Apple Stores will soon carry stock of the revolutionary Nest learning thermostat. According to sources, the Nest thermostat is being delivered to Apple Stores nationwide and may go on sale as early as next week. The Nest thermostat has already been given its own Apple part number and is set to be sold at the same price as Nest’s online store at $249.99.

Today, a trusted source was able to provide a first hand look at the Nest packaged at an Apple Store today, complete with the part number. Priced at $249.99 (the same as Nest’s price through Nest’s online store), the Nest has a part number of H9279ll/a in Apple’s systems.

According to Nest, the thermostat takes roughly a week to pick up on your energy routines and adjusts your temperature accordingly. A display changes colors to red or blue to distinguish between heating and cooling, and the design is very Apple-like. The greatest part about the Nest Learning Thermostat is the iOS app for your iPhone or iPad, letting your remotely adjust Nest's settings and get all the vital information you need on-the-go.

If you have been thinking about picking up a Nest learning thermostat, you will soon be able to see one in the flesh at your local Apple Store.

Source: 9to5 Mac

Apple has made some minor changes to the layout of the App Store within iTunes; the same changes are reflected on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. With such a huge number of apps now available in the App Store finding what you are looking has gone from hit and miss to downright daunting. Apple has been rumored to be completely revamping its iTunes software but in the meantