, rain drop inspired audio tone, it sounded like someone peeing, and the Samsung rep herself looked aghast -- and called it "bizarre". On mic. Not only did they invoke Palm's river stone design philosophy, claim technically if not morally correct invention of Palm-like wireless charging, they managed to match the creepy lady motif of Palm's early, ill-fated advertising with truly strange videos all their own.

They also announced Samsung versions of Siri and iTunes Match, after earlier announcing a Samsung version of iCloud.

Given the build-up -- a build-up Samsung orchestrated -- it's understandable that there were a lot of heads shaking after the event. Last year Samsung blew HTC out of the water with the best Android phones on the market. This year, when compared to HTC's new One kit, they came up decidedly short.

Rumor repeats

Hey, did you hear? The iPhone 5,1 might have a newly redesigned micro dock connector and a widescreen display. It's been "confirmed".

And it sure sounds familiar. It's almost as if it had been reported months and weeks ago.

If you hear a rumor, and it's been reported before, telling your readers that lets them better assess the likelihood of the rumor. That's the job of a writer -- to serve the reader.

Features

Now for some original content.

• Best free iPad apps: Leanna leads team iMore in the presentation of 50+ awesomely free apps for Apple's tablet.
• Post iPhone ergo propter iPhone: Yours truly begins to explore the strategy Apple has used to try and continuously off-balance their competition and force them into a constant cycle of reaction.
• Pandora vs. Slacker vs. Spotify: iPhone music streaming app shootout!: Ally takes a look at the three most popular U.S. streaming music solutions, and helps you pick the very best one for you.
• iOS 6: Is it time for Apple to revamp the Home screen?: Yours truly again, this time taking a look at the iOS Home screen, how it compares in terms of usability and information density to competing platforms, and whether Apple needs to address any discrepancies.
• Siri six months later: Community report card: the iMore nation tells us they're just not using Siri and we try to figure out why.
• Apple’s next big thing: You know who, looking at Apple's accelerating device profits, and what product could possibly keep them up.
• How to use iCloud like a Dropbox or Google Drive-style cloud store: Gary goes all ninja on iCloud to try to make it work in as close to a Dropbox style manner as possible.

Reading list

• Five Important Observations From BlackBerry World 2012 by Kevin Michaluk. A list of what RIM got right at BlackBerry World.
• Why You Can't Trust Tech Press to Teach you About the Tech Industry by Anil Dash. A case study in how it can be frustrating when someone else misses something you wouldn't (though you'll likely sometimes miss something someone else wouldn't either).
• Apple Is Doomed: The Phony Sony Parallel by Jean-Louis Gassée. Why Apple wasn't like Sony before, so can't be modeled on Sony now. By one of the guys at Apple between Steve Jobs' two acts.
• What retail is hired to do: Apple vs. IKEA by Horace Dediu. An interesting look at why IKEA, like Apple, isn't getting their retail implementation copied.
• I'm leaving the internet for a year by Paul Miller. As stunts go, there doesn't seem to be a clear win here. In some ways, the longer it lasts the less interesting it becomes. Like groups who live without electricity, the line drawn always comes off as arbitrary -- i.e. why are you allowed fire but not lightning?! (I do know I wouldn't last a day. Maybe a week if I was locked in a harem. But that's it.)

The Avengers

Joss Whedon's Avengers was fantastic. Pretty much the super-hero epic I've dreamed about since I was a child. We're talking about it, with lots of spoilers, and the type of nit-picks only those deeply in love with a film can pick. Jump on over to our Movie & TV Forum to get in on the action.

If you haven't seen it yet, go now.

June 11. That's the date we've long suspected but just this week had confirmed. Apple's 2012 World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) is now official hurtling towards us (or us towards it). But it's not the only things going on this week, so let's get to it.

WWDC 2012 and iOS 6

Apple announced WWDC 2012 at 5:30am Cupertino, California (PDT) time, less than 50 days before the June 11 start date, with a $1600 ticket price, and it still sold out in 2 hours. Many developers and interested parties had created scripts that would look for any change in Apple's WWDC website and alert them immediately. Others signed up for text message notification services. Still others networked with friends, family, peers, and others to keep constant vigil and light the web on fire the moment tickets went live.

Some got them, some didn't. No one seemed thrilled with the process. Probably not even at Apple. The list of problems are easy to identify -- too much demand, not enough availability, and a high stress, no-notice acquisition process. Solutions are harder to come by.

For gadget enthusiasts, however, the only real problem is anticipation. With WWDC comes Apple's annual keynote. In years past it's introduced the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4. Last year it introduced iOS 5 and iCloud, but no new hardware.

And this year?

iMore has heard that, once again, there won't be any new iOS devices this summer, but like last year there's a lot of software for Apple to spotlight. No doubt we'll see OS X Mountain Lion get it's first public demonstration. We should also see iOS 6, or whatever Apple calls the next version of its mobile operating system. There was no iOS SDK event like there was in 2008, 2009, and 2010, so just like 2011 we're expecting WWDC to see the launch of the first iOS 6 beta.

And that should be interesting to say the least.

I'll be there all week, along with our apps editor, Leanna Lofte, and my co-host on the iPhone Live and Iterate podcasts, Seth Clifford.

Google Drive

Google Drive is finally here. Unlike Nokia Drive, which is a turn-by-turn navigation service, Google Drive is a cloud storage service. (English is funny, but not as funny as branding in English.) Based on how it's currently set up, it could also be called Google Docs+, but at this point I'm just happy it's not Google Play Drive.

And it's not bad. Prices are more than competitive and if there's anything Google knows, it's how to store data at scale. Some might have philosophical problems with the way Google monetizes all that stored data, but nothing's really free. If you don't want to pay with money, you're going to pay with access to your demographic and other data. Everyone has to decide from themselves what's a fair price and how they're willing to pay it.

Personally, I'm not switching away from Dropbox any time soon. While Google Drive is cheaper, Dropbox has momentum. All my stuff is already in there, most of the apps I use are already integrated with it, and Google Drive isn't better enough to make switching everything over anywhere near worth it.

I will add it to the mix, however, much as I did iCloud. Right now I'll use it as a big online scratch disk and see if anything further evolves from there.

A lot of that will depend on how long it takes the iPhone and iPad apps to ship, and how good they are. Sadly, I've come not to expect much...

Why can't great companies make great mobile apps?

Let's be perfectly blunt -- most of Google's iOS apps have been terrible at launch and haven't improved much since. About the nicest thing you could say about them is they make sure Facebook isn't alone in buggy apps from major corporations that should know better and be better. And I don't get it. These are two of the biggest, smartest, most talented, and certainly wealthiest technology companies in the world and they can't make a killer iOS app between them?

Indie developers, unimaginably more limited in resources, literally code circles around Facebook and Google when it comes to mobile. Look at Tweetbot. Look at Twitterrific. Look at Tweetie (before Twitter bought it). Look at webOS, which cash-strapped Palm put together on a shoe-string and a dream. Facebook for iPhone was mortally wounded when the original developer, Joe Hewitt, left the project and while it's improved slowly over time, it's not where it needs to be or should be. Not by a long shot.

Google has bought iOS apps (and canned them), Facebook bought Instagram, but neither has shown they have what it takes to transition from web companies to mobile companies. They're mobile immigrants, not mobile natives, and they're not enculturating well.

But mobile isn't just their future, it's the future. They need to do whatever it takes to nail mobile apps, and now.

Google has a chance with Google Drive for iOS to show us they're more than a wafer thin UIWebView wrapper and a terrible web-based authentication system. I sincerely hope they do.

Features

Lots of great stuff to shine the spotlight on this week.

• Siri co-founder talks to iMore about the future of technology, mobile interfaces, and implementing Siri: Ally got a chance to hear Dag Kittlaus speak and ask him some questions. If you haven't read it already, read it now!
• Best free iPhone games: Simon entered the wilds of the iPhone App Store, and hunted down and captured the very best free games available.
• Stellar Q2 2012 highlights why Apple is a must-own tech stock: Chris U. goes over Apple's killer second quarter to help us make better sense of the crazy high numbers.
• Ultimate guide to iCloud: If you've got questions about iCloud, the whole iMore team came together to bring you answers.

Ultimate guide to iCloud

Speaking of the Ultimate Guide to iCloud -- we got a lot of feedback on it. It was one of the longest articles we've ever posted and for a lot of you it was simply too long to be manageable. So we listened and we made some changes. Instead of stuffing everything into one post, we've now broken it up into several parts. The main article is now an index and each section has its own dedicated article (many of which we'll be expanding on in the near future). Check them out:

• How to set up, back up, restore, and update using iCloud
• How to set up and use iCloud mail, contacts, and calendars
• How to set up and use iTunes in the Cloud
• How to set up and use iTunes Match
• How to set up and use Photo Stream
• How to set up and use Documents in the Cloud
• How to set up and use Find my iPhone
• How to set up and use Find my Friends
• iCloud help and discussion forum

Reading list

• Unravelling Samsung's Galaxy S3 riddle: Alex Dobie of Android Central spends his time waiting for the Samsung event -- and Phil Nickinson's arrival in the Old World -- by going over what we can expect from the next great iPhone rival.
• Former RIM employee takes to reddit for some no holds barred Q&A: For those with morbid curiosity, CrackBerry reformatted a gobsmacking Reddit Q&A into much more legible form. (Or you can read the original on Reddit to get all the responses in a threaded view).
• My Dropbox Writing Workflow: Federico Viticci lays his text editing strategy bare. It's real, and it's spectacular.
• CinemaCon 2012: THE HOBBIT Underwhelms At 48 Frames Per Second and the rebuttal, Peter Jackson responds to complaints about 'The Hobbit' footage: I dislike 3D -- the human eye does not handle converging and focusing well on a fake, flat 3D plane, but I'm undecided on 48 fps. I'd like to try it out, I'm just not sure I'd like to risk trying it out on the Hobbit.

They've cut the hardline

Long week and they won't be getting shorter any time soon. Time to find another exit.

Sick as a dog. It never fails, a couple times every spring and fall, I get a sinus infection that makes me seriously wishing my head would just explode and get it over with. But no such luck. I still have a site to run. And a column to get done. For the people who are still alive...

iTunes

It also seems to be the time of year for iTunes to hit the news cycle, both with rumors about an iTunes 11 refresh and a lot of media angst about whether or not iTunes as it currently exists is a bloated, hot mess.

Well of course it is. It has to be. iTunes is a way for Apple's mostly Windows-based iPod, iPhone, and iPad consumers to buy media and manage their devices. It was the only way until iCloud, and it's probably still the primary way.

Tempting as it might be to think iTunes on Windows is Apple's way of getting payback for Office on Mac, it's simply been easer to maintain the port of a single, multi-purpose, monstrous app than to implement an alternative. It's also been easier to direct customers, mostly Windows customers, to a single, multi-purpose, monstrous app than to implement an alternative.

Want to activate your iPhone, iPod, or iPad? Connect to iTunes. Want to buy stuff to put on it or sync stuff over to it? Connect to iTunes. And because of that, iTunes remains a single, multi-purpose, monstrous app on OS X as well.

When Windows compatibility isn't necessary, like with Mac Apps, you get a separate Mac App Store app.

It will take a long time for a critical enough mass of Windows users, especially traditionalists, to shift off iTunes and onto iCloud. It will also take a long time for iCloud to become functional enough to make iTunes for Windows unnecessary. Apple will know when that happens by the download and usage numbers.

And when they do, that's when iTunes will change. On both Windows and the Mac.

Upgrade pricing

Upgrade pricing has also made it's way back into the news. Almost 4 years post-App Store launch and, a few hints to the contrary not withstanding, Apple still doesn't provide a way for developers to charge for upgrades. We're not talking about bug fixes or even minor feature enhancements either. Not 1.0.1 or even 1.1. We're talking about major new versions of software, like 2.0, 3.0, etc. Software that takes time and incurs costs to develop.

That's bad for developers and bad for consumers. Sure, the idea of free updates forever sounds nice, but it's not manageable. It's like your boss telling you he's not paying you for work you did today because he already paid you for it yesterday.

Conversely, just because I bought a hamburger at McDonald's today, doesn't mean I get free hamburgers every day for the rest of my life. Just because I paid to see Batman Begins doesn't mean I'll be let into Dark Knight Rises for free. And just because I bought Tweetie doesn't mean I was entitled to Tweetie 2 for free (or any other stand-alone version 2.0, 3.0, etc. app for that matter).

No one can run a sustainable business like that. And I want developers to have sustainable businesses because I want more, better, deeper apps.

Cocoaheads

I had the opportunity to speak at Cocoaheads Montreal last Tuesday on the topic of app marketing. It's something near and dear to my heart for a couple of reasons. First, before I ran iMore I worked in enterprise software marketing. Second, now that I run iMore I see tons of apps with tons of potential fall on the App Store with a whimper instead of an explosion, get very little attention, and disappear.

You absolutely need to make a great app, but you also absolutely need to tell people about it. Just like you wireframe and mock up the design and plan and code the functionality you need to strategize and execute the product marketing.

Be in the App Store day and date with that great new feature Apple really wants to show off, so they and the media show you off along with it. Find the sites that write about the kind of apps you make and engage them directly and passionately. Talk about the problems your app solves (not "my app does XYZ" but "if you need XYZ, that's what my app does"). Be easy to work with -- have assets ready for Apple if they want to feature you immediately, have advanced promo codes ready for key writers if they want to do release day reviews. If there's a legitimate reason to have web-based accounts that offer additional functionality, don't abuse them but certainly use them to directly engage your user base.

The App Store might be a gold-rush-come-lottery but that doesn't mean you can't stack what odds there are in your favor.

Wide-screen iPhone

Last iMore heard, Apple was sticking with the 3.5 inch screen size, though it wasn't "set in stone" and could be slightly bigger. A confluence of events led some to speculate that Apple could go wider instead of just bigger. Closer to 16:9 than the current 3:2. Apple has lots of prototypes in the labs, which is why there are so many rumors about different sizes and cases of iPhones and iPads. We haven't heard anything about a 16:9 iPhone, but we have heard Apple is (perhaps still) discussing or experimenting with alternatives to the current Home button. Could these experiments come together into an almost all-screen iPhone?

It raises the kind of problems for developers and apps that Apple has thus far avoided by retaining the same aspect and pixel ratio in iPhones since they first introduced the original iPhone. Given how long Apple is leaving older devices on the market as well -- for example, the 2009 iPhone 3GS is still sold as new -- it would be a long-lasting problem as well. Boxing 3:2 apps, like Apple does with iPhone apps on the bigger iPad screen, wouldn't create the premium phone experience Apple is known for.

Features

• iPhone 4S six months later: A group of us from iMore, Mobile Nations, and the podcasts shared our thoughts on the iPhone 4S a year-and-a-half into the product cycle. How's it holding up? Is it still competitive? Would we recommend it to a new buyer today?
• Flipboard vs Zite vs Pulse: iPad personalized magazine app shootout!: Ally takes a look at her three favorite iPad note-takers/text-editors and figures out which one is the best and for whom.
• Could carriers rebel against the high costs of Apple’s iPhone?: Chris Umiastowski takes a look at the iPhone's popularity relative to its subsidies and how that may concern the carriers.
• How I use my iPhone 4S as a therapist: Georgia shares how she uses her iPhone at work.
• Solving the case of the missing iPad apps: The best clock, voice recording, weather, calculator, and stock apps alternatives: Leanna goes looking for replacements for the apps Apple intentionally withheld from the iPad.

Recommended reading

• From the Editor's Desk: The alternative Android dictionary: Phil Nickinson reveals the dirty little secrets of dirty little blogs
• BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 Review: Kevin Michaluk pays $2K for a BlackBerry and tells us if it was worth it.
• iCloud’s First Six Months: The Developers Weigh In: Federico Viticci interviews prominent developers about the current state of iCloud.
• Nielsen is wrong on mobile: Josh Clark of Global Moxie tackles the concept of mobile as a second-class experience.
• Instagram is the best, Instagram is the worst: Chris Ziegler and Dieter Bohn get into a good old fashioned "duck season/rabbit season" row over the value of Instagram.
• The Mac App Store Needs Paid Upgrades: Wil Shipley explains why upgrade revenue matters under the current software business model.

Still alive

Fever's still up and so am I. Let's see if fixing that second part fixes the first.

Running something like iMore is a little like the first regular season episode of Battle Star Galactica (2004). You jump, and then spend the next 33 minutes scrambling to do everything you have to do before the Cylons find you 33 minutes later and you have to jump again. It. Just. Never. Stops. When you're not catching news and writing it up, you're working on features or editing or planning future content and features. It's a machine with a lot of moving parts, which means there's a lot to keep track of and a lot to get done. Most of that ends up on the website in one way or another. But once in a while we get to branch out and give you something special...

The iMore app

We shipped it. After several months of hard work and a lot of finger-crossing come review time, the iMore for iPhone app hit the App Store last week. And wow but guys gave it a great reception! From the sheer number of downloads to the incredible feedback we've gotten, you've absolutely knocked our collective socks off. Everyone from iMore, Nickelfish, and Mobile Nations worked really hard on it, so we're thrilled that so many of you like it so much.

We're already hard are work planning out the next version, including iPad support and much, much more. So make sure you get your feature requests in now!

(And if you haven't downloaded it already, it's completely FREE, it's in the App Store, so grab it NOW!)

iPad mini redux

Week before last I wrote a story about the iPad mini, the still-mythical 7.85-inch smaller sized tablet that Apple has in the labs but may or may not choose to release (tl;dr: Apple's a go-to-market company and they won't release an iPad mini -- or any new product -- until there's a compelling and profitable reason to do so). Last Wednesday John Gruber of Daring Fireball, who has excellent Apple sources, said on his podcast that he'd heard pretty much the same and went over his own list of why and why not we may see an iPad mini (or iPad Jr.) soon. Fredrico Viticci of MacStories and Matthew Panzarino of The Next Web weighed in as smartly as well.

The iPad mini, like the iPhone nano, remains something Apple won't do because they can, but will do when they feel they should. When could that be?

Gruber speculated that an iPad mini could be a WWDC 2012, though we're still hearing that, once again, there won't be any new iOS hardware this summer.

Obviously

Speaking of John Gruber, he had an interesting back and forth with Sebastiaan de With of DoubleTwist over the tension between simplicity and obviousness.

These challenges aren't anything new of course, even in mobile. Going back to the Newton, Palm Pilot and Handspring/Palm Treo, Windows Pocket PC and Windows Mobile, there have been app launcher Home screens and simple, zen-like user interfaces. (Palm was famous for "counting clicks" to minimize how long it took to do something with Palm OS.) You want interfaces to be simple and obvious for users, but the focus isn't the simplicity or obviousness, but the users. You match the tool to the job, not the other way around.

When that doesn't happen, user interface, not matter how audacious, how brilliant, gets in the way. When it does happen, when it relentlessly serves the needs of the user, it disappears. There is no tension. There's almost no interface. (Not in terms of chrome or elements, but in terms of friction and cognitive load.)

When Apple (or any designer) succeeds, whether it's with something as utilitarian as Mail for iOS, it's because the UI is so consistent and clear you barely notice it. It's when my 2 year old godson can unlock an iPhone or iPad, navigate to his favorite game or app, launch it, and use it. Well. It's when my mom can discover, download and install, use and recommend apps in a way that encourages and delights her rather than frustrates and shames her.

It's not about chrome or no chrome, buttons or no buttons, gestures or no gestures, simplicity or complexity, it's about balance. It's about usability. It's about accessibility.

Apple is smart about this. iOS has the basic Home screen and that's all you ever really need to use. If you want more, you have the gestures, the fast app switcher, Notification Center, etc. Likewise on the Mac, a Unix geek can live in Terminal, a regular user in Aqua, and a new-to-the-Mac iOS user can easily relate to Launchpad.

When the right elements are in the right place, that's when everything from an OS to an app feels simple and obvious.

Sourcing

Since it's baseball season, let's go inside baseball for a moment. Every once and a while bloggers get stressed over how stories are sourced. We all work really hard on original content and exclusive reporting, and when we do a good job it's rewarding to get recognized by our peers with links back to that work.

iMore clearly and consistently places source links at the bottom of every article, so that readers can quickly and easily find where each and every story comes from (if they come from somewhere else). We also take pains to drive traffic back to the originating source, so they're encouraged to make more great content, and we have more great content to link to in the future.

Some sites and editors don't like that and think source links should be in the body of a post. Since the body of a post can contain 2-20 other -- mostly internal -- links depending on a story, in-body source links can also easily get lost. Often that's not the intention, but just as often it's the result. (It's especially evident to us when sites that repeat our stories get incorrectly attributed as the originator of those stories.)

If the author deserves to be highlighted outside the body, if the date, if the tag, if any number of other meta attributes deserve to be singled out and made noticeable, certainly the source link does as well.

Obviously there are limits and exceptions -- articles with multiple sources, like this one, can't clearly attribute each one in a source field so I'm linking in the body -- but that's where flexibility and editorial judgement are important. It's really the intent that matters. Good sites with good editors will get it right. They'll find the correct source and attribute it correctly -- and every reader will know where every story comes from, be it the site itself or some place else.

Features

Going from inside baseball out, once again we had some great features on iMore this week.

• Best iPhone and iPad apps for Major League Baseball fans: Gary handed us all a hotdog and tasty beverage, and showed us how to get the most out of opening day.
• Weekly Photo Contest: Flowers!: Leanna kicked off our new series of iPhoneography contests, just in time for spring, and entries so far are outstanding. Make sure you get yours in asap!
• How to fix a cracked or broken screen on the Verizon or Sprint iPhone 4: Ally's taking her DIY iPhone repair series to a whole new level. If you're using an older device, she'll absolutely help you keep it going as long as possible.
• Making the right choices: How we designed and developed the iMore for iPhone app: Seth opens his kimono (figuratively speaking!) and explains the thought process behind the new iMore app.
• How to use your iPad in direct sunlight: Georgia and Steph show how polarized sunglasses can be used to more easily see your iPad display in direct sunlight. They also point out it's not the orientation, but how different sunglasses require different orientations to work properly.
• I for one welcome our new Android Instagrammers: There was a lot of angst and acrimony surrounding the arrival of Instagram on the Android platform: It was silly, so iMore brought out the welcome mat and invited them on a photo walk.
• Great Artists Steal: Yours truly weighs in on the difference between being inspired by what came before and using it as a springboard to create something new, and simply copying someone else's implementation as closely as possible.

Recommended reading

If that's not enough to tide you over, here are some great articles from around the web that I enjoyed this week.

• Anil Dash Calls Foul by Benjamin Brooks is the latest in Brooks' excellent series of articles on Readability's business model and the concerns it raises for some publishers.
• Searching for a rational reason to hate a manufacturer's UI by Phil Nickinson tackles the interesting issue of the love/hate relationship some Android users have with manufacturer specific interfaces from the likes of HTC.
• Welcome to iTextEditors by Brett Terpstra breaks down dozens of iOS text editors by dozens of feature sets in an effort to help compare and contrast them.
• How to check for—and get rid of—a Mac Flashback infection by Jacqui Cheng breaks down the first massive Mac malware attack (that we know of), tells you what it is, how to see if your Mac is infected, and what to do about it if it is.
• From the Editor's Desk: Last blog standing by Derek Kessler takes the look at the state of webOS blogs, then straps on his Roosevelt pants and vows webOS Nation has only just begun to fight.
• Four and a Half Years On by Stephen Fry takes a look at everything that's happened in mobile since the introduction of the original iPhone, as only Stephen Fry could look at it.
• Care-taking and The ultimate bucket list are the latest two episodes of ZEN and TECH, which is the most important show Mobile Nations does. There's a lot we can do to help you improve your smartphone or tablet. This show will help improve your life. I can't recommend i enough.

Spinning up the FTLs

And... jump.

Better late than never, right? That's going to be a bit of a recurring theme for the first few items on this week's hit list, as we wrap up our new iPad coverage and dive head-long into the rest of the week that was. So let's not waste any more time...

New iPad triple play

It took us a while to get our massive new iPad review up and I make no apologies for that. We worked, literally in many cases, around the clock for over a week making sure we used our new iPads, tested them, challenged them and got a sense of how they really worked in the real world. That took time. So did the the Mobile Nations round table, and iMore community report card that went with it.

I think it was time well spent though. We only get a few new devices a year at iMore, so when we get them we want to cover them well. That means not only technology, but usability and experience.

And that takes time.

Resolutionizing

We've been slowly but surely updating iMore so it looks insanely greater on the new iPad's Retina display. Our last redesign transformed a lot of the layout to CSS, which automagically renders in HiDPI on Retina. For the persistent graphical elements, like the header logo and sidebar icons, we've embedded the images at 2x size. They're small enough that 60px vs 30px doesn't make a huge difference to load times or bandwidth costs (for us or our users who may be on limited data plans).

We're not sure how we're going to handle the big post heroes or screenshots yet. We're looking at media-query and other options, and when we settle on something, we'll let you know.

We also did a special edition round-table on the last episode of Iterate all about Retina design, if you want to hear a lot more from a lot smarter on this.

No Daisey at all

While I was busy with the new iPad, reporters were busy finding out that Mike Daisey's The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, wherein he painted a sensationally horrifying portrait of Apple's place in the Asian economy, wasn't so much journalism as drama. That he was an actor doing a play was, apparently, lost on everyone until now.

Daisey shares some of the blame for that by intentionally putting himself into stories where he had no part, portraying his work as fact when it was fictionalized, and for giving interviews where he, like Sascha Baron Cohen, remained bizarrely in-character. The media shares some of the blame as well, for being so eager to put Apple into the headlines that they rushed to publish before looking into the very real problems in Daisey's accounts. The rest of the blame falls squarely on us, the public, and our hunger for juicy, controversial, Apple-related stories. It's the Bruce Lee cover I wrote about earlier this week, and it's not going away any time soon.

In the end the story both helped bring attention to the issue of Chinese factories and working conditions and then clouded those very real issues in convolution, confusion, and even more controversy. Daisey wasn't and should never have been the story. Lesson, hopefully, learned.

That's not 4G

Speaking of lessons in need of learning, Apple got in some trouble this week when it turned out their 4G LTE iPad didn't work on International 4G LTE networks... which is precisely what Apple said during the new iPad event back at the beginning of March. That pesky little 4G term, however -- the one US carriers late to the LTE game like T-Mobile and AT&T started using for HSPA+ and the one Apple carefully avoided at the iPhone 4S launch but seemingly embraced and extended at the new iPad launch -- came back to bite them on the ass.

While Apple was clear about who was getting LTE up front, using 4G on the packaging turned out to be a problem in Australia and Europe and where carriers aren't as liberal with the term. No doubt it was easier for AT&T (and T-Moble) to tack 4G onto their marketing than to build out an actual LTE network, but there was no reason for Apple to follow that same line of folly.

This is especially true when it comes to the iPhone indicator, which since iOS 5.1 was released says 4G for AT&T, despite the radio hardware remaining entirely the same. It's even more perplexing, given AT&T promptly thanked Apple for the concession by NOT giving Apple tethering plans for the new iPad. No one seems able to figure out FaceTime over cellular data either, despite Skype and every other similar service doing it freely.

Apple is already changing course on international marketing. Maybe they can change course on AT&T's indicator as well?

Comment clarity

At the top of every comment entry box on iMore it says:

Note: Comments must be civil, respectful, and on-topic. If a comment does not add to the conversation, if it contains spam advertising, or inappropriate language or content, it will be removed. Insulting the topic, author, staff, site, network, or other commenters will result in the comment being marked as spam and potential prevent future comments from appearing on the site. Do not post as a business or your comment will likely be confused with spam. Comments containing links may be held for moderation. Relax, enjoy, and share in the discussion.

Yet despite this, we still have a problem with trolls. We're working on fixing it, and on making the comments more productive and enjoyable for readers who are here to enjoy and be productive.

Regular readers shouldn't have to put up with trolling any more than people who go to parks should have to tip-toe around a mine field of dog poop. And if someone lands on the iMore home page, or finds an article through search, their first experience shouldn't be immediate introduction to the worst aspects of the greater internet f-wad theory (NSFW-L).

We should all be able to disagree without being disagreeable, love a device or platform without hating people who love a different device or platform, allow someone else to be right without thinking it makes someone else wrong.

We don't plan on shutting comments off or hiding them the way some other sites have. We plan on raising the level of discourse on iMore. Bring your A game.

Forum fun

As much as we'll be working hard on the comments, we'll be doing even more on the iMore forums. We've just reorganized them to help all of our new members more easily find what they're looking for -- be it assistance with a new device, or solutions to problems with apps or iCloud or iTunes, or discussion about the technology they love and use.

Mobile Nations has also upgraded the backend considerably, giving the iMore forums some of the same great features our Android Forums have been enjoying for a while. And there's much more to come.

Features

Lots of great stuff this week:

• How to create stunning panoramic photographs with your iPhone. Leanna just keeps knocking these out of the park and, frankly, into orbit. If you've ever wanted to capture more than your iPhone camera app still easily allows, check this out.
• All I would have wanted was a faster iPad. Georgia dares to say she preferred the nature of the iPad 1 to iPad 2 upgrade over the nature of the iPad 2 to iPad 3 upgrade. Some of you may have run for torches and pitchforks.
• How to DIY replace the vibrator assembly in an iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS. Ally continues to fight for the users of older devices by showing how to keep them running longer, better.
• The iPad mini. Yours truly goes over the latest round of 7-inch iPad rumors and tries to sort the sane from the sensational.
• Angry Birds Space review: Entering iPhone and iPad orbit at the speed of rage. Simon straps on his rockets and enters the cosmic pork vs. fowl wars.
• Will the tablet market be more like the PC market or Smartphone market?. Chris takes a look at the iPad and tries to figure out if it will end up more like the iPhone or the iPod.

Recommended reading

• The digital-physical by Craig Mod describes the process by which Flipboard was brought to the iPhone.
• Photoshop CS6 improvements by my Iterate co-host, Marc Edwards, tells you why, if you're a Photoshop user, you want to upgrade.
• Readability Directs Shared Articles To Own Servers, Cuts Out Original Publishers by A.T Faust III of App Advice catches Readability doing the wrong thing, and now the right thing.
• Google will abandon Android by Matthew Panzarino at his new side-gig, Robot Tuxedo.
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus my way and Working from my Transformer Prime by Jerry Hildenbrand highlights just what you can do with mobile. And a beard.
• Reality Check: RIM is not giving up on the consumer market by Chris Umiastowski takes the media to task for botching the BlackBerry earnings announcements. I'd add that RIM should have been far more careful in framing their comments as well.
• The Feature is Marco Armenent's new name for Give Me Something to Read, so if you're still thirsty of more, head on over and check it out.

And.. scene

Now that I've literally gotten blisters from typing and track-padding so much this month, I leave you to the rest of your Sunday. A Game of Thrones season 2 premiere anyone?

The new column. It comes after last week's column 2. If that confuses you, just call it the column (3rd edition). Yeah, I went there. It's been a heckuva week so cut me some slack. We've all been running on equal parts adrenalin and recklessly strong coffee and might soon be going into a collective apoplexy not dissimilar to what I'm sure faced the CEOs of rival tablet manufacturers sometime Wednesday afternoon. Yeah, I went there too. Here's why...

The unbeatable new iPad

I've already written about the new iPad event and what it means for the new Apple, so go read that first. Done? Good. Here's a little more.

The new iPad event was the first event following the passing of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. So, it's being afforded way more attention than it otherwise might (and as we all know, stare at anything long enough and you'll be seeing shapes and patterns that aren't really there).

Along with the need for more better helmets, that probably explains a lot of link-bait that's been going around since the event. It's dumb Apple stuff and I'm not going anywhere near it, nor the noble but unfortunately perpetuating link-back refutations that still leave me dumber for having scanned them. Instead I'm going with the opposite -- the chest beating. The stuff that's even more dangerous. The stuff that's saying that Apple is unbeatable.

Nothing and no one is unbeatable. Not even Apple. And no one ever sees the next big transition coming. IBM didn't. Microsoft didn't. Sony didn't. Google won't. And neither will Apple.

Apple's advantage is, right now, they don't consider themselves unbeatable. They're scared and they're hungry. They're Rocky III after Clubber Lang clobbered him midway through the film, and they're working their collective asses off to make sure they don't lose the much bigger rematch. They know they're beatable because they've been beaten in the past, and they're lucky enough to have gotten a second chance. They're smart enough to keep proving they're beatable, each and every year, by beating themselves.

That's what makes Apple dangerous.

[Update: I thought more about this and spun it off into a separate editorial called Beatable]

The new Apple TV

Now it comes in 1080p.

The Privacy car

Android Central had a great editorial about mobile privacy this week. It's the kind of smart, non-sensationalist, non-reactionary writing we need more of. But that's not going to stop me from disagreeing with it in a fairly fundamental way.

Yes, the concerns raised by headline-seeking senators in regards to mobile privacy are neither new nor unique to mobile. Potential bad guy developers can access your photos on your phone, just like they could access those photos on your Mac or Windows PC too. Heck, we can't go a week without yet another celebrity's nudie pics getting hacked and splayed across the internet. We get it.

But smartphones and tablets aren't PCs. To quote Steve Jobs, mobile is the car to the PC truck. And mobile users aren't the same types of drivers as traditional PC users. They're often people for whom traditional PCs were intimidating and inaccessible, and for whom the idea of a file system and permissions were confusing and off putting. They got smartphones and tablets, in part, because they wanted something easier.

Time was if you owned a motor vehicle you needed some measure of mechanical knowledge to operate it and keep it operational. Even years later common prejudice held that you shouldn't drive something you didn't know how to fix. But times changed and cars became more user friendly. Now most people get in, turn a key, shift an automatic transmission, and go. If they break down, they call someone. Mainstream drivers often have no idea how modern cars function and wouldn't have the first clue how to fix them if they ever broke down. Same goes for PCs.

That's the price we pay for democratizing technology.

And that's why it's not reasonable to expect mainstream users to even begin to understand the subtleties and specifics of online, mobile privacy permissions.

I'm a huge believer in personal responsibility. Don't put something online that you couldn't survive going public. But the concept of computers and filesystems and permissions is antiquated and outdated in our brave, new mobile world of always accessible networks and instant uploading apps.

We need something simpler, more sensible, and easier for mainstream users to understand and employ. We've made PCs into computing appliances, into cars, far more elegant and accessible than ever before. It's time to make the privacy and security settings match.

I repeat, I'm a huge believer in personal responsibility. I'm also a huge believer in platform responsibility. This is something Apple and Google (among others) need to address and now.

Podcasting

I did a double-header on the iPhone & iPad Live podcast this week -- a live show during the new iPad event with Seth Clifford (calling in from Aruba no less!), and Simon Sage, and a post-event analysis show with Georgia and David Barnard of App Cubby (which is currently sitting at #8 in the iTunes gadget podcast listings, thanks to all of you). We're doing fewer podcasts these days but our goal is to do each show better. I've already switched from iMovie to Final Cut Pro X for the editing and while it's taken me a couple weeks to even begin to feel comfortable, the time saved in rendering (almost 2x) has already made it more than worth it.

We're thinking of doing a few specials soon, both for Iterate and iMore, and for Mobile Nations, and the new schedule it what's going to make that possible. Stay tuned.

Features

Apple turned our schedule upside down this week. Usually there's a few days if not a week between an Apple event and the release of a new iOS update (for developers to test the Gold Master (GM) build against their apps), and between device announcement and pre-orders (for Apple to get everything in place). This year Apple pushed iOS 5.1 out and opened pre-orders right on event day. And we all scrambled. We'd already planned and written a lot of content, but we needed to wait for the announcement to finalize it (so we'd know the actual details of what they announced). We believe iMore exists only and always to serve our readers, and a big part of that is helping our readers figure out new software features and decide which version of new hardware to buy. Let's just say some of us didn't get much sleep for the last few days. But we managed to get a lot of stuff done. Much of it is rounded and summed up in these two, conveniently bookmarkable places.

• iOS 5 walkthrough: A complete look at Apple's latest mobile software for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
• 2012 iPad buyers guide: Everything you need to know before buying the new iPad, including how to pick your model, storage capacity, color, and 3G or 4G LTE carrier.

We also had a huge internal debate about the name "the new iPad"... or the new "iPad" depending on which side of the debate you fall on.

• Why the new “iPad” has the perfect name: Leanna fights back with great points about how Apple has always handled new products and their existing product lines.
• Why “the new iPad” is a terrible name

Me, I fight for the user. My mom bought an iPad 2, went and searched for "iPad 2 cases", and found one she liked for exactly the model she had. As an experiment, I searched for "new iPad cases" and "iPad cases" (fair is fair) and got results that were far too broad to be useful. Accessory makers and stores alike will need to do some heavy lifting on their ends to help customers navigate that. I'm guess app devs who target only the latest hardware will have to do likewise. So in theory, while "iPad" is shorter, "iPad (3rd generation)" is both more realistic and less penetrable for my mom.

In lieu of her usual photography column this week, Leanna took a look at Apple's new photo editor for iOS. (Spoiler: It's powerful but not perfect, but a damn sight better than Photoshop Touch -and shows it's time for Adobe to ditch AIR and get in the native game.)

• iPhoto for iPhone and iPad review

Ally also tackled the questions that were rapidly filling our email boxes.

• Can you jailbreak the new iPad, AppleTV, and iOS 5.1?

Meanwhile, Georgia did the best she could to make sure some cool iPhone kit still hit the site.

• SGP Linear Blitz Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 review

Some readers expressed concern that case might be too slippery or might interfere with reception. I've used it and found it had a great grip and didn't notice any signal lock. I'm guessing the ones the iMore Store sells are simply badass.

If you're not read-out yet

This went rather long, so I'll keep the recommended reading brief.

• From the Editor's Desk: Privacy, Google Play, Nexus tablets and more: Phil Nickinson started this very format on Mobile Nations and does it better than anyone.
• MacStories Reading List: New iPad Special Edition: Federico Viticci inspired me to share links to smart stuff I liked.

This Friday

I'll be lining up to get my new iPad in Montreal on Friday. Black. 64GB. LTE. (Go big or go Kindle.) If you're around, come say hi and get a free special edition iMore t-shirt.

I'm your huckleberry.

Phew! That March 7, 2012 announcement date rumor turned out to be accurate. Apple will indeed be unveiling their next generation iPad in San Francisco this coming Wednesday, and it will not doubt dominate the news, and our attention, for weeks to come. As we wait for that giant wave to hit us, however, there's a lot of other interesting stuff happening...

iPad 3 event

Now that invitations have gone out and the iPad 3 event is official, we went through all the hardware and software rumors we've been tracking and put together a monster iPad 3 event preview. Georgia also put together a couple of polls asking for your iPad 3 expectations. Make sure you get your votes in.

While a ton of material has allegedly been leaked already, including what could be a fairly complete outer casing there's still a lot we don't know. Especially about the software.

What apps will Apple show off on stage? They've done GarageBand and iMovie in the past? What's left? What will be the big hero features that highlight iPad 3 commercials for the next year? And will it get Siri? Many of us would love to see Siri on the iPad 3, but there are a lot of challenges Apple will have to overcome to make it a great experience.

All we can do now though is sell off our old iPads, watch for last minute rumors, and wait for Wednesday.

Speaking of rumors...

iMore is fairly cautious about posting rumors when we get them. Several times we've gotten good stories, sat on them to check and check again, only to see a mainstream publication run the story first. That's okay. Sometimes it's better to sure than first. When we do run something it's because we've got a good reason to, so it's nice when something like the March 7 iPad event date pans out. (Sometimes it's even hilarious.) Now we'll just have to see what happens with the quad-core processor we, and several others, heard was on board, the March 30, 2012 released date we heard about last week, and that big micro-dock story for the iPhone 5.

We link to a lot of other sites' rumors though, and there has been a ton of iPad 3 stuff lately. Some of you seem to love it -- you get angry if we take too long to get them linked up. Others of you don't seem to care for them very much at all. The good thing about the timeline nature of web sites is that you can always skip something that doesn't interest you and go on to something that does. But for interest's sake, here's how we're handling it.

Our current strategy is to post anything that gets a lot of attention and try to provide some analysis and some context. If it sounds possible, we'll say so, and if it doesn't make sense, we'll tell you that too. If it's just utterly ridiculous, we'll err on the side of not posting.

Our job is always and only to serve our readers, viewers, and listeners. If that means helping sort through the deluge of rumors that come up before a major Apple launch, that's what we'll do.

Which brings me to what we won't do.

Linking to Linkbait

Definitions for linkbait vary. Here's mine -- when someone smart posts something incendiary, outlandish, or otherwise asinine in a faux attempt to be controversial and attract negative attention. When it comes to iMore, that means dumb Apple stuff. A lot of big sites and big personalities have been posting dumb Apple stuff lately and it's really tempting to take the bait and respond. We've done that in the past. But it never ends. In fact, it just shows them their strategy works and encourages them to do it again. And again.

I love snarky rebuttals, but I can't read the pull quotes that are being snarkily rebutted anymore. Claim chowder takedowns are worth a chuckle but all they ultimately beget are more chowder claims to take down. Whether it's on websites or Twitter, links to dumb Apple stories only proves their formula and all we end up getting are more dumb Apple stories. There's so much intelligent, insightful, inspiring commentary being written in the Apple space it's really disheartening that the dumb stuff seems to be getting so many links. What we really need is an un-link protocol. Absent that, there's still something we can do.

We're going to make up for the linkbait we don't post with high quality, carefully curated links to really good content from really smart people. Like Richard Gaywood's recent article on TUAW about Retina display Macs, iPads, and HiDPI: Doing the Math that we linked to earlier in the week.

Here are some more:

• OS X @2X by App Cubby's David Barnard, which continues the exploration of Retina display Macs.
• iPad 3′s Retina display means trouble for many apps due to Apple’s 20MB 3G download limit by The Next Web's Matthew Panzarino, who rightly asks what inflating app sizes will do for impulse app sales.
• Retina & Universal by MacStories' Frederico Viticci offers some potential solutions to the problem.
• Frequent, Intense Mature and Suggestive Themes by Marco Arment looks at Apple's ongoing, inconsistent, flabbergasting practice of labeling any app with a built in web browser (UIWebView) as 17+ and scaring potential customers with warnings of "Frequent/Intense" content.
• The Readability Fallacy by Ben Brooks about the confusion Readability's business model causes for content creators and users of the service alike.

I don't agree with all of their opinions either, but when I read thought-provoking ideas, it causes me to question my own preconceptions. Sometimes I change my mind, sometimes I don't. But either way I've gone through a process, sharpened my thoughts, and come to have better opinions.

When I read the dumb stuff, even when I read smart people explaining why it's dumb, ultimately I still feel dumber. I'd rather focus on the smart stuff.

Speaking of the smart stuff

Those new columns I mentioned last week just keep getting better.

• How I use my iPhone for police work is from CrackBerry.com's David Boyd and delves into how law enforcement officers can benefit from Apple's mobile tech.
• In defense of Cydia, the jailbreak app store is Ally's counter-argument to Georgia's Agony and ecstasy of Cydia piece from a couple weeks back.
• How to make your iPhone photographs more powerful with negative space is the latest entry in Leanna's outstanding iPhoneography series.
• How my iPad helped me learn to play guitar is a wonderful piece by Gary that makes me think even I have a chance at figuring out how to jam...
• Nexia Home Security Bundle review: The future of iPhone home automation is now has Georgia taking a look at home automation, iPhone style

Look for more to come, even if we take a pause this week to cover iPad 3.

Adobe Photoshop Touch

One of the things that didn't get written last week was my Adobe Photoshop Touch review. I've been using it all week and I'm still deeply conflicted by it. On one hand, it's a fantastic app, with excellent tutorials for beginners, and that brings a lot of great features and functionality to the iPad, and shows just how incredible big screen, multitouch devices can be for content creation. On the other, it's a terribly frustrating experience that stymies my attempts to really use it at every turn.

I'm not sure if it's because Photoshop Touch is an AIR cross-compile and not a native iPad app, and that reduces its intuitiveness and raises the cognitive overhead for almost every activity. It could also be some of the UI decisions, for example having an & button is an odd, utterly opaque choice. I'm assuming the iPad also imposes limitations, for example the maximum canvas size is fine for blog images but way too constrained for professional work. (Could an iPad 3 with more processing power and RAM overcome this?) The masking is also far too imprecise for my tastes.

The bottom line for me is this -- I've worked as a designer for over a decade and lived in Photoshop for years, and I while I can have a lot of fun with Photoshop Touch, I can't even begin to do real work with it.

It doesn't even natively support PSD files for crying out loud.

There's a real opportunity here for a Pixelmator or Accorn or even an Apple-made iPhoto/Aperture to redefine the king of the imaging hill for the next generation of computing appliances.

Adobe should be scared out of their socks about that. They should forget all this AIR/Flash nonsense, forget protecting the platform lock-in, roll up their sleeves and focus 100% on making a fantastic content creation app again.

Join us on March 7

We'll be on Ustream Wednesday at 1pm ET/10am PT/6pm GMT during the iPad 3 event with a special edition iPhone Live podcast, and we'll follow up with a post-game show during our usual 9pm ET/6pm PT/2am GMT. Whether it's an iPad 3 or it gets another name, whether we see a 1080p Apple TV or a new iPod touch, whether new Time Capsules are in the wings or something completely new, we'll give it all the commentary, color, and analysis, it can handle. And we'd love for you to join us.

Actual out.

What a week. iPad 3 was certainly the big story, with rumors following their usual, crazy, pre-relase pattern. iOS 5.1 is along for the ride. On the hardware side, we heard the traditional 30-pin dock connector may be going micro, and as you may have noticed, we've been making some changes around the site. Here's the deal on release dates, software drops, and assorted mischief...

iPad 3 release date

With the iPad 3 event expected for March 7, that raises the question of when Apple's next tablet will actually ship. A new but interesting source recently told us March 30 was the date with an Apple Retail meeting to take place right before hand, on March 28. That's 23 days between announcement and release. And... that seems like a long time.

Apple announced the first iPad on January 27, 2010, opened pre-orders in the U.S. on March 12, and released the device on Friday, April 30. But that was a brand new product category, and while not as big as the January 9, 2007 to June 29 window of the original iPhone, it gave developers time to get a ton of apps in place before launch. iPad 2 was announced on March 2, 2011, had no pre-orders, and was released on March 11. That's 9 days.

If Apple wants to have pre-orders for the iPad 3, or give developers a head start on getting their apps Retina display ready, would they need more time?

The iPhone 4S had pre-orders. It was announced on October 4, 2011, pre-orders started on October 7, and it was released on October 14. 10 days.

The iPhone 4 made the same jump to Retina the iPad 3 is expected to make. It was announced on June 7, 2010 and was released on June 24. 17 days.

Would Apple really want or need 23 days from iPad 3 announcement to launch? Unless every minute of extra manufacturing time is important to get stock to the level Apple requires -- and given the spec rumors for the device, especially that 2048x1536 pixel display, it might be -- it seems like too long a window.

Both iPad and iPad 2 were released on Fridays, however, so March 30 remains a possibility. Announcement on March 7, perhaps pre-orders on March 9, and release on March 16 would fit last year's schedule. Release on March 23 would split the difference.

Realistically, it's too close to call for me. (Which is why I snuck the March 30 date in here instead of it's own big, noisy post...) Just keep your Fridays open next month.

iOS 5 release date

Apple's not predictable but they do like their patterns. While iOS 5.1 feels like it's been in beta forever (November 28, 2011 forever), it has yet to go GM (Gold Master), which means developers have yet to get their hands on a release candidate for testing. Given past timelines, it's not hard to see Apple announcing the iOS 5.1 GM seed during the March 7 event, and releasing it a couple days before the iPad 3. That could mean March 14, 21, or 28.

Depending on what, if any, surprising new features Apple shows off in iOS 5.1 for the iPad 3 -- maybe Siri, maybe something else? -- developers would likely appreciate as much time as possible to get their apps ready to be in the App Store on day one.

So, better keep your Wednesdays open as well.

That micro-dock rumor

Wow but that name caught on fast. In case you missed it, earlier this week we heard Apple was finally getting ready to ditch the traditional dock connector and go with something smaller, to save space in the iPhone 5 for bigger batteries and faster radios.

Many of you told us you'd prefer Apple ditch it completely and go with Palm TouchStone-style inductive charging. Palm still had micro USB, however, for standard charging and while Apple is fearless when it comes to embracing the future, they're also pragmatic about mainstream needs and inductive charging might not be mainstream enough just yet.

iMore's new look and new focus

A while back I promised everyone that iMore would be steadily rolling out new features to make for a better, more informative, more useful, more enjoyable experience. While the big stuff is still coming, we did update the home page recently to let some the awesome photography the team's been taking really shine. We're talking edge-to-edge, widescreen graphics, and I for one think they look terrific.

We also updated the layout to better differentiate our feature articles. The problem is this -- there's just too much iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad stuff out there. Too much news and too many rumors, and way too many apps and accessories. We want to cut through all that for you and offer only the best of the best of the best of everything. We want to bring you the stories that are most important to you, the rumors that we can best put in context, and we want to plow through the massive amounts of apps and accessories and give you the ones that really stand out, that are absolutely best in class, or are simply too cool to pass up.

Check out our recent review of the phenomenal Screens 2.0 for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, our video editor shootout between Avid and iMovie, and our look at the cute, inexpensive Mujjo fisheye lens.

This approach is still a work in progress and it'll take some time for us to nail it, but we're working incredibly hard to get it right. If you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it. Drop me a line at rene@imore.com or hit me up on Twitter @reneritchie.

Oh, and along these lines -- we have a huge surprise coming in the next few weeks that'll make some of you incredibly happy, so stay tuned!

New columns and features

One of the biggest new additions to iMore, and something I'm especially proud of, are our new expert columns, and our new features. iPhones and iPads have gone from being geeky gadgets to being important parts of our lives and lifestyles. They're with us almost everywhere and they have apps and accessories that can help us with almost everything. That's where the columns and features come in.

• Health and Fitness. We've spent the whole month of February featuring health and fitness apps and accessories and tied it into our new Health and Fitness Forum so we could all work together to use our technology to help us stay in shape. eHealth/iHealth and eFitness/iFitness looks to be the next big wave and we're not stopping when the month's over. We're going to stay on top of it. We hope you stay with us.
• Photography. If the best camera is the iPhone you have with you, we want to help you take the best possible photos with it. Enter Leanna's new, weekly iPhoneography column (that's the trendy way to say iPhone photography) where she's already tackled the rule of thirds, portraits, and macros, and has a lot more on the way. She's also running each one as a project in our Photography Forum where beginners can get help and pros can share their work and help keep us inspired.
• Do-it-yourself. Not everyone replaces their iPhone or iPad every year, some people have hand-me-downs, some buy second hand, and we wall want to help make sure everyone's device runs as well as possible, for as long as possible. To that end, every week Ally is showing us how to save money by fixing and repairing common problems, from broken screens to failing Home buttons. She's also showing how to pick the best replacement parts -- including colored parts and other, fancier modifications, and providing a little consumer protection advice along the way. And if you have trouble, our DIY and Mod Forum is right there to help.
• Stock talk. With Apple share prices hitting new highs and Apple itself becoming one of the most valuable companies on the planet, we figured we needed to do more to provide better analysis and opinion on matters financial. Chris U. was happy to oblige with his new Stock talk column. He's already addressed everything from Tim Cook's Goldman Sachs performance to the recent insider trading scandals and he'll be following up on quarterly results and major news as it happens.
• Design and development. Interested in how long it will take to update iPad apps for a Retina display? We certainly were, and Marc Edwards from Bjango was there to help us out. Curious what hidden strings in iOS may mean for ZFS support in the future? Jack Perry, the developer of Frequencies for iPhone dove in to find out. We'll be hearing more from Marc and Jack, and other designers and developers, both on our Iterate podcast and in our Developers Forum and new Designers Forum as well.

Finally, yours truly made a concerted effort to keep up with the industry opinion and analysis this week as well.

• Office on iPad: Why it matters to Microsoft, Apple, and us
• Why Android and Microsoft want a piece of the iPhone
• The App Store and the scam app invasion
• Back to the iPad: What Apple should take from OS X Mountain Lion and give to iOS 6

I'd go into it more, but frankly if you made it this far down you deserve a break now. If the topics interest you, hit the links and be sure to share your thoughts.

Phew!

That's it! Now that we've got the first of these weekly reviews out of the way, I'll make a concerted effort to keep future editions shorter and sweeter. We value your time and your attention, and we appreciate your readership.

End of line.

Another week behind us, and it was quite full of surprises and iPad 3 news. In the middle of the week Apple introduced us to Mountain Lion, another step towards unifying the OS X and iOS experience into one. With tons of news coming at you, odds are you missed something, so let's check out some of what took place this week.

iPhone news

• iPad’s biggest competition isn’t the Kindle Fire — it’s the iPhone 4S
• Apple rumored to be improving fast Camera access in iOS 5.1

iPad news

• iPad 3 parts assembly point to Retina display, better camera, slightly thicker casing
• iPad 3 announcement March 7, quad-core, possible 4G LTE
• Apple rumored to be testing a smaller, 8-inch iPad
• 2048×1536 pixel Retina display examined, rumored to be iPad 3 bound

App news

• Death Call vs Warm Gun: iPhone steampunk western game shootout
• Clear review: bright, bold task list manager for iPhone
• Hands on with Messages for Mac beta
• Apple approved apps leak more private data than their jailbroken counterparts

How Tos

• How to get started with iPhone photography
• How to update jailbreak apps through Cydia
• How to take great looking portraits with your iPhone camera

Everything you need to know about using your iPhone Camera to take great, memorable photos

With the new iPhone photography -- or iPhoneography -- series we're running on iMore, we have a lot of new iPhones users, and burgeoning photographers joining us. So, Leanna and I thought it would be a good idea to team up, take a moment, and go over the basics so that everyone gets up to speed just as quickly as possible. If you're new to the iPhone or new to taking pictures, here's everything you need to know to get started. Bookmark it. If you're already an expert, save the link for a friend, and jump right into our iPhoneography Forum and share your work!

The iPhone 4S camera

The iPhone 4S has an 8 megapixel camera. A megapixel is 1 million pixels, so that means the iPhone 4S camera captures images that are 3264x2448 pixels in size. That's enough to print an 8x10 picture at 300 dots per inch (dpi), or fairly high quality. (Low quality color images print at 150-300dpi, high quality at 300-600+ dpi)

The aperture on the iPhone 4S camera is f/2.4. The f stands for "focal ratio" or "f-stop". The lower the f-stop (which is actually a larger aperture), the more light that can be let in so you can get better pictures in a wider range of settings. For example, combined with the iPhone's macro abilities, you can be obtain a shallow depth-of-field (where the subject is in focus, and elements in front of and behind the subject are blurred). The iPhone 4S also has 5 elements in the lens, helping to keep photos sharp.

An infrared (IR) filter helps produce more accurate color, and combines with software that optimizes dynamic range and white balance. So, you basically have a camera that could previously only be found on a dedicated point-and-shoot, built right into your phone.

• iPhone 4S camera hands-on

Quick Camera access

Quickly launch your iPhone camera by double clicking home then tapping the camera button

With iOS 5, Apple's made it easier and faster than ever to access your camera when you need it, even when your iPhone is locked, and even if you have a passcode set.

• Double click the Home button
• Tap the Camera button

That's it. Two clicks and a tap and you're in the Camera App and ready to shoot.

• Yes, this does leave you open to pranks

The Camera app

Tap the Camera icon on your iPhone Home screen to launch the Camera app. The Camera app is the built-in, default way to take photos on your iPhone. Even in other apps, like Messages, if you tap the camera button to take a photo, you'll be taken into the Camera app.

The Camera app opens to a live-view screen, similar to the LCD display you see on a point-and-shoot or DSLR camera. Controls are available right on the screen to take a photo, set the flash, access advanced options, and switch to the front-facing camera. Other controls are also available, including a hardware shutter and digital zoom. We'll walk you through all of them.

Geo-tagging

When you first launch the Camera, you'll be asked for permission to use your current Location for geotagging

The first time you launch the Camera app, it will ask for your permission to use your current Location. That's because, if you let it, your iPhone will store the GPS coordinates of every photo you take, so you can always easily refer back to it later. This can be great for keeping track of vacation shots, but not so great if you're posting pictures online and don't want the entire internet to know your address.

Whether you choose to enable geo-tagging for now or not, you can always change your mind later.

• How to to geolocation on or off for your iPhone Camara

Taking a photo

To take a photo, either tap the Camera button or click the volume up control

There are two ways to take a photo with the Camera app. Both of them will fire the shutter and save a picture to your Camera Roll library.

1. Tap the Camera button on the live view screen
2. Click the volume up hardware button on the side of your iPhone

Bonus tip: If your iPhone headset has a volume up button, you can use it to take pictures remotely!

Pinch to Zoom

Pinch to zoom activates the digital zoom, and shows you the zoom slider

The iPhone has a mediocre digital zoom but if you absolutely have to zoom in, it can be very slightly better than nothing.

• Touch your thumb and forefinger to the screen and pinch them together to zoom in.
• Spread them apart to zoom back out.

Once you've activated the zoom feature, a slider will appear giving you linear control, if you prefer it.

Macro

You can automatically take macro shots by getting in close... though the focus seems glitchy on close ups

The iPhone will automatically adjust for macro photos. Just bring the camera close to the object you want to shoot and take the picture.

Note: There appears to be a glitch in iOS 5 that causes problems focusing extremely close for macro photos. It locks for a moment, then blurs again. Hopefully Apple is fixing this for the next update.

Changing auto-focus and auto-exposure

To focus and set exposure on an object, just tap on it. The square indicates the current target.

The iPhone camera has automatic focus, exposure, and facial recognition. It will always try to take the best possible photo it can, but it may not always know which area of the photo you want to target.

Changing the target is simple.

• Tap the screen

That's it. Any area you tap will be surrounded by a white square and your iPhone will automatically refocus and re-balance the exposure for that area.

If your iPhone detects a face -- or up to 10 faces -- it will put a green square around it and automatically refocus and optimize the image around the face.

Locking auto-focus/auto-exposure

Sometimes the auto-focus and auto-exposure on the iPhone is more blessing than curse. For example, when there's a lot of movement, or when the center of the photo you want to take is exceptionally bright or dark. When that happens, you can lock both the auto-focus and auto-white balance so that, when you move the camera around, they no longer change.

• Place your camera one the area that has the focus and exposure you want to lock onto to
• Tap the square to make sure the focus and white balance are set.
• Hold the square with your finger until it turns blue and pulsates.

The words AE/AF Lock will appear at the bottom the screen to confirm you've done it correctly. Move the camera and take your photos without worrying about the auto-focus or auto-exposure balance any more.

To remove the AR/AF Lock, just tap the screen outside the square.

• More on how to use the iPhone AE/AF camera lock

Setting the flash

To toggle the LED flash between On, Auto, and Off, tap the current setting at the top left of the live screen

Your iPhone has an LED Flash that can be set to off, auto, and on. It's not a great flash and as will any point-and-shoot camera, light is your friend -- especially lot of daylight. If you're in a really dark place, however, and really want or need a picture, it's easy to turn the flash on.

• Tap the Flash button at the top left of the live view screen.
• Tap the On button to turn the flash on, or the **Auto button* to put it into automatic mode.

Taking HDR photos

To enable High Dynamic Range, tap Options, then toggle HDR to On.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and involves taking a series of pictures, one right after the other, both slightly overexposed and slightly underexposed, and combining them together to reveal more light and shadow information than a standard single-exposure photo would allow. So basically, you can see detail in the bright sky and in the shadow under the tree, rather than having one blown out or the other lost to black.

• Tap the Options button at the top center of the live view screen.
• Slide the HDR toggle to On.

The bottom of the screen will show HDR so you'll know it's enabled.

Note: The multiple exposures take a short amount of time to combine, so after you take an HDR photo you'll see a your iPhone say "Saving HDR". If you need to take a lot of photos quickly, you'll want to make sure HDR is set to Off.

An example of a regular vs. HDR photo, with the HDR photo on the right revealing far greater detail in the sky

Displaying the grid

The grid allows you to use the "rule of thirds" to better compose your photos

The grid is useful to help you align your photographs and achieve better compositions. For example, by using the "rule of thirds".

• Tap the Options button at the top center of the live view screen.
• Slide the Grid toggle to On.

Two sets of vertical crossed by two sets of horizontal lines will divide your screen, and you'll be ready to compose your shot.

• How to use the "rule of thirds" to better compose your iPhone photos

Camera Roll and Photo Stream

Photo Stream is a great way to backup and instantly get all your photos onto all your Apple devices... just handle with discretion for now.

Once you've taken a photo, it gets stores in your Camera Roll, and optionally your Photo Stream.

To access the Camera Roll from inside the Camera App:

• Tap the Thumbnail button next to the camera button.

To access the Camera Roll from the Home screen:

• Launch the built-in Photos app
• Tap the the Camera Roll tab.

Photo Stream is part of iCloud and keeps the most recent photos from your Camera Roll, up to 1000 of them and for up to 1 month, in a special album that's stored up to Apple's servers and pushed down to your other iOS 5 devices. It can also stream photos to an Apple TV 2 without keeping any local copies, and will store all your photos, without limit of number and time, in iPhoto or Aperture on Mac, and on a Windows PC.

Think of it as a photo only (no video) duplicate of all the Camera Rolls of all your iOS devices -- including photos you've saved to the Camera Roll from email and the web -- all in one place.

Unlike Camera Roll, however, you currently can't delete photos from Photo Stream (that will change with iOS 5.1 later this spring). That means if you take any risqué photos you don't want store online, you'll have to reset your entire Photo Stream via iCloud.com in order to get rid of them.

Photo management and editing

You can manage your photos, including emailing, tweeting, iMessaging, deleting, creating and filing into folders, and even basic editing like red-eye removal, rotation, cropping, and auto-ehance, right in the built-in Photos app. There are also several excellent photo editing apps in the App Store.

We'll cover more on that in a future article. For now, we just want you to focus on taking photos.

Other Camera apps

A sampling of Martin Reisch's (@safesolvent) awe-inspiring Instagram gallery.

While the basic, built-in iPhone Camera app is all you really need to get started, there are several other well regarded Camera apps in the App Store. They typically provide more or better features than the built in app. Here are two of our current favorites.

• Instagram is a popular, free iPhone app for applying distinctive filters to your photos, squaring them, and quickly sharing them to the Instagram network, as well as via Twitter and Facebook. You can also see some amazing examples of other people's iPhoneography. Read more - Download now
• Camera+ has a lot of great features, including separate focus and exposure settings, image stabilization, enhanced zoom, scene modes, and a bevy of sharing options. - Read more - Download now

What's next

Now that you have a basic idea how the iPhone camera works, go shoot some photos. Shoot tons of photos. Still life, portraits, landscapes, wild life, sports, anything and everything that catches your fancy. The secret to success here is definitely practice!

• Check out our weekly iPhone photography projects to learn more
• Share your work, tips, and advice in your iPhone photography forum

Another week has come and gone, and with it has come a few changes to iMore. We have bigger, better photos on the home page and in the posts, and we're carefully -- more carefully than ever -- curating our content so you get only the best of the best of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch news, apps, accessories, and how tos. We know you're busy, we know your time is valuable, and we're not going to waste it.

In case you missed out on something, here a look back at this weeks highlights.

iPhone

• iPhone 4S has special noise reduction hardware for SIRI, makes official iPhone 4 Siri port unlikely
• iPhone owns top 3 sales spots in hottest smartphone quarter in history
• Make your iPhone photography more striking with the “rule of thirds”

iPad

• Apple iPad 3 announcement event rumored for first week of March
• Apple reportedly urging developers to get Retina display iPad 3 apps ready for announcement event
• iPad 3 rumors suggest thicker casing, massive graphics, no quad-core

Apps

• Tweetbot for iPad review
• Tweetbot vs. Twitterrific vs. Twitter: iPad twitter app shootout!
• Best handwriting notes app for iPad: Noteshelf review
• Dropbox review: Best cloud storage app for iPhone
• Best calorie counting app for iPhone: MyFitnessPal review
• Smash Cops for iPhone and iPad review

Jailbreak

• Get Siri to launch apps, do translations, have a conversation, and more with AssistantExtensions for iPhone 4S
• How to set up custom gestures with Activator for iPhone and iPad
• Mail Enhancer for Jailbreak review

How-to

• How to type faster and more easily on the iPad’s split keyboard
• How to use a third-party remote to control your Apple TV
• How to save PDF files from Safari directly to iBooks

While our editors Rene and Leanna hit the road to check out what MacWorld 2012 had in store for us, tons of other news was flowing through the iMore Nation this week. Odds are you missed something that took place this week, and no one wants to be left out, so check below for some of what took place, and keep it tuned in for even more news.

iPhone news

• Sony’s new 13MP CMOS image sensor could lead to thinner iPhones with better cameras
• Foxconn leak claims Apple is readying iPhone 5 production for summer launch
• iPhone 5 counter claims: not going into production yet, not going to be longer or wider
• iPhone makes up 80% of AT&T smartphone sales after selling 7.6 million in Q4

iPad news

• Apple’s iPad not affected by Amazon’s Kindle Fire
• iPad production in Brazil gets tax breaks
• Penultimate talks iPad stylus

App news

• Siri’s got competition, her name is Evi
• Turn business cards into contacts with WorldCard for iPhone and iPad
• Twittelator Neue now offers push notifications
• Hands on with Bag It! for iPhone and iPad

Jailbreak news

• How to troubleshoot common jailbreak issues on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• Add effects and transitions to your app icons with Motion [jailbreak]
• LockInfo vs IntelliscreenX for iOS 5 jailbreak — which should you get?
• Tweet from anywhere on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with TwitkaFly [jailbreak apps]
• Best jailbreak apps for new iPhone users
• How to take a screen recording on your iPhone or iPad [Jailbreak app for that]

Accessory news

• Ten One Design announces Pogo Sketch Plus capacitive stylus for iPhone and iPad
• Review + giveaway: iCooly PhoneStand for iPhone
• Case-Mate Pop! Case with Stand for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 review
• iFixit iPhone transparent rear panel mod kit review
• iFixit Thirsty Bag for iPhone, iPad review

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone and TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone and iPad Live! podcast tonight at 6pm PT/9pm ET. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

iPhone

• Rumor: Completely redesigned iPhone coming in fall of 2012
• U.S. Department of Transportation refuses to accept NTSB ban on smartphones in cars

iPad

• Rumor: iPad 3 coming on Steve Jobs’ Birthday

Apple Television

• Rumor: 32 and 37-inch Apple Television coming in late 2012

News

• Steve Jobs to receive special Grammy award for revolutionizing music industry

DIY and Jailbreak

• iOS 5.0.1 untethered jailbreak now available for original iPad, iPhone 4, older models
• Daily Tip: How to untethered jailbreak original iPad, iPhone 4, and older devices on iOS 5.0.1 with redsn0w 0.9.10b1
• Top 5 things TiPb wants from jailbreak in 2012
• Weekly Mod: How to replace the rear camera in an iPhone 4 (GSM/CDMA)

Apps

• TiPb's most used apps of 2011
• Use Siri dictation on your Mac with Air Dictate for iPhone 4S
• Action Movie FX brings Hollywood style special effects to your home videos
• iMame arcade emulator yanked from the App Store
• Top 5 iPhone and iPad apps for electronics shoppers

Accessories

• Poll: What kind of case do you prefer for your iPhone?
• Review + Giveaway: Case-Mate Barely There Brushed Aluminum case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Win the iOS device of your dreams in the TiPb holiday giveaway! [Week 3]
• Vote now for iPad case of the year [TiPb Awards]
• Vote now for the casual gaming app of the year [TiPb Awards]
• 2011 Holiday Guides: iPhone and iPad gifts for last minute shoppers

iOS 5.1

• Apple seeds iOS 5.1 beta 2 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV to developers
• New iPad wallpapers coming with the release of iOS 5.1
• Apple takes steps to obfuscate future iOS device references from nosy bloggers

iPad 3

• iPad 3 on schedule for March/April 2012 release
• Rumor: Supposed iPad 3 component suggests redesign
• Rumor: Apple prepping 7.85-inch iPad for second-half of 2012 to compete with Kindle Fire

iTunes in the Cloud

• Apple launches iTunes Match music locker service internationally
• iTunes TV Shows in the Cloud now available internationally

News

• Apple A5 chip production happening in the great state of Texas
• Apple looking to open an R&D facility in Israel

Apps

• Top 5 best first-person shooter (FPS) games for iPhone and iPad
• Grand Theft Auto III for iPhone, iPad hits App Store
• Netflix update brings new UI for iPad
• App Giveaway: Kinectimals for iPhone and iPad
• Microsoft OneNote now available for iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 6pm PT/9pm ET. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Weekly Mod: how to replace a shattered or unresponsive iPhone 3G/3GS digitizer assembly

TiPb Readers Choice Awards

• Vote now for the social networking app of the year
• Vote now for the photo/video/music app of the year

iPhone 4S

• iPhone 4S two months later
• RadioShack cutting prices of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S starting today

iOS 5.1 beta 2

• Apple seeds iOS 5.1 beta 2 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV to developers
• iOS 5.1 features: Delete individual photos from Photo Stream
• Apple takes steps to obfuscate future iOS device references from nosy bloggers

News

• UI concept designer Jan-Michael Cart to intern at Apple
• Apple Launches iTunes Store in Latin America, iTunes Match in Brazil
• What’s going on between Apple and Digitude Innovations?
• All Apple A4 SoC devices now Jailbroken untethered on iOS 5.0.1

Apps

• Top 10 best alternative Twitter apps for iPhone and iPad
• Netflix update brings new UI for iPad
• Microsoft releases SkyDrive cloud storage app for the iPhone and iPod touch
• App Giveaway: Kinectimals for iPhone and iPad
• Angry Birds updated to version 2.0 all levels now unlocked and 15 new ones to play

Accessories

• Apple arming Made For iPhone accessory makers with new Bluetooth authentication protocol
• iSuper Helicopters — remote control flying fun for iPhone

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• 2011 Holiday Guides: iPad and iPhone gifts for travelers
• Vote now for iOS feature of the year
• Vote now for iOS device of the year
• Win the iOS device of your dreams in the TiPb holiday giveaway! [Week 2]

News

• Understanding Apple’s endgame
• BlackBerry, Android users want an iPad
• Kindle Fire usability tests show challenges of 7-inch form factor
• Why does iOS seem more fluid than Android?
• No wonder it takes so long to get Android released
• Google predicts developers will think of Android over iOS in six months
• Less than openy
• HP open sources webOS

Apps

• Publishers can’t fix iPad magazine app frustration
• Google releases Currents, a user-friendly news reader
• Revamped Google Images brings carousel style results to iPad
• TiPb Picks of the Week for December 10, 2011

Accessories

• Giveaway: TAB Rests make using your tablet or e-reader more comfortable – Enter to win 1 of 10!
• Review and giveaway: Qmadix Dual Mobile Charging Kit for iPhone and iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 6pm PT/9pm ET. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 12: Icon Factory
• ZENandTECH 26: Self-esteem
• Weekly Mod: How to replace an iPhone 4 battery

Contests

• Win the iOS device of your dreams in the TiPb holiday giveaway!
• App Giveaway: Batman: Arkham City Lockdown for iPhone, iPad

Siri

• Debunked: Ridiculous claims of 'pro-life' bias in Siri (Update: Apple responds)
• Why is Siri in beta?
• Apple hiring more Siri engineers, working to expand API and features
• Siri ported to iPhone 4 via questionable jailbreak mod

News

• Apple sweeps PCWorld satisfaction survey
• Research shows Apple makes top 3 connected devices in US
• Why does iPhone seem more fluid than Android?
• Less than openy
• AT&T “Top 5%” data user throttled down to 2G speeds
• Prudent parenting in the age of digital photography

Apps

• Flipboard comes to iPhone, brings Cover Stories
• iBooks updated with nighttime reading and full-screen

Accessories

• Megaphone, a big honkin' amplifier for your iPhone
• For iPhone Lens for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
• Review and giveaway: Qmadix Dual Mobile Charging Kit for iPhone and iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Girls Gone Gadgets 02: 2011 gadget gift guide [NSFW-L]
• 2011 Holiday Guides: iPad and iPhone gifts for business users

Contests

• Win the iOS device of your dreams in the TiPb holiday giveaway!
• App Giveaway: Infinity Blade II for iPhone and iPad

News

• Rumor: iPad 3 and iPhone 5 both on track for LTE
• iOS version code-names
• Apple Store policies on employee conduct
• Rumor: Facebook buying Gowalla
• Apple denied injunction against Samsung in the U.S., licensed patent to Nokia and IBM, fighting FRAND with Motorola in Germany

Apps

• Rumor: Microsoft working on Office for iPad?
• Spotify working on an iPad app, should be available very soon
• TiPb Picks of the Week for December 3, 2011

Tips

• 2011 iPhone and iPad Jailbreak starters guide

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 6pm PT/9pm ET. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 12: 2011 mobile gift guide
• ZENandTECH 25: Stress-free shopping

iOS 5.1

• Apple releases iOS 5.1 beta and XCode 4.3 to developers
• iPhone 5, iPad 3, Apple TV 3 references found in iOS 5.1 beta
• iOS 5.1 beta removes access to system settings shortcuts from your home screen

2011 Holiday Gift Guides

• 2011 Holiday Guides: iPad and iPhone gifts for students

iPhone 5

• Rumor: iPad 3 and iPhone 5 both on track for LTE
• Rumor: Hitachi and Sony shipping 4-inch displays to Apple for next gen iPhone
• Regarding the use of the name “iPhone 5″

Siri

• Siri show and TellMe redux
• Siri can now control third party apps and even start your car via SiriProxy
• Siri can now control Plex media playback using the Siri Proxy

News

• iPhone 4 attempts self combustion on a passenger flight in Australia
• iPhone 4S vs Galaxy Nexus: Which one should you get?
• RIM cuddles up to iPhone, iPad IT admins, announces BlackBerry Mobile Fusion

Apps

• Infinity Blade II goes live in AU, NZ App Stores, arrives in U.S. at midnight
• iTether now unavailable in App Store [Updated]
• Poll: Should Apple allow tethering apps in the App Store?
• TouchPad for iPhone, iPad goes 4.0

Accessories

• Review: DracoDesign DRACO IV for iPhone 4S

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to tethered jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 with RedSn0w
• Daily Tip: How to set up safe iPad or iPod touch email for your child

Forums

• Forums: Apple TV 3 release pool (win an ATV3 for free!), waiting for iPhone 5, iOS 5.1 changes, how to shoot HDR photos, SwitcherPlush for iOS 5 Jailbreak?

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 11: Campaign Monitor
• Did you get a new iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Apple TV on Black Friday? Here’s what you need next!

News

• Apple’s latest iPad 2 commercial is all about Love
• Rumor: Apple developing J1 and J2 Retina display iPad 3 prototypes
• Sharp set to supply LCD panels for the iPad 3
• Apple removes Big Fish Games subscription based gaming app from App Store

Gift Guide

• iPad vs. iPod touch vs. Kindle Fire: Which should you get?
• 2011 Holiday Guides: iPhone and iPad gifts for gamers
• 2011 Holiday Guides: Gifts for iPhone and iPad geeks

Apps

• TiPb Picks of the Week for November 26, 2011

Jailbreak

• PwnDev Team releases Ac1dSn0w jailbreak tool for iOS 5.0 and 5.0.1
• Want an untethered jailbreak? Help the jailbreak community find one with new Chronic Dev crash reporter tool

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to add Settings shortcuts to your home screen
• Daily Tip: How to gift an iPhone or iPad app

Contests

• http://www.imore.com/2011/11/25/follow-friday-giveaway-pad-quill-octavo-contega/

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• TiPb TV 24: Back to the iPhone 4S future
• ZENandTECH 24: Handling the holidays
• Poll: U.S. iPhone 4S owners — which carrier are you on?

News

• Developer uses Siri to control home thermostat via a proxy server
• Sprint releases Unlimited iPhone 4S commercial
• Samsung mocks Apple iPhone users in Galaxy S II commercial
• Galaxy Nexus gets reviewed. Biggest iPhone rival to date?
• Apple vs. Samsung current U.S. product lines
• What does a mythical Apple Television need? Mythical Android competitors of course!

Apps

• Top 10 apps for new iPhone users

Accessories

• Review + Give Away: Native Union Moshi Moshi Retro POP Handset for iPhone
• Review + Giveaway: Golla Bags for iPhone 4S

Jailbreak

• Infiniboard updated to version 1.8, now fully supports iOS 5
• Jailbreak: Add a blurred background to Notification Center with BlurriedNCBackground

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to change the amount of lines shown in an email preview
• PSA: Sharing iPhone 4S contacts also shares Siri relationships

Forums

• Forums: Folders, icons and the best navigation apps

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 11: Cheap tablets and cloud music

News

• Rumor: Potential details on 2012 iPad 3, iPhone 5
• Rumor: Discounted Apple TV 2 leads to Apple TV 3 speculation
• Steve Jobs was working to revolutionize television, textbooks, and photography

Apps

• Netflix revamping its iPad app, new look and more content coming soon
• TiPb Picks of the Week for November 19, 2011
• Minecraft – Pocket Edition now available for iPhone and iPad
• App Giveaway: Spy Mouse HD for iPad
• App for That: How to schedule employee shifts on iPad

Forums

• Forums: iPad 3 rumors, Movies, Food and more!

Tips

• How to quickly upgrade all your local music to 256Kbps iTunes Match versions

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 10: The F-word
• ZENandTECH 23: Work stress
• iDoodle: As if millions of punch-the-monkey ads suddenly cried out in terror…

iOS 5

• Rumor: iOS 5.0.2 around the corner to re-address battery issues, iOS 5.1 coming soon with Siri enhancements

iTunes Match

• Apple releases iTunes 10.5.1, launches iTunes Match in the US [Updated]
• How to subscribe to and set up iTunes Match
• How to set up iTunes Match on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

News

• iPad Mini and 4-inch iPhone 5 rumors surfacing again
• It’s not the size of the iPhone screen that could fragment, it’s the resolution
• Siri security protocol cracked, now possible to run on any device
• Prior to iPhone launch, Steve Jobs wanted to replace carriers
• Apple adds Bob Iger to Board of Directors, names names Art Levinson Chairman

Apps

• Updated Gmail app lands back in the App Store
• App Giveaway: 30GB subscription for SugarSync for iPhone and iPad
• App Giveaway: Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to set up a free iCloud account with iOS 5

Forums

• Flash, iPhone 4S jailbreak, Home screens, iTunes match [From the Forums]

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• New Mobile Nations video feeds, and introducing Stock Talk!
• Circle in with TiPb on Google+ Pages!

iOS 5.0.1

• Apple releases iOS 5.0.1 to the masses, includes bug fixes for battery life
• How to update your iPhone or iPad software over the air (OTA)
• How’s your battery life on iOS 5.0.1?
• Apple still investigating battery life issues post-iOS 5.0.1
• iO5 5 has a hidden auto-correct word bar, can be enabled without jailbreak

News

• Rumor: Apple Store Genius Bars replacing Mac Book Pros with iPads
• Apple deleting beta iTunes Match libraries today
• Apple releases iTunes 10.5.1 beta 3 to developers, more iTunes Match fixes
• Rumor: Facebook to switch from opt-out to opt-in, better protect personal data
• Adobe also kills Flash for TV
• Nook Tablet hands on: iPad competitor or Kindle Fire catch up?

Apps

• Get social with your art with Mixel for iPad
• App for That: How to edit the IPTC info on a photo
• TiPb Picks of the Week for November 12, 2011
• Facebook for iPhone bugs: Pictures showing up wrong

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Introducing Mobile Nations, our new community network brand!
• Announcing the winners of the Mobile Nations No Tricks, Just Treats Halloween Costume Contest!
• iPad Live 80: Wonder Vader, dammit
• TiPb TV 2011 Hallowe’en special
• Hey! You can subscribe to and watch our videos via RSS and iTunes now!

iOS 5.0.1 and battery life

• iDoodle: Drained
• Apple admits iOS 5 battery issues, working on update
• Apple releases iOS 5.0.1 to developers, includes battery life fix, iPad 1 gestures

Gmail for iOS

• Google releases official Gmail app for iPhone, iPad [Updated]
• What is Notification Error “no valid ‘aps-environment’ entitlement string found for application?
• Gmail for iOS vs. Gmail for Android

Apple Television

• Apple television, the next great unicorn chase
• More Siri-powered Apple television set rumors

News

• Apple airs new iPhone 4S commercials: Siri, Camera, iCloud
• Apple misses iTunes Match launch deadline
• Samsung wants iOS source code, carrier contracts, to depose Jony Ive
• Sprint claims iPhone users consume much less data than other platforms

Jailbreak

• Why the iPhone 4 Siri port will not be distributed (yet)

Apps

• Apple’s GarageBand comes to iPhone

Tips

• How to quickly dismiss iOS 5 banner notifications on iPhone, iPad
• Top 10 secret Siri commands
• Top 10 tips and tricks for new iPhone and iPad users

Contests

• Contest Winners: Jawbone ERA, Lifeproof case, The Early Edition 2, ReaddleDocs for iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• iPhone Live 172: iPhone event preview
• Superfunctional 13: Q&A 1

Let's Talk iPhone

• TiPb Asks: What are you expecting from the Let’s Talk iPhone event?
• Apple close to securing some international iCloud music rights, may reveal on Tuesday
• Facebook for iPad coming this week, tensions fueled by HP?

The Competition

• Amazon makes Kindle Fire iPad competitor official, also offers cheap new Kindle Touch
• Samsung settles with Microsoft, offers Apple a deal

Apps

• Skype updates with Bluetooth support
• Top 5 RSS news feed readers for iPhone, iPad
• TiPb Picks of the Week for October 1, 2011

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 7: App Cubby
• ZENandTECH 17: Positive counterstatements

Let's talk iPhone event

• Apple “Let’s talk iPhone” event set for Oct. 4
• iPhone 5 going dual-core, 1GB of RAM, with advanced Assistant feature?
• What if Apple called it iPhone 4GS?
• New iPhone and iPod touch SKUs show up in Apple’s inventory system
• Lost iPhone 5 prototype source of case leaks?
• T-Mobile addresses the iPhone (or lack thereof) to customers

News

• Apple working on curved-glass display for the iPhone 6 in 2012?
• Apple’s request for trademark on multi-touch denied
• iPhone holds highest retention rate over competing smartphone makers

The competition

• iPhone 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S II: Which should you get?
• Windows Phone goes 7.5 Mango
• webOS Pre3 gets reviewed

Apps

• Picks of the Week

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to regain access to a passcode disabled iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• TiPb TV 21: The 2011 Comicon mobile survey
• Iterate 6: Tapbots
• ZENandTECH 16: Negative Thinking

iPhone 5

• iPhone 5 launch event to happen on October 4? [Updated]
• T-Mobile exec tells employees they aren’t getting the iPhone 5 this year
• Samsung waiting on iPhone 5, has finger on lawsuit launch button

iOS 5

• TiPb Asks: How much will you use iMessage?
• Apple resetting developers iOS 5 iCloud backups on September 22nd

Apps

• Reed Hastings apologizes, announces Netflix as streaming only, rebrands DVD business as Qwikster
• Instagram 2.0 brings live filters, live tilt-shift, and 4 new filters

Jailbreak

• MyWi updated with support for iOS 5 [jailbreak]
• BiteSMS now available for iOS 5 [jailbreak]

Contests

• App Giveaway: iMovie for iPhone and iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 7: Beta
• Superfunctional 11: Mental and emotional factors

News

• Sprint compatible iPad may be ready for launch
• iPad 2 marked as discontinued at Target?
• Stevie Wonder thanks Steve Jobs for iOS and its accessibility features
• Bentley shows off its Mulsanne Apple inspired interior with dual iPads and a Mac Mini [video]

The Competition

• Microsoft previews Windows 8 as desktop/tablet iPad rival
• Windows 8 tablets won’t support Adobe Flash either?

Apps

• TiPb Picks of the Week for September 17, 2011
• App for That: How to sync calendars across multiple iPads

Accessories

• Space Invaders creator Taito working on its own version of iCade [video]

Tips

• Daily tip: How to find your Cydia account number

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• iPhone Live 169: AT&T-Mo no!
• Superfunctional 10: Core fitness

iPad 3

• Will iPad transition from product to product line?
• Developer reveals steps Apple took to keep original iPad from leaking

iCloud

• iTunes Match beta once again open to US developers
• Apple releases iTunes 10.5 beta 8, iWork for iOS beta 3
• Apple tells developers to get their apps ready for iCloud Backup and Restore

News

• Verizon airs iPad 2 commercial
• Tim Cook announces new charitable matching program for Apple
• Adobe announces Flash Media Server 4.5, will deliver video to iPhone, iPad
• Apple injunction against Galaxy Tab upheld in Germany

Apps

• TiPb Picks of the Week for for September 10, 2011
• Apple pulls Print to PDF from the App Store

Accessories

• Atari set to release its own joystick base for iPad

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to buy Google eBooks on iPhone, iPad

Contests

• Contest winners: Jabra DRIVE, BookBook, iWork for iOS, MoneyWiz

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• iPad Live 72: Chock full of win
• Mobile Nations 6: Size matters
• ZENandTECH 14: Passive relaxation

iPhone 5

• Apple Store, carrier store staff beginning iOS 5 and iCloud training?
• Is this an iPhone 5 camera test photo?
• 33 minutes
• Deutsche Telekom to offer iPhone 5 reservation coupons from today
• Regarding San Francisco Police, Apple and the search for the missing iPhone prototype
• TiPb Asks: Do you want more variety in your iPhone hardware?

News

• Sprint doesn’t want AT&T-Mo either
• AT&T giving away 1000 bonus rollover minutes to customers
• Adobe Digital Publishing Suite getting ready for iOS 5 Newsstand
• Does HTC violate Apple patents because Android founder Andy Rubin was inspired by them when he worked at Apple?

Jailbreak

• Daily Tip: jailbreak iOS 5 beta 7 via Redsn0w 0.9.8b7
• Poll: What’s the number one reason you Jailbreak?

Apps

• Facebook for iPhone updated to 3.5
• Google+ update brings resharing
• Giveaways galore!

Accessories

• Dexim launches iOS controlled Monster Truck RC vehicle
• Twelve South BookBook for iPhone 4 [Giveaway]

Tips

• App for That: How to print multiple photos from your iPhone on a single page

Forums

• Switch to Sprint, iOS 5 beta 7 bugs, iPhone on other carriers, App reviews [From the Forums]

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 6: Size matters
• Superfunctional 9: Functional sleep
• Contest winners: mophie juice pack air, Peggle HD

iPad

• Apple airs new iPad 2 commercial – Learn
• Competitors still struggling in the shadow of the iPad
• HP could be pilot for new “Jobs’ Business Nightmare” show on FOX
• Amazon’s iPad competitor is a 7-inch Android-forking Kindle tablet… for $250?

iOS 5

• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 7 [Updated]
• Voice Control Assistant, iOS diagnostics, Find my Friends get detailed
• iOS 5 beta 7 ends iTunes Match download vs streaming confusion?

News

• Apple promotes Eddy Cue to Senior VP of Internet Software and Services
• Starz wanted Netflix to charge more for “premium tier”

Apps

• Casting calls going out for Facebook for iPad commercial
• Remember 9/11 with The 911 Memorial: Past, Present and Future for iPad
• http://www.imore.com/2011/09/03/tipb-picks-week-september-3-2011/

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to use your iPhone, iPad to alert you to power failures
• How to export iPhone, iPad UI elements from Photoshop

Forums

• iPad 3 Screen size change possible???
• New iPad owner thoughts

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• iPad Live 71: Hurricane straps and sex wax
• ZENandTECH 13: Priority one
• Superfunctional 8: Causes and responsibilities
• Create a new Marimba remix for iPhone Live, win fabulous prizes! [Contest]

News

• Could Apple replace iPod touch with a budget iPhone?
• AT&T, T-Mobile US merger opposed on anti-trust grounds
• iPhone 5 also headed to T-Mobile USA this fall?
• Apple releases iTunes Match beta to developers
• iTunes Match and why streaming vs downloading isn’t supposed to matter
• Podcasts streaming as music samples in iTunes app? [Bugs]
• Prototype iPhone N94 back plate gets leaked?
• US Samsung Galaxy S II Android invasion begins [Competition]

Jailbreak

• Comex answers questions about his position at Apple
• Add more functionality to the stock Messages app with SMS+ [jailbreak]

Apps

• Developer Spotlight: Mike Smithwick of Distant Suns
• Android’s Dolphin Browser now available for iPhone
• 4G LTE Verizon iPhone probably not leaked via App Store screenshot
• App giveaways

Tips

• Daily Tip: how to create free iPhone ringtones in GarageBand (Mac only)

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• iPhone Live 167: Steve Jobs resigns
• Superfunctional 8: Causes and responsibilities
• Iterate 5: 1Password

Steve Jobs

• End of Act Two
• TiPb Asks: How do you feel about Apple without Steve Jobs as CEO?
• Tim Cook’s email to Apple employees
• Apple offers Tim Cook 1,000,000 reasons to stay until 2021
• Closedish

News

• iPhone, iPad untouched by mobile malware attacks
• Acer reports quarterly losses, blames iPad “fever”
• Samsung defends against Apple iPad lawsuit by claiming 2001: A Space Odyssey as prior art
• Apple shuts down $0.99 iTunes TV show rentals
• Apple television set for 2012/2013?
• MobileMe to iCloud phishing scam hitting inboxes

Tips

• How to switch from webOS to iPhone and iPad
• App for That: How to print emails, webpages, and photos as PDFs

Apps

• Peggle HD for iPad hits the App Store [Giveaway]
• Developer Spotlight: Boyd Timothy of Appigo

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 5: 1Password
• ZENandTECH 12: Review
• Mobile Nations 5: A wedding and a funeral
• Poll: What’s the next iOS device you plan on buying?

iPhone 5

• Sprint to get iPhone 5 this October?
• iPhone 5 replacement parts cropping up online
• Dual mode GSM/CDMA iPhone 5 spotted in app logs?
• Apple set to release an 8GB iPhone 4 alongside the iPhone 5?

iOS 5

• iOS 5 has earthquake warnings for Japan
• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 6 to developers
• iOS 5 likely coming first week of October

News

• Apple photo gallery patent about to get all Samsung Galaxy phones banned in the EU?
• iPhone, iPad untouched by mobile malware attacks
• On the eve of iMessage, AT&T removing all but unlimited SMS text plans

Tips

• How to switch from webOS to iPhone and iPad

Jailbreak

• Sn0wBreeze Windows jailbreak updated to 2.8b6 to officially support iOS 5 beta 6

Apps

• Developer Spotlight: Boyd Timothy of Appigo
• Top 5 best soccer apps for iPhone and iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 5: A wedding and a funeral
• Superfunctional 7: Balance
• TiPb Asks: What do you want in the next generation iPod touch?

iOS 5

• iOS 5 likely coming first week of October
• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 6 to developers
• iOS 5 getting better iTunes and App Store download management? [Updated]
• Apple removing developer access to UDIDs in iOS 5?
• iOS 5 beta 6 works with existing jailbreak tools

iPad 3

• Apple cancels iPad 3 supply orders for 2011?
• More on iPad 3 coming this spring, difficulty in producing Retina Displays

The Competition

• HP to discontinue webOS devices — Pre, Veer, and TouchPad bite the dust
• Did iPad kill HP’s hardware business?
• webOS ran twice as fast on iPad 2 as TouchPad? [Updated]
• Google’s $12.5 billion dollar Motorola insurance policy
• iPad rivals still can’t find a tablet market
• TabCo (Fusion Garage) announces Grid 10 (JooJoo2) and Grid 4 (JooJooPhone)

News

• Head of iAds leaving Apple to join Highland Capital

Jailbreak

• Sn0wbreeze 2.8b5 jailbreak for iOS 5 beta 5
• Seas0nPass jailbreak updated for Apple TV 4.3

Apps

• App for That: How to print emails, webpages, and photos as PDFs
• http://www.imore.com/2011/08/17/speechtrans-ultimate/
• Quickoffice Pro HD for iPad goes social
• Translate between languages with SpeechTrans Ultimate for iPhone, iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Google-Motorola purchase podcast special!
• ZENandTECH 11: Boundaries

iPhone 5

• New iPhone on October 7, no new iPad until spring 2012
• iPhone 5 pre-orders to start September 30?
• iPhone 5 with LTE in carrier testing?
• Why would AT&T be installing LTE equipment at Apple Stores? [Updated]

Competition

• Google buying Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion [Updated]
• TabCo (Fusion Garage) announces Grid 10 (JooJoo2) and Grid 4 (JooJooPhone)
• BlackBerry Bold 9900 gets reviewed
• BlackBerry Torch 9860 gets reviewed

Apps

• LinkedIn for iPhone receives a makeover
• TextExpander for iPhone, iPad updates with Dropbox support
• Elements 2.0 – Dropbox And Markdown Powered Text Editor for iPhone and iPad now available

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to rearrange your status bar icons with ArrangeStatusBar [jailbreak]
• Daily Tip: How to find the UDID or serial number of an iPad, iPhone

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Superfunctional 6: Neck pain
• Iterate 4: SourceBits

iPad 3

• New iPhone on October 7, no new iPad until spring 2012

Patent

• Regarding patents
• Google asks for re-examination of 2 Lodsys patents
• Apple granted preliminary injunction, Samsung barred from selling Galaxy Tab 10.1 in most of European Union
• Apple sues Motorola over XOOM Android tablet design in Europe

News

• Apple number one portable maker… if you count iPad
• Non-iPad tablet sales put into perspective
• Apple Store opens in BlackBerry hometown of Waterloo
• Apple closed as the most valuable company in the world

Apps

• Amazon announces Kindle Cloud Reader web app for iPad, Mac, Windows
• Investors want Nintendo to put Super Mario on iPhone, iPad
• Twitterrific for iPhone and iPad now syncs across devices
• New Boxee app streams, stores, AirPlays social and computer content to iPad

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to remove your non-Facebook using friends’ contact information from Facebook
• Daily Tip: How to jailbreak iOS 5 beta 5 via RedSn0w 0.9.8b5

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• TiPb on TUAW TV Live
• ZENandTECH 10: In the moment
• Iterate 4: SourceBits
• Mobile Nations 4: From boardroom to bedroom

iPhone 5

• iPhone 5 renders [Speculation]
• Another probably fake iPhone 5 spy shot

iOS 5 beta 5

• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 5 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Xcode 4.2 DP 5, iTunes 10.5 beta 5
• Screenshot of speech-to-text activation key found in iOS 5 beta 5 hidden keyboard

The competition

• Can RIM’s 2011 BlackBerry line-up hold off iPhone 5?
• iPhone 4 vs. BlackBerry Bold 9900 (and Nexus S) browser battle!

News

• Verizon to stop jailbreak tethering on its network from today?
• Epic already imagining iPhone 8 gaming
• Apple the most valuable company in the world… briefly.
• How to smuggle iPhone, iPad back into China if all you have are crossbows and cables

Apps

• Developer Spotlight: Paul Haddad of Tapbots
• Introducing Facebook Messenger for iPhone
• Google+ app updated, can now be installed on iPad, iPod touch, doesn’t crash on iOS 5
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation releases FBI Child ID app
• Cut the Rope: Experiments for iPhone, iPad now available

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to turn on the battery percentage meter
• Daily Tip: How to transfer your MobileMe account to iCloud [Developers]

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 4: From boardroom to bedroom
• Superfunctional 5: Fitness vs. Function

iOS 5 beta 5

• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 5 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Xcode 4.2 DP 5, iTunes 10.5 beta 5
• Typical iOS release cycle (or, how many betas?)
• Screenshot of speech-to-text activation key found in iOS 5 beta 5 hidden keyboard

News

• The difference between Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet commercials
• Google said “no” to joining Microsoft, Apple, in Novell bid? [Updated]
• Patent wars merely leveling the playing field against Google Android “dumping”?
• Amazon’s Appstore makes Apple’s App Store seem all warm and cuddly
• Turbine powered Batmobile uses iPad for in dash GPS and audio system [video]

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to transfer your MobileMe account to iCloud [Developers]
• Daily Tip: How to set up mail aliases on iPhone, iPad

Apps

• Skype for iPad hits the App Store [Updated]

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Developer Spotlight: Ryan, Abhishek, and Feng from TeleNav

iCloud

• iCloud.com goes live
• Apple adds iCloud TV Show re-downloading to iPhone, iPad
• Apple TV 4.3 update streams purchased shows, adds Vimeo video
• iCloud extra storage prices revealed
• Apple releases iWork for iOS betas for developers, includes iCloud support
• iPhone 5 appears in Korean carriers inventory system but only in 16GB and 32GB flavors?

iPhone 5

• Pegatron working on iPhone 5 and will be shipping in September?
• Next gen iPhone already being tested by carriers for September launch?
• iPhone 5 fakes already turning up in China [video]
• Apple set to launch iPhone 5 in October, not September as previously thought?
• iPhone 5 case leak-a-palooza
• iPhone 5 to launch in second week of September, iPad 3 to follow later in the year?

News

• Apple now owns 66% of mobile profits
• iPhone sales: AT&T and Verizon vs. the world
• Future iPads, iPhones to be built by Robots
• Taiwanese Foxconn robot spoof video
• 90 second iTunes previews starting to roll out internationally

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to turn off notification emails in Google+
• Daily Tip: how to enable push notifications in Tweetbot for iPhone

Apps

• TiPb Picks of the Week
• App for That: How to send videos to the cloud

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Superfunctional 4: Footwear
• Iterate 3: Prototypes

The competition

• Is that a Galaxy Tab 10.1 in this iPad podcaster’s pocket?

iPad 3

• iPhone 5 to launch in second week of September, iPad 3 to follow later in the year?

News

• EA: Fastest growing gaming console is iPad
• Apple now owns 66% of mobile profits
• AT&T to throttle top 5% of “unlimited” data users
• Florida school scrapping textbooks and rolling out iPads to its students
• Grand Central Apple Store design looks beautiful, it could even be open for the holidays

Apps

• Facebook for iPad found hidden in the latest iPhone app update?
• NASA Visualization Explorer for iPad hits the App Store
• Google tweaks iPad search experience
• Amazon updates Kindle app, adds new features, removes link to web store [Updated: Nook and Google Books too]
• Netflix for iPhone, iPad updated to support iOS 4.3.4 (and iOS 5!)

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 3: Prototypes
• ZENandTECH 9: Avoidance
• Superfunctional 3: Keyboard claw

News

• Have Apple’s closed apps killed Google’s open web?
• Apple passes Nokia to become biggest smartphone producer by volume

iOS

• Apple releases iOS 4.3.5 and iOS 4.2.10 security fix for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
• Developers: Apple releases iOS 5 beta 4 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV, iTunes 10.5 beta 4 for Mac
• Apple added face detection API to iOS 5?

iPhone 5

• Future iPhones, like Superman, to be powered by the sun?
• Rumoured iPhone 5 cases show no home button, flipped controls

Jailbreak

• CallBar and Apptivator [Jailbreak]
• iNitsua Z Twilight 3volution theme [Jailbreak]

Apps

• Amazon updates Kindle app, adds new features, removes link to web store [Updated: Nook and Google Books too]
• Netflix for iPhone, iPad updated to support iOS 4.3.4 (and iOS 5!)

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to fix iTunes restore errors by manually editing host files on your Mac
• Daily Tip: How to download and keep YouTube videos to your iPhone or iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 3: Full house
• Superfunctional 3: Keyboard claw
• TiPb TV 20: Bond boat bash [giveaway]

iOS 5 beta 4

• Developers: Apple releases iOS 5 beta 4 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV, iTunes 10.5 beta 4 for Mac
• iOS 5 beta 4 gallery
• iOS 5 beta 4 is an OTA update… if you can connect
• Location based Reminders working in iOS 5 beta 4?
• Apple working on system wide voice recognition “Assistant” for iOS 5?

iPad vs. MacBook Air

• Mac OS X Lion is here!
• Apple introduces new MacBook Airs, other stuff
• iPad 2 or… MacBook Air 2?
• Apple’s layered user experience approach

News

• Apple testing retina displays from Samsung and LG for the iPad 3?
• Apple adds iTunes App Store in 33 more countries
• Lodsys sues Angry Birds, SIMS, Atari, Square Enix, 2K Sports
• Apple releases iTunes 10.4, 64-bit, Lion-compatible

Jailbreak

• iOS OTA updates don’t work if you’re Jailbroken

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to do an iOS OTA update [developers]
• App for That: How to use your iPhone as an external keyboard for your iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• TiPb TV 20: Bond boat bash [giveaway]
• ZENandTECH 8: Perfectionism
• Superfunctional 2: The Walking Dread [iPod nano giveaway]

Mac

• Mac OS X Lion is here!
• http://www.imore.com/2011/07/20/apple-introduces-macbook-airs-stuff/

Apple Q3 2011

• Apple Q3 2011 results: 20.34 million iPhones, 9.25 million iPads, 7.54 million iPods, $7.31 billion in profit
• Tim Cook on Android activations: Apple’s numbers are straight forward, transparent, quarterly

Patent Wars

• Google says Apple sues rather than innovates. Google’s problem is Apple does both.
• Microsoft wants to make Android more expensive, Apple wants to make it less usable

iPhone 5/Budget iPhone

• Speculating about iPhone nano, aka budget iPhone (not iPhone 3GS)
• Poll: What new feature do you want most for iPhone 5?

iOS

• Apple releases iOS 4.3.4 and iOS 4.2.9 PDF security fix for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
• iOS 4.3.4/4.2.9 also kills untethered exploit dead

News

• Steve Jobs: Apple’s board looking into possibilities for succession is “hogwash”
• Chinese counterfeit phones are nothing new, counterfeit Apple Stores, now that’s something new!
• The difference between Mike Lazaridis and Steve Jobs

Jailbreak

• The truth about jailbreaking and the jailbreak community
• Daily Tip: How to tethered jailbreak iOS 5 beta 3 via Redsn0w 0.9.8b2

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to change your iPhone’s cellular data settings when you travel

Apps

• Developer Spotlight: Jonathan George and Josh Viney of Boxcar
• Official Google+ for iPhone hits the App Store [Update]

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Superfunctional 2: The Walking Dread [iPod nano giveaway]
• Iterate 2: Savage Interactive

iOS

• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 3 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV to developers
• Apple releases iOS 4.3.4 and iOS 4.2.9 PDF security fix for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

iPad 3

• TSMC to start trial manufacturing Apple’s next generation A6 chip
• iPad 3 parts leak in Taiwan
• Apple adding second manufacturer to meet demand for iPad 3 this fall?
• Foxconn persuades Apple to drop search for second iPad manufacturer?

News

• Apple introduces volume purchasing for business
• Apple re-aligns international iTunes App Store prices
• Amazon preparing a 9-inch iPad competitor for fall

Editorial

• The difference between Mike Lazaridis and Steve Jobs
• iPad as independent second screen

Jailbreak

• iUsers brings multiple user accounts to the iPad [jailbreak]

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to download previously purchased apps, songs, and books in iTunes
• Daily Tip: How to use iOS 5 AirPlay mirroring for FaceTime

Apps

• Words With Friends HD update brings shuffle
• WriteRoom updated as universal app for iPhone and iPad
• Convert documents into PDFs with PDF Converter for iPad

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Superfunctional 1: Standing desks
• ZENandTECH 07: Mental beach-ball
• Iterate 2: Savage Interactive

iOS 5 beta 3

• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 3 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV to developers
• iOS 5 beta 3 gallery
• iOS 5 features: Accessibility AssistiveTouch adds gesture control, replaces hardware buttons
• Bluetooth keyboard support hidden in iOS 5 for Apple TV
• iOS 5 features: AirPlay Mirroring for FaceTime

iPhone 5

• Apple, WiTricity, and wireless charging
• Could 5 new iOS devices make up Apple’s fall family?

News

• Apple releases new iPhone commercials for AirPlay, FaceTime
• Final space mission commences, with two iPhone 4s on board
• Netflix splits off streaming, changes pricing
• Poll: How do you feel about Netflix’s new pricing?
• AT&T announces new international data roaming packages

Jailbreak

• redsn0w updated for iOS 5 beta 3, Jailbreakme.com updated to fix kernel patches
• Swype keyboard ported to iOS, a new way to enter text [jailbreak]

Apps

• App for That: How to share content from your computer’s web browser to your iPhone or iPad

Forums

• Google+, iOS 5 beta 3, 2 versions of the next iPhone, iPad HD – From the Forums

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations 2: Not yet begun to fight!
• Superfunctional 1: Standing desks
• ZENandTECH 6: De-cluttering

iPad 2 HD/Pro

• iPad 2 HD set for fall 2011? [Update: in October]
• Could 5 new iOS devices make up Apple’s fall family?

Apple TV

• Apple testing 1080p full HD video rentals for September launch?

Jailbreak

• JailbreakMe now available, jailbreak the iPad 2, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch on iOS 4.3.3
• Poll: Are you going to jailbreak your iPad 2?
• Apple preparing patch for JailbreakMe.com PDF exploit
• Top 5 reasons to jailbreak your iPad or iPad 2
• TWCable TV App updated, more channels available but now blocks jailbroken devices

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 via JailbreakMe (including iPad 2)
• Daily Tip: How to use encrypted disk images with Dropbox to Protect your sensitive files

Apps

• Apple announces 15 billion App Store downloads
• TiPb Picks of the Week

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• ZENandTECH 6: De-cluttering
• Developer Spotlight: David Ashman of LockInfo
• Editorial: How long can Google and Android afford to remain silent on patents?
• iPhone 4: One year later

iPhone 5

• Apple preparing to ship thinner, lighter iPhone 5?
• How Apple stays years ahead of the competition

Verizon

• Verizon ending unlimited data, switching to tiered pricing on July 7
• Verizon dropping iPhone 4 price to $150?

News

• Why is AT&T asking if you want an iPhone with a hardware keyboard?
• iPad, iPhone enabling employees to surf porn at work?
• Dropbox updates ToS: What you need to know

Jailbreak

• JailbreakMe now available, jailbreak the iPad 2, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch on iOS 4.3.3
• Daily Tip: How to Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 via JailbreakMe (including iPad 2)
• PDF Patcher 2 updated to close PDF vulnerability [jailbreak]
• Daily tip: How to enable iOS4 features on a iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G with WhiteD00r [Jailbreak]

Apps

• Hands on: Google’s new Pool Party photo sharing app for iPhone
• Google+ iPhone web app gallery

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 1: SoftFacade
• ZENandTECH 5: Food fight

iPad 3

• Part makers prepare for iPhone 5 release in October, possible iPad 3 before next year?
• iPad 3 due in October, iOS 5 beta 3, iOS 5 incompatible apps, Android vs iPhone – From the Forums

Competition

• HP TouchPad review

News

• Google brings Pi, Apple beats them to Nortel LTE patent punch?
• DropBox updates ToS: What you need to know
• DC Comics to release on iPad same time as print
• Will Kindle remove the web store button, or will Apple remove Kindle?
• iPad makes a huge difference to visually impaired schoolgirl’s life, gives her back the cool factor

Jailbreak

• iPad 2 Jailbreak beta leaked, best to stay away

Apps

• iPad App Store hits 100,000 apps
• Holiday Weekend App Sales
• Google in talks to buy Hulu?
• Fring updated with iPad support and 4 way group video calling [video]

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 1: SoftFacade
• Mobile Nations 1: Where the magic happens
• ZENandTECH 5: Food fight
• Welcome to the new TiPb Forums!
• Developer Spotlight: Igor Zhadanov of Readdle

iPhone 5

• iPhone 5 release pool: Morgan Stanley say Apple to start iPhone 5 assembly in mid to late August, with a September release
• iPhone 5 to have a dual-LED flash? [rumor]

iOS 5

• iOS 5 beta 2 gallery
• Sherlocked?
• Verizon iPhone slowing Android growth, could iPhone 5 stop it?

iCloud

• Apple posts MobileMe to iCloud transition guide

News

• LulzSec leaks shows AT&T considered speed and session-based pricing for LTE?
• Apple to move chipset production from Samsung to TSMC with Apple A6 SoC in 2012?
• Google announces social network Google+, should Facebook worry?

Jailbreak

• iOS 5 could shut down SHSH downgrades?
• Jailbreakme.com updated, been far too long working on iPad 2 Jailbreak?

Apps

• Top 5 camera apps for iPhone

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to tethered jailbreak iOS 5 beta 2 via Redsn0w 0.9.8b1

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Welcome to the new TiPb Forums!

iOS 5

• Apple releases iOS 5 beta 2 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV, iTunes 10.5 beta 2 for Mac
• iOS 5 beta 2 gallery
• iOS 5 beta 2 can be Jailbroken using existing tools
• Apple releases WWDC 2011 session videos to developers

iCloud

• Apple posts MobileMe to iCloud transition guide

News

• Apple preparing iPhone 5, iPad 3 for September?
• HP updates 8 more LaserJet printers to support AirPrint
• New York Post now blocking iPad Safari browser from accessing its content

Apps

• Skype for iPad coming soon!

Tips

• Daily tip: How to use iOS 5 AirPlay mirroring for iPad 2 and Apple TV

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• ZENandTECH 4: Exercism [giveaway]
• Iterate
• Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2 [Giveaway]
• Developer Spotlight: Alexander Tsepko of FX Photo Studio

iPhone 5

• iPhone 5 to be announced in August, major hardware update?
• Apple preparing faster iPhone 5 for September with 8 mega-pixel camera
• Verizon users waiting for iPhone 5 to ditch Android en masse?

iOS 5

• iCloud features: Manage associated devices in iTunes
• Daily tip: How to tethered jailbreak iOS 5 beta 1 with Redsn0w 0.9.8b1
• Daily Tip: How to get custom Notification Center widgets in iOS 5 [Jailbreak]

News

• Verizon dropping unlimited data plans next month
• New Airport Extreme, iOS-friendly Time Capsules imminent?

Apps

• App for that: How to create a simple invoice
• TiPb Apps

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• TiPb hits 10,000 Posts! [Giveaway]

iOS 5 and iCloud

• iOS 5 Features: Nitro Javascript engine comes to UIWebView, WebClips
• iOS 5 features: Info popups in Music

Patent paranoia

• iPhone patent applications reveal better Find My iPhone, social matching, and a way to stop users from recording concerts(?!) [Patent Roundup]

News

• Apple airs a new iPad 2 TV ad – Now [video]
• The difference between Apple iPad 2 and Verizon Android tablet commercials
• Apple will soon have enough cash to buy almost all their competitors
• Apple ups the ante in Samsung “copy cat” lawsuit
• Ron Johnson, head of Apple Retail, leaves to become CEO of JC Penney

Apps

• Official Facebook for iPad app coming soon?
• Facebook working on Project Spartan, an HTML5 app store for iOS devices?
• iOS App Store purchase history brings all your porn home to roost?

Jailbreak

• Jailbreak innovation: still the future of iOS

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to downgrade from iTunes 10.5 beta on a Windows PC

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations podcast: Episode Zero
• ZENandTECH 3: Death dealing
• Top 5 summer vacation apps for iPhone
• App for That: How to log your mileage and routes
• Developer Spotlight: Kai Yu of BeeJive

iOS 5

• iOS 5 feature: Tap and hold to add, move, adjust, or delete Calendar event
• iOS 5 features: iPhone weather app gets hourly forecasts
• Will iCloud keep the MobileMe web apps?
• iMessage and FaceTime and iChat, oh my!

iPhone 5

• Next iPhone in final testing for September release on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint or T-Mobile?

News

• Apple now selling unlocked GSM iPhones in the US, prices start at $649
• Nokia vs Apple lawsuit settled [Updated]
• Ron Johnson, head of Apple Retail, leaves to become CEO of JC Penney

Apps

• PSA: Don’t leave bad app reviews based on iOS 5
• Google Inside Search event brings new features to Mobile Search for iPhone, iPad
• iOS App Store purchase history brings all your porn home to roost?

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to use Google maps to find the closest restaurant (or pizza!)
• Daily Tip: How to use Google Maps to plan your vacation lodging

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Mobile Nations: Episode Zero
• New to TiPb: Disqus comments, Google search, and +1

iOS 5

• Apple – Nuance VoiceOver technology coming to iOS 5, setting pages found in hidden menus
• iOS 5 shows evidence of 1080p video, will it come to iPad and Apple TV?

iCloud

• Outside the US? No iTunes iCloud music for you until 2012 or later!

News

• Apple files motion to intervene on Lodsys patent lawsuits
• Problems with certain Verizon iPad 2 causing Apple to recall shipments?
• Apple reverses iOS subscription policy
• Real Racing 2 HD bringing full screen gaming over AirPlay
• OnLive to bring full HD console gaming to the iPad
• Apple wants to build a new campus in Cupertino, Steve Jobs presents the ‘Mother Ship’ to the City Council [video]

Tips

• [Daily tip: How to install a beta version of iOS via XCode or iTunes beta [Mac only]]
• Tip of the Day: How to downgrade from iOS 5 beta back to iOS 4

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• New TiPb t-shirts are here!
• TiPb at WWDC 2011

iOS 5

• Automatic OTA app updates coming with iOS 5?
• Apple hires MobileNotifier developer Peter Hajas
• New Apple Time Capsules to cache iOS software updates?
• Imagining iOS 5 [Updated]
• Steve Jobs talks about remote computing at WWDC 1997 [Blast from the past]

iCloud

• Apple signs deal with Universal, iCloud to cost $25/year after free trial?

iPad 3

• iPad 3 coming later this year, with LTE?
• iPad 3 component suppliers gain Apple certification for 2012 release

Apple TV

• TiPb Asks: Will Apple TV get iOS 5 and iCloud?

Misc

• Ninja crashes car into Greensboro Apple Store

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• White iPhone 4 give away!
• Element Case revs up Formula and Ion for iPhone 4 [Give away]
• ZENandTECH 1: Just breathe
• Developer Spotlight: Lin Junjie, maker of Due

iOS 5

• TiPb at WWDC 2011 next week
• Steve Jobs to present WWDC 2011 keynote to announce iCloud streaming and iOS 5
• iOS 5 to include deep, system-wide Twitter integration?
• Could Twitter become the iPhone’s BBM?
• Apple’s new data center magically appears on Google Earth and Maps

iPhone 5

• iPhone 4s coming in July / August, same form factor but with A5 chipset and SIM-less? [rumor]
• Google Wallet brings NFC-powered payments to Android, will Apple do likewise?

Apps

• Lodsys ignores Apple, files suit against 7 iOS developers
• iWork suite now available for the iPhone and iPod touch

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to stop your iPhone from switching tracks when you dance
• Daily Tip: How to manage multiple iPhone email signatures with Mail Enhancer [jailbreak]

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

iPad headlines

• Samsung demands to see iPhone 5, iPad 3
• Apple tapping Samsung for AMOLED iPad 3 display?
• Apple’s iCloud service will mirror your iTunes library and improve its quality too? [rumor]
• Apple secretly working on a MacBook Air with an iPad A5 chipset?
• HP: TouchPad will be number one-er!

iPad at work

• Alaska Airlines now using iPad for flight manuals
• iPad doing to PC sales what Vista and the recession couldn’t?

iPad Jailbreak

• Chronic Dev Team share some news on iPad 2 jailbreak and iOS 4.3.x support
• iPad 3G can make calls and send SMS messages with soon to be released jailbreak app [video]
• So how long until Amazon buys Cydia?

iPad Tips

• App for That: How to teach kids to write
• How to apply BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for iPad 2 [sponsored]

iPad Apps

• Top 5 Facebook Apps for iPad
• Opera Mini Web browser receives significant update

Your iPad news?

What was your favorite iPad story this week? Anything we missed?

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

Meta

• Developer Spotlight: NAVIGON’s Bernd, Andreas, Eva, Bernd, Christian, Andreas, and Andrej

iPhone 5 rumor rundown

• iPhone 5 world phone coming to Verizon same day as AT&T
• Head of France Telecom confirms smaller SIM card coming, next iPhone to be smaller, thinner?
• Possible picture of the iPhone 5 rear panel?
• iPhone 5 to introduce curved-glass design?
• AT&T rolling out LTE this summer, laying the ground work for a 4G iPhone

iOS 5 fun

• iPhone 3GS won’t be getting iOS 5 update? [Rumor]

Patent pugilism

• Apple tells Lodsys that developers are licensed, asks them to withdraw threats

TiPb Asks

• TiPb asks: How do you take notes on your iPhone?

Tips and How-to

• Daily Tip: How to take better pictures with your iPhone camera
• Daily Tip: How to unfriend someone on Facebook
• Daily Tip: How to take better HDR photos with your iPhone 4

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

iPad headlines

• Explosion at Foxconn iPad 2 facility results in two fatalities [updated]
• Apple Store 2.0 is here, iPad take-over begins! [Updated with video]
• Google continues to work around Apple with new HTML5 Maps app
• Poll: Do you prefer Apple apps or Google web apps?

Patent purgatory

• iPhone Live 151: The Lodsys Letters
• EFF: Apple should defend developers in face of patent threats

Music madness

• Apple still needs music publishers on board for iTunes cloud streaming service

App for that

• App for That: How to view photos on your computer as a slideshow on your iPad

iPad apps

• #dickauth
• Playboy for iPad goes live, every issue as nature (and Hugh) intended!

TiPb's 2009 BIRTHDAY BASH!!!!!!

That is right folks, here is a link for all of this weeks birthday madness. It isn't too late to win the ColorWare unlocked iPhone 3G!!! Click here to find all of the birthday posts!

Star Defense: Rene is a playa!

Our very own Rene Ritchie recruited for ngmoco:)'s Star Defense Challenge... for the record, I think Rene came in ninth. I don't think tower defense games are his strong suite.

Quick App: Bento 2 for iPhone

I like Bento 2. It is a simple Mac database app. Now you can can take that data with you. You can even use Bento for iPhone as a stand-alone app. It has multiple "libraries" to choose from. Event planning to Inventory management.

Quick App: My Wireless from AT&T

Add this to the "What took so long question" of the day. Basically, you can log in and check all of your minutes and even change your plan. Pretty cool.

Microsoft's App Store= Apple's App store?

Looks that way. Take a look at some of the restrictions they have posted!

Review: Case-Mate Vroom for iPhone 3G

If you like your case to look like tire tread, check this one out! Casey seems to like it!

$1.29 for music still not popular with consumers? What, really?

Like, um, we didn't see this coming. So the greedy music industry STILL doesn't get it. Will they ever learn?

Phone Different Podcast #38

The latest one is up! Listen on the web or download in iTunes for the latest news round up from Dieter and Mike!

Whoa! That was fast, the latest iPhone Beta is out, Beta 5!

Man, Cupertino sure doesn't wait long do they! For our full coverage of iPhone 3.0, be sure to click the link!

iPhone apps must be 3.0 compliant!

Looks like iPhone 3.0 will be here soon! All new apps submited to the App Store must be 3.0 compliant! This is very exciting news!

Rumor: iPhone plan to drop by $10?

That would be nice, wouldn't it? Well, that is what the Internets are saying. Well, the analysts are anyway.

Twiterrific 2.0 for iPhone

It is finally out. Personally, I think it is a little busy; too many feature. I am a Tweetie guy myself. So what does Rene think?

Do you want to legally rip your DVD's to iTunes? I know I do!

But since DVDs are kinda... um... old school now, should Apple even bother?

Rumor: Verizon to get two new Apple devices?

Well, it looks that the rumor mill is spinning with talks of Verizon getting a "media pad" and an iPhone "lite". Personally I don't think Apple wants to fragment their market with users having to get different contracts on other carriers, what do you think?

Verizon getting Microsoft "Pink"

Who needs Apple when you have Redmond in your corner... looks like Verizon could be getting their own "iPhone killa"... oh wait, let me compose myself as I pick myself off the floor.

SplashData brings out Splash Photo and Splash Notes for iPhone

For those long time Palm users that migrated to Apple, your classic apps have been ported. Splash Photo has some nice features including Picasa and Flickr support.

iPhone Software 3.0, beta 4 is not available

You can follow our "beta 4" tag for all the goodies!

Review: Krusell Classic case for iPhone 3G

Looking for a new case for the iPhone 3G? Take a look at the Krusell! You might dig the leather...

TruPhone VOIP

Can't get enough of VOIP apps? Well Rene gives us a look at TruPhone for iPhone. Not only is this a phone, but has IM as well. Does it beat Skype? Take a look and find out!

Typing Test in a rally car, who will win? iPhone or Netbook?

In this rather amusing video they pit an iPhone against a netbook. The goal: to see which will type better under extreme driving conditions. One guess as to who wins.

iPhone LIVE! Birthday Bash

This week we talk up the new Beta 4 new-ness and discuss our new birthday contest surprise!

iPhone wins #1 in customer satisfaction from JD Power!

This is not a big surprise, the iPhone is so incredibly easy to use, more so than the Palm or BlackBerry OS (used a Storm lately, ugh). What area were users NOT pleased with on the iPhone? Read on to find out!

iPhone to become video power-house?

Rumors are coming out that the new iPhone will have insane video recording capabilities and will directly compete with the Flip cameras. Can Apple do it? Of course! Something like this would not be too hard to implement.

XBox executive joins Apple

This could be interesting. What does Apple have up their sleeve?

TiPb Picks of the Week!

This week we have several staff members give their picks. What are they? Read on to find out!

Terminator Salvation

I gotta hand it to Gameloft; this game looks hot! Hot! Hot! Now if it only conrols well... check out the video!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Software 3.0 Walk-through

Curious to know about all of the fun new features in Apple's Software 3.0 Beta? Well, our article has been updated, check it out!

HD out of iPhone, to replace Apple TV?

What? Well it looks like there will be new cables coming out that would support HD signal out of the iPhone. This means you could plug in your iPhone and watch HD movies, etc. Could it be? Heck, I don't know about you, but I would like to play my games on the big screen!

Quickoffice is now available for the iPhone!

The first Office application is now available for the iPhone. Though limited in features, you do get Word and Excel-like functionality on your iPhone/iPod Touch with copy/paste. Now, I wonder what Dataviz is bringing to the table...

Voice Control coming to iPhone?

Maybe, at least that is what it looks like. Code-named "Jibbler" could add functionality to launch apps as well as voice dialing. For now it is a rumor, but an exciting one at that!

AT&T increasing their networks speeds?

Looks like it! AT&T has confirmed that they are doubling their network speeds to 7.2mps (for you non-tech nerds that equates to about 1MB a second... that is pretty quick for over-the-air data!). Will this speed bump work with the iPhone 3G? Well, that remains to be seen...

How to improve your iPhone photos

These week we look at how to improve the pictures that you take with the iPhone. There are apps and numerous articles to help you in this endeavor. Read on to learn more!

iPhone undisputed king of apps?

Um, with 1 billion apps just reached... do I even need to elaborate?

AT&T getting ready to duke it out with the Palm Pre?

There is a leaked AT&T internal document detailing why the iPhone is better then the Pre. AT&T says this document is to educate their sales staff to possible questions about the Pre. Hmm...

App Store reaches 1 Billion app downloads. That is "B"' as in a Billion

Wow. I don't know if there is anything else to say about this...

Phone Different Podcast #37 is now available!

Dieter and Mike discuss all of the recent iPhone news. Listen on the web or subscribe in iTunes!

Bluetooth 3.0 Just announced... in time for iPhone 3?

Hmm, these are suspiciously close together. So why is this a big deal? For starters it basically doubles the data speed of Bluetooth making it much more useful for say, wireless syncing, wireless game playing, you get the idea...

TiPb Picks of the week!

Take a look at what our staff has picked this week for you! From GPS Maps (yes you read that right) to passwords and games. Check it out!

WOW (World of Warcraft) coming to iPhone?

I am not sure about that, but this video looks promising. If it were... I would then have to play, I have some friends that have been bugging me to join for a while. Very tempting...

Apps for Less

Yeah, them prices keep dropin'! Take a look at what is less expensive this week, there are some good ones to like WordFu and Enigmo and BeejiveIM!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Stereo Bluetooth for iPhone 3G

Rene had a chance to check out the Motorola S9 Stereo Bluetooth headset on the iPhone 3.0 Beta Software. How did it pan out? Read on to find out!

App Review: FC Mobile Life

Franklin Covey has a new task app out called FC Mobile Life. Looks good, voice tasks, and bling. What did Brian think about it? If you follow the Covey method of tasks, this might be for you!

New iPhone 3.0 Beta is available!

To find out all the fun stuff we have found, search for tag 'beta 3' and enjoy!

Coupon's in your pocket, yo!

Check this new free app out; it is location aware and gives you coupons for places nearby. How cool is that? They don't' have a large collection of participating vendors yet... but they are comin'!

Review: iharmonix Pro i-Series Stereo Headset for iPhone

Don't we all need another pair of headsets for our iPhone? If you are in the market, take a look at Jeremy's review of this cool headset!

Quick App: Leaf Trombone

Yes, it is finally out. Check out what Rene has to say about it!

Shake it!

Apple patents a new interface for accessing iPhone information while it is in motion. What do you think?

iPhone LIVE!: Bad Ash

Oh, yeah, Jeremy (AKA, Bad Ash) has joined the fray of iPhone Live! Take a listen to the most recent podcast!

Nintendo and Sony feelin' the iPhone gaming heat?

Me thinks so. Trip Hawkins seems to dig the iPhone gaming platform. So who is Trip? Read on to find out!

Hulu app coming to iPhone?

This would be totally awesome if it did! For now, we can only hope...

App Review: MLB at Bat

Like Baseball? Have an iPhone? Then this is a no-brainer.

App Review: Convertbot

Do you have to convert stuff a lot? You know, kilometers to miles? Liters to gallons? Then this app might be for you! It converts it all!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Cheap games holding back "great" games for iPhone?

Let's look at the current structure of gaming; most mobile games on Nintendo DS and PSP go for $29.00. How much are games on the iPhone? Well, nowhere near as much. Why is this a problem? Read on to learn more!

Direct TV announces iPhone app!

For those of you that use Direct TV, this is an awesome announcement! What can the remote do? Read to find out.

Citrix native client comes to iPhone

This is one of the single most important apps for me. I use applications on Citrix everyday at work, so this will help me be more productive than ever when I am away from my laptop. Thanks Citrix!!!!

iPhone Beta 2 is now available!

What does this mean? Well, Apple is working diligently to develop their OS as fast as they can in time for this summer. Based off of the latest release, things are coming along quite nicely!

What? New iPhone betas gives us 180 apps!

Well, it is more than 148, but I want more...

Review: SPE Book Case for iPhone

Looking for a leather fold-over case that is accessible to the iPhone dock for your iPhone 3G? Take a look at this review!

QuickOffice coming to iPhone in April!

That's right folks, native Office functionality is coming this month for iPhone. How much? An amazingly cheap $19.99! Sign me up, I want it now!

Palm Pre app walkthrough...

Ho-hum. Slow. But hey, it is still beta right?

Bigger camera coming for iPhone

3.5mp is the latest rumor. I for one am excited for this. The 2mp on the iPhone is good, but if I could squeeze out a few more megapixels...

Skype for iPhone: Served up 1 million downloads in two days.. oh SNAP!

Wow, this is quite an achievement! What message is this sending? All I know is that it works great!

AT&T beefing up their network?

Will LTE be here sooner than we thought? People say that the new routers are super-duper fast. Shouldn't we worry about people not getting dropped calls first? Just a thought.

AT&T Changes their TOS, then changes their mind?

Yeah. Looks like there was enough grumbling over the Internets, that AT&T recanted their change. Let's see how long this lasts. Click the link to read about the proposed changes.

New iPhone to have low-power 802.11n?

We can always use faster Wi-Fi on the iPhone and it looks like Apple might be delivering on this in the new iPhone. I can't wait.

App Review: Vine2Wine

Are you a wine drinker? Then this app might be useful. We like it! I enjoy wine like the next person, but I am a total neophyte when it comes to grape varities, this is a great too to bring you up to speed.

iPhone 3.0 Software Walkthrough

Missing what is new with 3.0? Like to see what's up? Rene gives us an excellent walkthough of just what is in iPhone Software 3.0. There are even some gems you didn't know about...

Apple's Bluetooth headset is discontinued!

There is only one explanation; an stereo Bluetooth version must be coming! Or maybe not. I can dream at least. Regardless, I thought it was a good headset. It got better with each hardware revision too.

Gasp! New iPhone hardware to be released in June?

No way! I had no idea! Really, Schiller said this in January. Plz...

Barista for iPhone Giveaway!

That is right! Read on for the details!

What does iPhone Software mean for Gamers?

Lots of good stuff! I mean we have Bluetooth local play, downloadable levels, send messages to friends fro within games, this is awesome!

Facebook Connect... with Scrabble!

I am in love! I play Scrabble all the time on Facebook, now I can take those games with me! Now, with Facebook Connect, I can view, play and create games with my Facebook friends. Gaming on the iPhone has just gone to another level.

Carmack brings Wolfenstein 3D to iPhone

It is good (you can pick it up here) and to think Doom is next! OMGZ! I sure hope they add multiplayer in Doom!

Review: Motorola Pure H15

This is one nice headset! Light, compact and has a cradle! It even sounds great!

Thinking about using iPhone Software 3.0? Think twice!

Rene lays it out pretty clearly; it is slow, buggy and apps may not work.. you were warned. After all, this is a first beta release...

How will Apple handle Push Notifications?

This is a good question. I mean, where there are dozens of alerts coming at ya, how are you supposed to manage them when in the current OS you HAVE to act on each alert... interesting indeed Apple...

The iPhone Blog Phone Different Podcast #36

The new podcast is available! Give a listen as Rene and Dieter discuss the Pre and iPhone software 3.0 comparisons.

Skype coming to iPhone?

Why isn't this out already? Hmm...

Mobile Safari 3.0.. Supa Fast Yo!

Wow, benchmarks have it coming in from 3X-16X faster then Safari in 2.2.1. What does this mean for us? Lots' O iPhone web browsing Joy!

Netbook Rumors?

So what if the Netbook wasn't really a Netbook after all?

Review: Griffin Clarifi Case for iPhone 3G

Looking for one of those cool dockable cases, but with a special lenses for taking pictures up-close? Then this might be the case for you!

Apple iPhone Software 3.0 Round-Up!!!

There us just TOO much news for iPhone Software 3.0. So instead of trying to detail it here, we have tagged all of our posts. Simply follow the link to all iPhone 3.0 goodi-ness!

2nd Gen iPod Touch to get Bluetooth update?

What? The 2nd Gen iPod Touch has had Bluetooth the whole time! Wow! And Apple will activte it with Software 3.0. How cool Apple, how cool...

New Graphics coming in future iPhone hardware revision?

Looks to be that way! Yup, multi-core processors are on their way!

To Jailbreak or not to Jailbreak..

Jeremy writes us a great aticle this week on whether it is necessary to Jailbreak your iPhone anymore. Read on to see what he thinks!

Resolution Independence

For those of you who don't know what that means, it means that the iPhone can scale to any resolution it needs to, but can it? That is what Rene looks at in this article!

iPhone causing mistrials? What?

Well, according to the New York Times Smartphones in general are wrecking havoc on our legal system! How, read on to find out!

Ballmer speaks... again. Does anyone really listen?

Yeah good ole Steve Ballmer was talkin' the Microsoft smack again saying that the iPhone's touch screen to too expensive. Uh-huh. Have you heard of the Xperia?

TiPb Give Away and more!

This post is chock-full of goodiness! First we are giving away a copy of BeeJive and what else? You will have to read more, won't you

Next Gen iPhone to have Video Recording?

What is this you say? Can it be? Loosk like we will get a higher quality camer too?

Did you miss the iPhone Software 3.0 event?

Have no fear, you can download it for free on iTunes now!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

iPhone Prototype in the wild!

It is even being sold on eBay! How do people get a hold of this stuff? Why isn't Apple going after them? Eh, who cares, check out the video!

Quick App: Coffee Buzz

Like coffee? Like Twitter? Then here is an app for you! Find people around you that are drinking coffee and post about it, best of all you can send the updates to Twitter! Have on coffee nerds! Oh wait, that's us...

iPhone 101: Lock your iPhone

I do this and you should do this too. It is really cool: you can set your iPhone to lock after a predetermined about of time. After ten incorrect entries, it wipes your phone! Sweet security baby!

Dilbert loves his smartphone

This is just too funny...

New iPod shuffles with Voice Command!

Wow, didn't see this one coming. I think it is cool, but I would have to try it myself. I bet this functionality will be in the new iPhone 3.0 firmware...

Phone Different Podcast #35 is up!

Take a listent to the latest Phone Different Podcast... you know you want to...

New iTunes is live!

Yeah, it is much faster and the added some new functionality like iTunes DJ. Must download if you haven't yet.

New Metal Gear screens for the iPhone!

Man, I wish this was an action title. Alas, it still look really good! Perhaps since Konami is testing the waters with this title, a true/port will be on its way! I wouldn't mind the PSP game on the iPhone...

What iPhone Firmware are you running?

Well, I am one of those peeps that always keeps up to date and downloads the latest as soon as it is available. Apparently, not everyone does.

iPhone Software 3.0 Live Blog this Tuesday!!!

Oh yeah, we are bloggin' it. Will you be there? I won't, I have meetings. Bummer

SXSW iPhone Round-up 2009!

Some cool stuff was announced this year for iPhone, the main event IMO is Facebook Connect for iPhone. I now have a reason for Flizster... I had no idea so many of my friends already use this service! Sweet!

iPhone Software 3.0 Rumors abound...

This time it is all about copy/paste! I won't spoil it for you, but click to read more...

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

iPhone Mobile browser Share Now 67%!

Having recently used Windows Mobile Internet Explorer, it's easy to see how the iPhone can walk right in a steal marketshare with it's Safari Browser...

Watchmen MMO coming to iPhone

This looks promising; an exclusive MMO for iPhone in the Watchmen universe. Looks OK, watch the video and tell us what you think!

Dual-Mode Access for new Airport Extreme!

Now you can access both B and N bands without slowing down your network while using your iPhone!

Tap Tap Revenge 2 is now avaialbe for Free in the App Store!

I liked the first one and liked Tap Tap Dance even more. It is nice to the original updated with the newer graphics.

What is going on March 24?

iPhone 3.0? iTablet? What? no one seems to know, but the Internets are swirling with rumors that something is going to happen...

Amazon Kindle for iPhone

I have to admit this app works great! I am not much of a reader (I prefer Audible) but for what it is, the tool is awesome and I am quite pleased!

Verizon questionnaire asking about iPhone's?

It looks that way. Could AT&T be sucking customers off America's largest 3G network for iPhone lust... hmm... could be...

Review: Belkin TuneCast for iPhone

If you are looking for an FM Transmitter for your car, this one might just do the trick!

TiPb Live!

It is back and Kindle-fied!

McNamee says that iPhone 2G users will jump ship for Pre...

Yes, Roger thinks that the Pre is Soooooo good that when the first gen iPhone users contract expires in June, they will flock to the Pre. Hmm, not sure about that, but we can dream, no, Roger?

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

New iPhone 3G at Best Buy for $99?

Yup! If you are a Rewards Zone Silver Member. Guess what? I am and I bought my wife one earlier this week. Awesome deal!

Is there a better way to manage your homescreen apps?

This is a great proof-of-concept for doing this. I have to tell you, I get annoyed sometimes with how Apple has implemented moving your apps around; it can be a problem if you have 148 apps... this video is quite good. What do you think?

Review: Krussell Hector Leather Case

Jeremy tells us his thoughts on this case. I like, it but since it has to go though your belt loop only...

MobileMe gets a new homepage screen! Wow!

But I just want the service to work, ya know? I have since moved on to Google Sync. Much better IMO. Why reinvent the wheel Apple? Just migrate MobileMe to ActiveSync...

Smartphone Experts Roundtable

Dieter just got back from Mobile World Congress and the editors from all the Smartphone Experts sites discuss their thoughts on what went down!

iTunes Short Term Pass?

Apple has released a new feature in iTunes to subscribe to new content from your favorite artists. Who is up first? Depeche Mode. Hmm. Wouldn't U2 have been a better choice? Is U2 scorned by the atrocious Black and Red iPod from years past?

iPhone 101: Swiping!

This week Tekzilla shows us how to delete emails via swipes and more!

Preview of Documents to Go for iPhone!

Wow, now this is really exciting! This app is just around the corner (rumored Q2 release). Dieter saw it in action and it looks good! This is one of the few missing items that iPhone users are clamoring for; the ability to view, edit and create Microsoft Office compatible documents! I can't wait!

Apple cleans out old App Store review...

Well, there was that, you know, issue with some developers paying for reviews? Well, Apple has gone in an removed them to give those apps a more accurate rating.

Review: OtterBox Impact Case for iPhone

This week Brian reviews the OuterBox case for iPhone 3G. What did her think? You're going to have to click to find out, I'm not tellin'!

Quick App: TV.com app for iPhone- FULL STREAMING TV!!!! OMGZ!

Well, I was not expecting this, but this app is totally awesome! You can get most of CBS's networks and LOTS of free content. You can stream many TV shows for free. For example, I watched an episode of CSI: Miami over 3G. It wasn't the crispest quality, but it was watchable. And, CBS conveniently broke the episode up on to 6 5minute chunks for much more digestible watching on the go. Kudos to CBS fro doing this. Now, NBC, dump Joost and give us Hulu on the iPhone!

Review: Dockster case for iPhone

Looking for a dockable case for your iPhone 3G? This might be for you!!! Hey, and it's even leather...

iPhone Adobe Flash on its way... again?

Yeah, Adobe has basically said it is coming. Apple is tight-lipped. What do you think?

Universal charging solution?

The industry is moving to micro-USB for a standard on mobile devices... Apple hasn't said what they will do? That 30-pin connector is rather handy...

Documents to Go demoed for iPhone!

I can't wait for this! Docs look good, spreadsheets and presentations. Release date? 2nd quarter of 2009!

CEO- snap!

You want a good laugh? Read the dialog between mobile CEO's at MWC 2009. Too funny. What is more funny? Apple isn't even there...

MobileMe file sharing is here... finally!

Finally the functionality we were promised many moons ago is here! Read on for more!

Offline Gmail?

At MWC 2009 Google demoed and HTML5 driven Gmail web app that works offline, cool!

Genius recommendations in the App Store?

What do you think? Adding Genius recommendations to the App Store should help in picking apps, no? I mean with over 20,000 apps out there, me thinks there is quite a selection!

Todo app showdown!

In our forums there is a showdown on what is the best app? What is your favorite? Take a look!

Are you still using iPhone Apps?

Studies show that users buy an app, then stop using it. What about you?

2009 TiPb's Reader's Choice Awards

We have the list! Want to know who wins in each category? Read on for more!

TiPb Giveaway- Movie Challenge!

Like movies? Like your iPhone? Want to win an app that brings them together? Read here to find out how!

Leaked photo of Google Latitude?

Could be? Ah, who cares, we know it's coming, but when? I want my firmware 3.0 already!

Phone Different Episode 34

Rene and Chad are steering the ship this week. Dieter is returning from MWC 2009 and Mike was mowing the lawn. What do Rene and Chad have to say about this weeks news? Take a listen!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

iPhone leading the way for mobile internet traffic

Yeah iPhone accounts for about 0.48% of all Internet traffic. That doesn't sound like a lot to you? read more to look at all of the other operating systems shares...

Quick Review: iKlear Products

The cleaning products are great and are meant for electronic gadgets from iPhones , iPods to HDTVs. Read on to learn more.

Quick App: File Magic

There are a lot of file transfer apps out there, but this one is worth a look; it has a free desktop companion!

Multi-tasking coming to iPhone?

Rumors are popping up that you will be able to assign "a few" apps to the iPhone to multitask with an upcoming firmware update, while the new iPhone hardware (June?) will have the ability to have multiple apps running.

iPhone 4G Concept

Wow. Hot. I want one.

GroupWise ActiveSync coming!

Novell has announced that it will support the ActiveSync protocol so it will nativley sync over the air with iPhone. How soon, a while...

Quick App: Arcade Bowling

Like bowling? Then you might like Arcade Bowling by Skyworks. What makes this game cool? It is based on Skeeball!

Google Latitude: Google knows where you are...

This is a really cool tool! Basically, you sign up and add people to your group. You can then track their whereabouts in real time! This is great for my wife and I, so we always know where each other is. You also have awesome privacy controls. So, if you want, you can tall people are some where you aren't'... hmmm....

Google Tasks

This is cool, you now have an iPhone web app for Google Tasks (they can be accessed on the desktop via Gmail Labs).

TiPb Survey!

We want to know what you want!

MobileMe 2.0; what do you want for features?

Well, MobileMe works, sort of, so what should we expect in a hypothetical successor? Read on to see what we think!

Google Books, now for iPhone

Man, I wish Google would make more native apps already for iPhone... anyway, their latest tool is Google Books. This is actually quite nice, I am impressed!

Forum Review: EMees

Want to make avatar on your iPhone? With this nifty little app you can. Looks like the avatar quality is good, but the creation process...

SIMS 3.0 coming to iPhone!

Sweet! And if it is anything like Need for Speed, we will be waiting quite a while...

Amazon making "Kindle" app for iPhone?

That that would be some great cross-platform innovation! Imagine downloading books to your iPhone with Amazon's service. Sound good? Too good? We will see...

Want Emoji?

It looks like everyone does, so where is a way to get it.

Review: SoundClip for iPhone

Do you find your iPhone volume too low? Here is a great alternative to hacking your phone for louder volume; SoundClip! How does it work? Read more!

The iPhone: Indie game lovers dream?

Oh yeah, the iPhone pwns this market. The 2009 Independent Games Festival Mobility Category 11 of the 14 contestant apps were on the iPhone!

Review: Griffin California Roll

No, it isn't sushi, but a roll to "roll-up" your electronic gadget; including iPhone! Looks cool, what did Brian think? Read on for more!

Firmware 2.2.1 is now out!

Well, it didn't add much other than some mail photo saving bug and tidying up mobile Safari, I swear I am getting above average EDGE speeds...

Remember the iPhone 2.0 Push Notification Service?

I wonder if Apple does. If I remember, this was supposed to be out in September. Hmm, must have hit a snag in the road. This is too bad because there are plenty of apps that could benefit from this. My guess? Postponed till software 3.0...

Is new iPhone hardware on it's way?

The 2.2.1 firmware update hints at a new version number for the iPhone. At each version update, there is a new revision in hardware. What is going on Apple! iPhone HD? Hey, that sounds cool... iPhone HD. Yeah.

iTunes Plus now upgrade your library individually!

Cool Apple! Now instead of being forced to update every song and video, you can now selectively choose what you want. Way to go!

"Premium" iPhone gaming section to hit app store?

The Internets are a' crawlin' with rumors of a $19.99 high-end section of the App Store for games, etc. This will help to eliminate the competition with the $.99 titles. I think it is a good idea and I think that people will take App development more seriously and start to crank out some major titles. What do I think is in the pipe? Microsoft Office (yeah they announced this a while back) and Documents to Go. Exciting!

Review: PogoStylus for iPhone

Man, there are some mixed views in the comment section on this one! This "stylus" works great for drawing apps and in cold weather...

The iPhone Blog Live Podcast #6

If you haven't listened yet, what are you waiting for! Primary topic of the night; the Palm Pre...

Killer combo: iPhone and Apple TV=Ultimate gaming console?

Well, I have both and the idea really is intriguing. Hey, I would like to just play my iPhone games on the TV... but imagine having your Apple TV turn into a gaming console and you can use the iPhone/iPod Touch as a game controller... I am salivating!

Review: Griffin Road Trip

Want to hook your iPhone up to the radio in your car and stream those tunes? Now you can with Road Trip. What did Rene think? Read on for more...

So Flash is coming to iPhone after all?

I am confused. But, it looks like Adobe is working closely with Apple to make this a reality. I really hope they do. Even though I am not a fan of Flash, some websites out there are only in Flash... so this would be handy indeed.

Windows Mobile to have it's own "MobileMe"?

Well, we are talking about Microsoft here and if it wasn't for Apple... err, sorry wrong debate. Anyhoo, if you are a Windows Mobile owner, the new WM OS is likely to integrate with cloud services form Microsoft. Actually, I am happy about this; my hope it is it will force Apple to innovate even more...

Review: V-Moda On-Ear Headphones with Mic

This week Brian gives us his thoughts on the v-moda vibe duo In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic. What did he think? Read on to check it out!

Send multiple photos in one email!

Finally! Though not an Apple App, the fine folks at Aqua Eagles have created an app to attach multiple pictures to an email! 

RSS on iPhone; Less is More

I too read this article and trimmed back my RSS feeds. It makes for much quicker syncing and only displays feeds I really, really, really care about, like this one.

Apple's Q1 Conference Call; We are in the money, we are in the money...

Man, those naysayers that said Apple would take a hit in these poor economic times truly doesn't know Apple! I would run down the details, but Rene has done a great job with the highlights!

No iPhone Nano after all?

Apple says no, I say yes. Whom do you believe?

Patent: Auto volume adjust?

Now this would be cool. Imagine you are in a meeting and you forgot to put your iPhone on vibrate. You get a call, the ringer goes off, but it is a very soft tone, so soft it does not interupt the meeting. How is this done? Apple ingenuity my friends!

Round Robin Winners!!!

Thanks for participating in the Smartphone Experts Round-Robin! Read more to find out who won!

RepairPal for iPhone

Have you had a vehicular accident recently? Well look no further that RepairPal to find a place ot get things fixed!

Apple's Design Studio

There is a new documentary our there that shows Apple's design studio. Come on, I know you want to see it...

Apple says they will protect their patents, Palm vows to fight back!

If you remember back in January of 2007 when Apple unveiled the iPhone to the world for the first time, we all oohed and aahed at the magic of multi-touch. Then Steve Jobs clearly said, "Boy have we patented it". They weren't kidding...

Makeshift iPhone Stand our of rubber bands and pencils!

Cool. I love this homemade stuff.

Review: Richard|Solo 1800

I love these batteries. I have a 1200, awesome, totally awesome!

Review: Apple In-Ear Headphones

I have been very excited for this pair of headphones! Rene ventured forth and bought a pair. What does he think? Well for one, they are the first pair of in-ear headphones that will actually stay in his ear!

Ballmer --Hearts-- the iPhone

I know it doesn't sound possible, but it's true! Good 'ole Stevie was not a believe in the beginning. He did not think that a $400 would sell... but alas... things are looking a bit differently now, aren't they Steve? Now he admits that the iPhone has "momentum". 

iPhone Nano is coming, but not for the US?

Not sure what to think about this. A cheaper iPhone? Probable. But only available outside of the US? I don't believe. Apple wants more than anything to have deeper market penetration. If true, could this be a sideline from AT&T?

What the Pre stole from Apple and what Apple should steal from the Pre

Rene has a great (albeit lengthy, be prepared) article on what the Palm Pre stole from Apple and what Apple should steal back. I am all for stealing. 

Google How-To: Archiving your Gmail

For those of you using Gmail, you might find this article useful. Eh, never mind, just watch the video.

Converting your library to iTunes+

Have you taken the plunge yet? The process is easy, but is it worth it? Read on and check out the lively comments? Good stuff here!

So what's up with the iTunes variable pricing model?

How did the $.69-$1.29 model come up? Was it a bargaining chip by the record labels to allow over-the-air downloads?

Richard|Solo Battery

Well, the promo code may only be valid till January 30th, but if you are looking for an external battery alternative, look no further than the Richard|Solo series. I have the 1200 version and love it!

Exercise that brain, on the iPhone!

Brian gives us a review from Luminosity's Speed Brain. Want Brain Age for the iPhone, this just might be it...

Twitter and the iPhone in 2009, it's off to a good start!

So where did the first pic of the USAir Flt 1549 crash come from? That would be the iPhone and Twitter! 

How to change your iPhone wallpaper

In our ongoing iPhone 101 series, Rene shows us how to change your wallpaper.

Wow. There has been a lot of apps downloaded from the App Store

15,000 applications and over 500,000 downloads. Makes me wonder when Apple will make an App Store for the Mac, it would make sense...

MMS is now available for the iPhone! In Portugal?

Yes, another carrier has their own app to handle MMS for the iPhone. When oh when will AT&T grant our wishes?

The iPhone Blog LIVE Podcast is now up!

This week is all about Macworld and a little on the Pre. Check it out!

Review: Tweetie

Do you use Twitter? If so, you have to check out this app! I love Twitterrific on the iPhone, but this app blows it out of the water! Read on for reason why this is the best iPhone Twitter app!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!TiPb at Macworld!

There is a LOT of content from Macworld this year! From photos to news, there is just too much to post here for a round-up. Instead, check our our tag for Macworld 2009 here. In the meantime, checkout our liveblog of the event!

iTunes goes DRM free!

Ah, the moment many of us have been waiting for; DRM free songs and music videos on iTunes. Of course, for me this is a little too late. When I had a PSP, this would have been really useful. But now, with the iPhone and iPod Touch, it doesn't really matter to me anymore. What do you guys think? Are you putting your music and videos on other devices outside of the Apple ecosystem? Look forward to a post very soon about upgrading your library to iTunes+!

Finally, I can download songs over Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE!

There have been time, albeit not many, but times none-the-less where I wanted to download a song into my iTunes library over the air (OTA). Now, I can with Macworld's recent announcement of OTA downloads. My biggest issue with this now is that I would prefer to keep my 128kps encoding, 256kps makes the files just too big! Apple, give me an option! So, instead I am working on an Automator workflow to auto-convert my songs when they are synced over.

iPhoto '09 "Video" slideshows come to iPhone

That is right! Now those killer slideshows you create in iPhone '09 now can sync over to iPhone. That is cool! These slideshows are cool!

iPhone 101: adding an appointment

What is that you say? You don't use the calendar on the iPhone? Well have no fear, here is the latest in our iPhone 101 series: Add a Calendar Appointment.

Review: Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors

Brian tells us what he things of Smartphone Experts iPhone screen protectors. Read on to see what he thinks!

Palm announces "Palm Pre", yess, like "tree"

I love Palm almost as much as I love Apple. But I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed of the blatant rip offs the iPhone Slider, err, I mean Palm Pre makes. Multi-touch, GPS, 8GB, proximity sensor, accelerometer, hmm, sound familiar?

Next gen of iPhones to be super-duper fast?

Well, that is what the Internets are a' sayin'! iPhone 3.0 will support Quad-Core Processors are on their way! What does this mean? Well, it means wicked fast HD capable iPhones! Not to mention what it will mean for iPhone gaming...

iPhone 101: Emailing photos

Ever want to send that killer pic you just took? Well look no further than our recent how to. Looking for more iPhone 101? Click here for more articles!

Review: Case-Mate Hipster

Looking for a new hip case for your iPhone 3G? Take a look at the hipster from case-Mate! I liked it, you might too!

Confrimed: iPhone life-cycle is June-ish?

Well, Phil Schiller let the cat out of the preverbal bag by telling David Pogue that the iPhone timeline is in June for any announcements. Wow, didn't know that...

iPhone 101: Email as MMS!

Well it is not MMS, but you can send it as MMS. Jeremy tells us here, very clever! Read more iPhone 101 articles here!

Rumor: AT&T considering $10 tethering plan?

Oh man, I really hope this is true! If it is, sign me up! This is much more agreeable compared to the rumored price os $30 a month! This will be so helpful for me when I am not near Wi-Fi (which believe it or not, is quite often! Not all of us live in San Francisco or New York City!).

Vaja to have iPhone Nano case?

These pesky iPhone rumors! However, what might give some credibility to the rumor is Vaja, a prominent case maker, lists the iPhone Nano on their website. Things that make you go hmm?

Use Twitter instead of SMS on your iPhone

Rene posted an excellent article by Dieter (LOL) about why you might want to use Twitter instead of SMS. I am a believer! The trick is getting people to use Twitter. I have to admit though, it works. Rene (our editor) live in Canada, so I can "txt" him with Twitter and it works great!

iPhone "Pro" slider concept

Do you want one? I don't. I just want screen rotation available for the apps that I want. Can't Apple just build that into Settings?

iTablet coming in late 2009?

Man, I hope this is true? Rumors around the Internets are saying so. TechCrunch says they have a few people that have held the device, etc. Perhaps it will be announced at Macworld 2009?

MobileFiles Pro brings Excel edit functionality to iPhone

Man, I saw this the other day and said to my self, the dawn of office apps is upon us (hey, maybe Microsoft will announce their app at Macword?)! Bummer though, it is just for Excel, no Word or PowerPoint functionality... yet... I already use the free app. i am debating if I should get the Pro version.

2008 TiPby Awards

Well, we have started our annual awards. What did we pick this year? Read on to find out!

iPhone 101: The silent swtich

In our continuing series for iPhone 101, we discuss how the silent switch works on your iPhone.

Apple apps to become web-i-fied?

Well, that is what people are sayin'. iWork web client and maybe even iLife? I say it is possible for MobileMe subscribers. I can easily envision a "basic" client added to MobileMe. Will it happen when the current iteration of MobileMe is not perfected? We will have to see.

iGloves patent

If you have ever tired to use your iPhone with gloves on, it doesn't work since the iPhone's touchscreen works off of electric feedback from your fingers. Curiously, this patent was applied for back before the first iPhone launched in June 2007. 

Google App Easter Eggs

I love the Google App for iPhone, even if it is not 100% accurate, it is still cool. So for Google to announce extra features, makes chadman very happy! What does it give you? Different colors and the ability to keep webpages inside the Google app among some others. Very cool Google! Now where is my native Google Docs app...

TiPb at Macword 2009

Oh yeah, we are there. You can follow our editor @reneritchie and editor-in-chief @backlon on Twitter! WE apologize in advance if we get a little off schedule next week, at least you know why!

The Phone Different Podcast 32 is now up!

Listen to our latest podcast for all the weeks news and info!

AT&T making EDGE even slower?

Well, for 2G iPhone owners, this rumor might be troublesome. As you may know, poor AT&T's network is a little over burdened with the number of iPhone 3G's requesting service. To compensate, the rumormill is saying that they are moving EDGE bandwidth to another spectrum to allow better connections for iPhone 3G. What does that mean for iPhone 2G users? Read on to find out!

Managing your iPhone's music

It is all about playlists in iTunes! Brian gives us some great examples of how to get the music you want to your iPhone!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Review: Marware Sportsuit Convertible for iPhone 3G

Looking for an armband for your iPhone? Look no further than Marware's Sportsuit Convetable! Not only is this "case" an armband, but it doubles as a belt holder too. Click to read more!

HardcoreElement Giveaways!

Check out these cases! Very cool! We will be announcing ways to win these cases in the new year!

Did you just get an iPhone 3G for the holidays?

Then look no further than our guides on getting started with your iPhone! Remember, we have Jailbreak guides and the forums are always a great place to look for answers to your questions too!

MacHeist Free Apps!

Were you lucky enough to get in on the MacHeist free app action? They gave away Mac and iPhone apps for FREE on Christmas! Read on to see what was available!

Citrix for iPhone!

This is very exciting! I use Citrix at work and I would love to have the ability to directly access Citrix without having to remote in to my desktop! Man, I can't wait for this one!

Multitouch gestures for iPhone patent

Swipe your finger(s) up, down, left and right on your iPhone's keyboard to accomplish tasks such as deletions and adding spaces. I sure hope this one comes! Perhaps in the newest firmware? One can only hope!

Looking for that $99 iPhone? Look no further than AT&T!

That is right! AT&T now has refurbished 8GB iPhone 3G's for $99. What a deal!

Another way to make iPhone ringtones from Tekzilla!

Hmph, who knew! I did it another way, this looks almost as easy!

Fake iPhone Nano shots hit the net

I am interested in this rumor too. Hey, it is worthwhile checking out the pics anyway. What do you think? Will their be an iPhone Nano announced at Macworld?

iPhones go on sale at Wal-Mart!

The day has finally arrived! Not for the $99 they were rumored to be (AT&T has that one), but still, getting iPhone's into the nations number one retailer is a good thing!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

iPhone Nano?

Well, I know many of us which this was real, but I am on the side betting it is not. The major point being that with the smaller screen, developers would have to modify their games to work properly on it. I am all for a $49 or $99 iPhone like the next guy, but my bet is it is not true. This is something they would have brought out for Christmas.

My bet is Macworld will have the new iWork and iLife suites, Snow Leopard and hardware revisions for the iMac and Mac Mini...

MobileMe Updated

Well, call me bitter, but I would not call this much of an update... I had a mail outage the other day for the WHOLE DAY. Oh well. What did they supposedly fix? Maintenance really, and the 10.5.6 update on OS X is the biggy; MobileMe now syncs within a "Minute" of any changes. Cool!

TiPb Video: Dropship

Yours truly is working on delivering video of a game in the App Store once a week. My first attempt was Dropship. It is hard playing while recording! For future posts, will actually be talking while I play. For now, this, this game is a lot of fun and the retro  look + downloadedable levels make this a deal for $1.99. Though I think it is on sale right now for $99...

Want an iPhone 3G for $150? You you can!

AT&T has just announced that they are selling refurbished iPhone 3G's for $150. That is a GREAT deal. I had to exchange my first generation iPhone a few times at the Apple store for a refurbished unit and they were always practically brand new. If I was in the market for an iPhone... I would probably buy one!

Optimized Google Search from Safari!

What took so long on this? You can now search from the Google search box in Safari and receive optimized iPhone results. The text is now formatted properly for the iPhone's screen and is easily readable. Phone numbers and maps now have accessible finger-links for you to tap which will launch the phone and maps apps respectively. Nice

Review: Jabra BT2070 Bluetooth headset

Looking for a compact and light headset? The Jabra BT2070 might just be for you! I really enjoyed this headset and was pleasantly surprised, read more for all the details!

iPhone to get Konami games!

Wow. This should sound familiar to my post last week about the iPhone as a legit gaming device. Among the games coming out are a shooter-rendition of Metal Gear (bummer!), DDR, Silent Hill (heck yeah!) and, um, Frogger. Ok, Who is buying Frogger? Anyone?

GUI Awesomeness coming to iPhone?

It is possible with the recent leaked announcement that Apple has stakes in Imagination Technologies Group. Apple can use the technology to increase the performance of their iPhone interface and make gaming even better! Whoot!

Sim City for iPhone is out!

My first experience with Sim City was way back when it was on the Super Nintendo. You basically build and maintain your own city. If that is your thing, click to read what it is all about!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Play the iPhone on your TV!

Well that is what this enterprising developer did with some undocumented functionality of the iPhone. Man, won't Apple just add this peripheral already! I would buy it, wouldn't you?

Will iTunes ever go DRM free?

That was the hope last Tuesday, but it never came to be. Why does the music industry want to punish Apple so?

Who wants to know why Notes don't sync with your iPhone?

I do, I do! It was shown at MacWorld 2007 (well, so was split view mail, but...) during the keynote. Why has it not made it to MobileMe? Is there something waiting for us at MacWorld 2009? New iWork? New MobileMe features? Ah, one can dream.

Review: Case-Mate Leather iPhone Case

Looks like some of you did not like this case :-0 I can only assume there is a silent minority like me that does. In any case, check it out, it isn't that bad!

Sim City coming to iPhone!

One of the classics is coming to iPhone! Pinch and zoom on your city! OMGZ!!!! Well, I am into iPhone gaming, that might explain my enthusiasm...

iPhone copy/paste via a bookmarklet?

Well, that is what it looks like anyway. It is not the answer we have been looking for from Apple, but it might be a good tide me over. Will this be enough for you? For me, I am waiting for the official solution.

App vs App: Stanza versus Classics

Are you into ebooks? Well Casey has a great app v app review to take a look at. I use eReader from the good old Palm days (yeah they made an iPhone version [iTunes Link] and you can even read your old Palm books too) but Stanza is pretty tight. What do you think?

Will it ever end? No Flash or Java for the iPhone; analyst says...

Well, the consensus is that these technologies... for lack of a better word.. blow. Now, I am sure a lot of you will contest this, but I suppose from a technical stand point they do, regardless of how commonplace they are. Heck, even Google doesn't use Flash anymore for YouTube videos...

iTunes App Store updated

This time to show a better layout for apps. I like the new look. If you haven't been there, do it.

Apple says that the iPhone is better than the PSP and DS

Well now. Apple wants you to think of the iPhone as the next level in portable gaming. Well, if you combine sales of the iPhone and iPod Touch, it not only eclipses them, but... the question really is; how good are the games on the iPhone anyway?

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Joost on the iPhone!!!

This is cool! Now there is another awesome streaming service besides YouTube for the iPhone; Joost! This service offers TV shows and more... plus it is free. What is the downside? Wi-Fi only. Well, I was excited...

Google Calendar, now easier to setup in iCal

Before you has to enter the settings manually, now they give you a simple app to set up. I love Google almost as much as Apple. Now, if Google would only start to make some native apps of their productivity tools like Blogger, Docs...

32GB iPhone for Macworld?

Who doesn't want one. However, I am not sure I am willing to pay for it. My vote, $400+ bones.

Review: Maximo Metal Isolation Headset

Brian serves up another review! Not everyone likes the Apple headphones (really?) So if you are looking for an in-ear solution, this might be the one for you! Different sized ear buds too!

Apple's new in-ear headset! 

Yes, Apple's long awaited new headset is here. The part I don't get is why the volume controls don't work on the iPhone??? My guess? They will in a future iPhone firmware update. 

App Store Promo Codes!

Well, it is about time Apple! Developers now can give out up to 50 promo codes to anyone (like me perhaps?) to do reviews or beta test software. Way to go Apple!

What was hot in 2008?

Look no further than iTunes to tell you the top music, movies, TV shows, apps and games for your iPhone/iPod. There is some good stuff here, so check it out!

App v. App: Sports Apps

Well, I am not a sports guy, but if you are, you will definitely want to check out Brian's latest App v. App: Sportacular versus SportsTap! Who wins? You will have to read to find out!

Turn Wi-Fi on when the cellular radio is off!

No joke! This is simple and not a hack! Argh... why didn't I ever think of trying this...OK, no comments please...

Developer Interview

I love developers and listening to what they have to say about the iPhone. This latest interview is with David Perry Didev (previously of Shiny, for those of us that remember...)

Whoa, $99, 4GB iPhone at Walmart?

Well, if AT&T's network can handle the existing volume of iPhones on AT&T's network, why not just open the flood gate and add a couple million more, eh?

What? Apple fan-boys are not the only crazy ones?

Well, David Pogue seems to think that the the BlackBerry crowd just might be! Well, I mean when you call the latest flagship BlackBerry a big pile of poo...

Review: PDA Skins Horizontal Case Organizer

Brian is unstoppable this week! If headphones weren't enough, he reviews a cool side pouch case. To be honest, the side pouch case is one of my favorite designs. How did Brian like it? Read on to find out!

Apple has 10,000 apps in the App Store

Wow. In less than three months. Hmm, well let's see, Apple has the most advanced mobile computing platform, easy development tools, a solid distribution model... makes sense to me!

Forum Review: Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes

This game is awesome! I bough it day one. Not much else to say on this.

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Is your iPhone 3G feeling... slow?

Well, it has come to light that the 2nd generation of Apple's iPod Touch is faster than the iPhone? At first that might not seem like a big deal, but it means that potentially, developers will have to work harder to ensure that apps run properly on both platforms. 

Case-Mate Naked Case Review

If you are looking for a good alternative to just carrying around an iPhone in your pocket with no protection, try the Naked Case. It covers your iPhone on all sides (even the screen, but it is still useable with the case on). It is available in a few different colors to suite your mood.

Apple's Black Friday Sale

Did you score anything good? I was tempted by the $21 off an iPod Touch... but then sanity came back.... oh, and my wife said no way; that could be part of why I didn't buy one

Black Friday App discounts!

Did anyone buy apps this weekend... I did! There are a few of them listed here, check out the list, some are still on sale!

iPhone LIVE! Podcast

We have a new bi-weekly podcast for discussing the focused topics, in about an hour (yeah, kinda sounds like an oil change ad, doesn't it?) Anyway, check it out if you haven't had a listen yet!

The iPhone Blog's Ultimate Accessory Give Away!!!

If you have not done so, register now! Click the link for the contest details!

The iPhone Blog's 2008 Holiday Shopping Guide

Here at TiPb we have compiled a list of what our writer's think will make great gifts this holiday season. Read more to find out our choices!

When are the Beatles coming?

Oh who knows. Their catalog was supposed to be available by the end of 2008. Do you think it will make it?

iPhone Firmware 2.2.1 rumors...

Ah, 2.2 is barely out the door and we have some Russian site telling us that there will be Notes push and synchronization. My bet is no. They still have work to do on Calendar and Address Book...

Save that battery power!

Brian has a great tip of the week on how to save and manage your batter power. Read on for more info!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Turn your iPhone into a number pad!

Oh yeah! For the geeks out there that think this is cool! hey, if you have an iMac with the Bluetooth keyboard, this can come in useful! Different colors too!

New Google app with Voice Search

This is really cool. I have been using it for a few days now. In my estimation, I would it gets things right about 80% of the time. This is truly faster than typing, and a cool way to show off your iPhone. The location based services are nice too. Get movies and restaurants close by. I love Google, and Google loves me

What is Mobispine?

Don't worry, I never heard of it either. Apparently they are making a "global" app for MMS on the iPhone, and it is official. However it is unknown if it is coming to the US or not. Why doesn't Apple just make their own? Oh, that is right, the reality distortion field is in effect.

Do you like crossword puzzles?

Dieter puts them head to head in our latest App vs App review! Dieter pits Crosswords vs 2 Across. Who is the victor? Read on to find out more!

More DRM-free music on iTunes?

Oh how I wish. I love Apple. I love iTunes. I despise the greedy folks that make up the music industry. So, Apple is taking to em' and sayin', "Hey, we um, are the #1 music store, why not show us a little more love?".

BlackBerry Storm vs the iPhone web browser

Who do you think wins? Yup, Safari. By the time everyone catches up to Apple, they will have moved on. Sad really. 

Google doing some shady development with their new Google search app on iPhone?

Well, I am not one to talk, but this looks a little suspicious. To summarize, they used an unpublished API to get the iPhone to "beep" when you hold it up to your ear. Why is this important? Read on, it is quite interesting indeed.

New iPhone firmware 2.2 is out + review!

I am excited! I love Google Street View, tapping once to go back to your main home screen and downloadable podcasts. There are some other features too. Read on to learn more about them and let us know what your favorites are!

Apple working on an always on display?

At first your are thinking that it is crazy, it would eat up the battery in no time. But wait a minute, we are talking about Apple here. There would be a second backlight, but dimmer then the original. Umm, just read on to learn more. Perhaps in next years' iPhone? Just as long as that model give me my video chat too

Review: BodyGuardz

Looking for a clear protector for your iPhone? Look no further then BodyGuardz! Brian gives us his two cents this week on what he thinks. Read on to learn more.

Have the new firmware? Want to download our podcasts over the air?

Here is how! We explain how to do it and what you need to know!

Speaking of podcasts...

Out latest episode of the Phone Different Podcast is available for download. Click to read our show notes and links to get it!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Announcing the Smartphone Round Robin!

Every year we switch phones with our sister sites (Treocentral, WMExperts, Crackberry and Android Central) to see what life is like on another smartphone. What phones are we swapping this year, click to find out!

iPhone is the most reliable smartphone. No, really?

It's true what they say! Looks like the iPhone is really the most reliable smartphone beating out tough competition like Windows Mobile, Palm and wait for it.... BlackBerry! I guess that really says something for using one of those, you know, "modern" operating systems...

Interview with Avantar

This interview brings up some really good points about how mobile technology has really changed our landscape with location-based tools. Read on for more!

Who is number one? iPhone, that's who!

Yup, move over Motorola, your 4 year old Razr is taking a backseat to the iPhone according to NPD numbers. This continues to amaze me. The iPhone essentially comes in one model on one carrier, yet continues to out sell everyone. Awesome.

When is iPhone firmware 2.2 coming, Nov. 21?

One can dream. The Internets are reporting that this Friday we could see the fabled 2.2 release of Apple's new firmware for the iPhone. Personally, I am looking to OTA podcasts and Google Street view. What are you looking forward to?

I want to tether, I want to tether...

But not for $30 a month! That is what the rumor mill is saying. Honestly, I have spoken to some local AT&T folks and they agree with this assertion. Man, I would pay $10 more a month, but $30? To be fair this is the price for other devices, so the iPhone is not getting unfairly pegged. Are you going to pay $30 for this?

App vs App: Air Mice

Check out our comparison of Air Mice: Air Mouse versus Snatch. We chose Snatch, but could a killer update for Air Mouse be around the corner? Read on for more!

Costco getting in on a little iPhone action?

The iPhone could be coming to Costco for the low, low price of $149! That is what an analyst is saying. Then again, I predict an Apple tablet is coming next year. Who's right? Only time will tell.

Google web search now optimized for the iPhone!

Well, not from Safari, but from the Google webpage on the iPhone. Oh well, it's progress, right? To be fair, Google says that they are working on optimized results from the Google search bar in Safari. 

Gaming on the iPhone takes on the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP!

Man, I really think that Apple might succeed in this market. I mean, everyone is going to own an iPhone eventually, so why not? Steve goes on to say that a couple of reasons it will be a successful game console is because it will always be in your pocket and the amazing touch controls. I agree, I have seen some snippits of some really cool 1st person shooters and one of my favorite racing games Raging Thunder [iTunes Link] just got Internet based multiplayer! It is fun, but a little buggy, but an excellent first endeavor! 

The iPhone Blog Live: Podast!

Yup, we cranked out episode #2. This time the audio and video actually worked. Take a listen [Subscribe in iTunes]!

Apple's new in-ear headphones to ship soon

Let's hope so! I owned Apple's original in ear headphones and enjoyed them a lot. I think the iPod Nano just got an update to support them, let's wait and see!

Google's advanced voice search for iPhone!

Man, this is really exciting! Speak into your iPhone and get weather, locations, movies, you name it! It is an enhancement to Google's Mobile App. Arriving in the app store soon. Hmm, where is the G1 version...

Say it ain't so: the iPhone almost ran Linux!

Whoa. Granted, OS X is Apple's own flavor of Linux for all intensive purposes, but we aren't talking OS X Linux, we are talking vanilla Linux. Yuck. I am glad this battle of the wills panned out the way it did. What am I talking about? Read the article to learn more!

Citrix on the iPhone!

I can't wait for this to become a reality! I already use VNC and Remote Access to control my Mac and PC Laptop from my iPhone, but to have direct access to Citrix would be nice!

Office Web coming to iPhone?

If it does, it won't be for a while. In the meantime I am looking forward to Documents to Go for the iPhone. Although, Microsoft was rumored to be creating an Office native app for the iPhone. could they have ditched it in lieu of a web-based alternative? 

Apple making their own search engine?

Eh, probably not. I mean, Apple can't do everything. However, what they are probably working on is a new interface for search. When could we see something like this? Only time will tell...

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

TiPB Interview: Interface Innovation

If you are interested in how a developer looks at the iPhone's unique interface development, this is a very interesting article, click to read. They range from how simplicity is important to how to work within the confined canvas of 320x480!

Opera Mini on the iPhone, Nah...

Hogwash I tell you! It was an internal project and never left the confines of Opera. Ah, the joys of the blogosphere!

Marware Sport Grip Case for iPhone

In the never-ending drive to find the perfect case, Casey looks at the Marware Sport Grip Case for iPhone in the weeks case review. This case looks good and covers your iPhone. Does it grip well? Does it look good? Read on to find out!

iDisk on the iPhone!

With MobileFiles from QuickOffice. This app is really, really cool. You can access your MobileMe iDisk directly on your iPhone and even store files locally for convenience! When is Apple going to implement items like this? I love that developers are doing it (and that Apple is allowing them), but I would think that Apple would want to supply their own solution. 

Apple on par with PSP and DS?

Can the iPhone/iPod Touch 1-2 punch be enough to topple the gaming juggernauts of Sony and Nintendo? Business Week seems to think so, and with some compelling reasons. I have to sit and think that many moons ago, there were rumors about Apple buying Nintendo. Perhaps these rumors were just slightly misguided, and in fact, the discussions were actually centered around making the iPhone/iPod a gaming device. Hmm...

App vs App: Shazam vs Midomi

They are both cool! Need to know the name of a song playing on the radio? Then this app is for you! But who will win? Read on to find out!

Firmware 2.2 Speculation Continues!

What? OTA podcast downloads? iTunes and App Store makeovers? Craziness I tell you! I sure hope this update comes out soon, I am eager with anticipation!

Apple was going to buy Palm! No Way!

Ahh, this is very interesting to me. I loved Palm before I ever fell in love with Apple (I know, I was a late-comer to Apple Luv) but I did not know that Steve Jobs has offered to buy Palm after canceling the Newton. Wow. One has to wonder what would have happened with Apple's design and innovation at the helm of Palm...

iPhone Tethering Coming Soon?

Well, not soon enough if you ask me. Perhaps it will be part of the next firmware? Who knows. I was at my local AT&T store this weekend and I was discussing this with them. They said it would probably be another $30 a month. I sure hope not. I would be willing to pay $10 more a month. I think AT&T is getting a little too bog for their britches...

iSkin Revo Case Review!

We just can't get enough of those iPhone cases! This week we also have Brian reviewing the iSkin Revo Case. Brain REALLY likes this case! Read on to find out why!

How Awesome is the iPhone? J.D. Power and Associates tells us!

Hmm, not pad for a device that is not even a year and a half old yet, eh? 

External Keyboard for the iPhone?

Oh, how I long for thee. And is a reality for you if you are into homebrew for the iPhone. Will Apple ever release an official keyboard? I don't think so, but you never know.

Phone Different Podcast

Ah and finally our beloved bi-weekly Phone Different Podcast What do Dieter and Mike have to discuss this week? Click to listen and read the show notes!

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

AT&T ends iPhone survey

This is cool! The survey asks what features you would like to have on your iPhone. Dare we say copy/paste? I don't know how to feel about this survey. It is from AT&T, not Apple. AT&T can't implement a single feature on the list by themselves... so one has to wonder. 

Need a new power charger?

Look no further than the Griffin PowerDuo. You can tell by my review I love this thing. Heck, I am using the USB cable right now (plugged into my PowerBook G4). I will then plug it into the 12V adapter in my care on the way home after shopping...

Direct podcast downloads in firmware 2.2? OMGZ!!!

If the screenshots can be believed, this would be great! But I still have to ask how. Do you already have to subscribe in iTunes first? Can you subscribe OTA? I can't wait!

LogMeIn coming to iPhone

This is a great free service I already use. The fact that it is coming to iPhone makes it all the more valuable to me! I use LogMeIn to control my PC Laptop and my iMac remotely for free, very cool.

Canada hearts the iPhone 3G

Considering their smaller population size, Rogers has sold a staggering 255,000 iPhone to our northern neighbor! Wow. Hmm, this cooky iPhone thing might catch on after all...

Which "Earth" software is better for your iPhone?

We pitch Google Earth and Earthscape in our most recent App vs App to find out! I think they are both great, and free!

Need a case for that iPhone?

Casey reviews the Griffin Wave for iPhone 3G. Did he like it? Should you get it? read on to find out more!

AT&T free Wi-Fi? Really? I mean, really?

Yeah, it is for realz this time. Looks pretty slick too! We should have a post up this week discussing how it works for ya

MobileMe Updates. Hey, they are only a month old. Better late then never I suppose

Man, I was really hoping that the MobileMe blog would be posting useful information, like, oh I don't know, updates to their service? Instead, we find out through a wayward means that there is a support document posted at the end of September discussing the changes to the service. Apple really needs to get the MobileMe department in check already!

TiPb on Facebook... Phase II!

Yeah, we are crazy like that. We started with Groups, now Pages. We just can't help ourselves!

New to using Hosted Exchange on your iPhone? 

Here is an awesome guide by Jeremy. How does it work with my calendar and contacts? Jeremy answers your questions in this in-depth article!

Tired of waiting for iDisk on your iPhone?

Box.net has the answer! Easy and free, Box.net gives you 1GB of storage. Want to learn more? Read on!

The newest podcast to TiPb: TiPb Live!

This is our newest podcast to The iPhone Blog! We discuss firware 2.2, GPS and more!

BlueTrek Bluetooth Headset review

What did Brian think of this headset? I don't know about you, but since Bluetooth technology is always improving, I am always excited to read our headset reviews!

The iPhone headset button; are you using it to its fullest potential?

Wow! I had no idea I could click so many times and have wondrous things occur! Read on to discover what I am talking about!

Need a new case?

If you are looking for a soft, flexible silicone case for your iPhone, this one might be for you!

What? RIM's BlackBerry to copy Apple's App Store... no, you are kidding me

Ah. Ya know, pundits often knock Apple for things; too pricey on the hardware, etc. Yet, Apple continues to innovate and others try to catch up. Take the most recent BlackBerry Developers Conference. They essentially annouced talking point by talking point, Apple's strategy for the iPhone. Come on RIM, can you create something on your own without copying a rival?

OMGZ! Apple has sold 10 million iPhones!

I have to admit, when Steve Jobs said that Apple would sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008, I was not a believer. Not that the iPhone wasn't great, but that the price would prevent it from achieving that goal. Well, then comes the iPhone 3G...

Intel talkin' smack

This is just insane! Why would Intel do this? I mean... the iPhone is selling very well and, um, Intel and Apple are business partners! Last time I checked, there is no other mobile device that can deliver what the iPhone can. 

TiPb AT WORK: VNC Clients

Always wanted to remote control your computer form your iPhone? Read this article to learn more!

AT&T: Show me the money

I bet Verizon feels really stupid right now.

Goodbye BlackBerry, hello iPhone

DOH! People want iPhones! Even Congress! Heck, half of my co-workers have iPhones now... too bad we aren't on Exchange...

I want to tether, don't you?

AT&T says their network is not robust enough yet? Hmm... no comment. I wish I had this though... I should have bought NetShare when I had the chance. 

Microsoft: 10 Million iPhones in less then 2 years is nothin', blah!

Oh Microsoft, talking smack again, eh? I am sorry, but when you compare Windows Mobile to, er wait. This is kind of like the Windows versus OS X debate. it is pointless and silly. We know which is better, don't we. I don't see anything coming from Microsoft in the near future that even remotely gets me excited... unless I missed a press release somewhere. Wait? Have they had any Windows Mobile Press releases recently?

Flashback: Heads of competitors say the iPhone won't succeed. Oops.

This is probably my favorite post this week. Why? It makes me laugh. Give it a read.

Phone Different Podcast

Your favorite podcast is back! 

Firmware 2.2 features!

Like everyone, I am always very excited for the next iteration of iPhone firmware. I think that Google street view will be fun indeed. But where are the basics? A to-do list that syncs with iCal? Spotlight? Oh nevermind. I say the same thing with every firmware update.

Voice Control coming to iPhone

Funny this post should come up. A friend of mine just got an iPhone and she wished she had voice control for her iPhone. Well, your wish is my command.

BlackBerry Storm has copy/paste

Why does this not surprise me? Oh that is right, Apple does not think that copy/paste is a priority. Whatever. They had better be reinventing the darn thing...

Firmware 2.2 rumors...

Google street view is coming! Google street view is coming! Well, that is word on the street anyway. Oh yeah, and something else about turning off auto-correct. Hmm... anything else besides Emoji icons?

Plantronics bluetooth headset review

Need a new bluetooth headset? Check out our latest review; the Plantronics Voyager 520 bluetooth headset. Solid audio quality, but a little bit bigger than most. 

Removable battery for iPhone? One can dream...

Well, the European Union is requesting that the iPhone have a removable battery. I am all for that. However, I think that it would create an unsightly crease on the back, and I don't think Mr. Jobs will approve it...

TiPb at Work: Instant Messengers

Which will take away the crown? Palringo or Bee-Jive? My vote is on Bee-Jive, what about you?

Landscape email via TouchType

Though not the perfect solution, this is a great app if you are desperate to type mail in landscape mode. The developer states that he is also working on adding Notes functionality too.

New Apple notebooks October 14th!

I know, not iPhone related per-se, but I am excited to see what Apple is bringing out. Aren't you?

iPhone developers tour

Is it me or does this look reminiscent of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? Perhaps I am imagining things. Interested in developing for the iPhone? Check out one of these events coming near you!

TiPb at Work: To Do/Task apps, vote now!

This is your chance to help pick which app will be reviewed for our TiPb at Work contest. Which apps will get reviewed?

Wal-Mart to sell iPhones?

How is Radio Shack getting shafted on this? I mean, if I had to guess, the Radio Shack folks are more knowledgeable about their products than a typical Wal-Mart employee is. Odd indeed.

Bloom: Make your own Eno mood music!

This is a fun app for making "mood" music. It is actually an almost exact conceptual rip-off of Electroplankton for the Nintendo DS. Ever heard of it?

My personal dream to come true... maybe...

This would be so incredibly awesome if this device were to become real. Of course I would prefer Apple to make it, but if I have to go through a thrid-party, I will. This looks like a great concept. Placing the iPhone in the front as a touch pad is genius. Why didn't I think of this? Perhaps Apple will fulfill my needs for this kind of device yet. Perhaps the 14th will fill us in on the way in which Apple is headed...

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Beejive IM... the solution is here?

Do you chat with people beyone AIM? I think a lot of use do. Now, there is a good mobile solution; Beejive. Take a look.

No more iTunes App Store free apps link?

This one is just weird. Why remove this? I browsed this link all the time. What is Apple's motivation? Read on to hear some ideas!

NEW Facebook app... thank the Godz

Hey, I love Facebook. The new app is really a great enhancement. Photo tagging, comments, it has it all. All it is missing is push notifications!

More Firmware 2.2 tweaks?

Looks like the App Store is getting a little more streamlined now. Bigger icons and fonts. I like the UI improvements. Speaking of UI, where is my copy and paste?

Flash on the iPhone? Will it ever be?

This is a pipe dream. Everyone wants it but Apple. We all know Apple does not want anything but its own proprietary stuff on the iPhone, but Adobe is very popular. Willl Apple allow for Flash on the iPhone?

TiPb Grand Prix Winner!

Congratulations Guille on winning the first TiPb Grand Prix! This is a first in a serires of contests. Check out the next contest below...

Where is Apple's push notification service?

This was rumored to come out in September from Apple, but has since been delayed. I am personally very excited for this functionality. Getting updates like Facebook notifications and AIM IM's will be great to have in real-time with no multitasking. Very innovative Apple. Now, let's see how well it is implemented.

TiPb at Work!

For this contest, we have moved form racing games to productivity. Check out the post to learn more! Doesn't everyone want to be more productive?

Web apps strike back! Well, umm, maybe

Developers now can launch web apps full screen! That is right! Once the app is saved to the home screen, launch the web app and no more address bars! Or course, this is something that the developer has to build in, but still cool functionality! Thanks Apple, now where is my copy and paste?

Managing Mobile Safari bookmarks

Got a lot of bookmarks? Used to IE for Firefox? Have no fear, TiPb has your solution. This article explains all there is no know about managing your bookmarks in Mobile Safari. Want to place your bookmarks in a different order? Want to delete them entirely? Want a new folder? Read on to learn more!

No Unlocked iPhone 3G's in the US

Who had their hopes up for this in the first place? I sure didn't. But it would be useful fro international buyers. I mean, domestically, what is the value of an unlocked phone anyway... so you can take it to T-Mobile? LOL!

Developer says "No Thanks" to Google Android... DOH!

Hmm... me thinks that Apple is on to something here with this, um, whadaya call it, um App Store? Let's see. The app store is on every iPhone, there are reasonable and fair costs for developers. Oh wait, and lastly, if you make a good app you will be rewarded with people buying it. Read on to learn more about this fascinating concept!

The iPhone Blog Grand Prix: Moto Chaser vs. Auto Contra Sense

Racing, racing, racing. Now on the iPhone. What is your favorite? This weeks Grand Prix App vs. App is Moto Chaser vs Auto Contra Sense. Which is better? Read the head-to-head to find out!

AT&T Hates RIM's BlackBerry Storm. No Really They Do

AT&T has a document discussing the talking points of the iPhone over its closest competition, mainly the forthcoming BlackBerry Storm. All valid except I remember seeing somewhere that there was a GSM Storm coming out too... hmmm...

iPhone Saber... Unleashed!

Yeah, I feel like a bad-ass now having a light saber in my pocket. I don't think they needed to base it off of the recent release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, that was not needed. I just want to be a Jedi, mmm, K?

NDA= Blown out of Proportion

IMO, this is getting a little out of control. Look, if you are an iPod developer, don't try to make another iPod application on the iPhone. This is very simple logic. Do we really need to talk about this anymore?

Compare: iPhone 3G vs Google Android; Who Will Win?

Run through the list. Which one is most important? Reason #5 on the "iPhone Wins" section; Steve Jobs.

iPhone Firmware 2.2.1 in Developers Hands... Right Now, As You Read this!

This is exciting. Perhaps we will get an update sooner rather then later, eh? I wonder what joy Apple will bestow upon us in this update? Seriously though, I think the last update brought some great, much needed, iPod changes. What are you looking forward to?

The Phone Different Podcast

If you don't listen to this, you should. 'Nuff said.

Safari Tweaked in Latest Firmware Build; Feature Everyone Has Been Waiting For!

Of all the stories this week in Apple iPhone land, this one has to have me the most frustrated. Of all the user requests, Apple sees fit to change the way we search in Safari... not that the current way is broken. Alas, what do I expect from a company that felt compelled to update its calculator to include a scientific one when you rotate the iPhone to landscape... I mean, everyone I know was asking for that one, weren't you? Really, the list of REAL requests goes on... video recording, Spotlight, MMS, etc...

Apple App Store Review System Updated

Well, for the peeps out there that feel the need to review apps without downloading an app first, Apple has but an end to your debauchery and now you must download an app first before being granted the ability to write a review. All in favor...

PdaNet Available... if you have jailbroken your iPhone...

I know, I am waiting too, waiting for an official release for tethering my iPhone to my PowerBook when there is no Wi-Fi in site. Since I am a purist, I don't jailbreak by iPhone. However, for those of you that have...

I don't see what the big deal is here, Apple and AT&T should just do it. They already gouge us anyway for our combined data and texting plans.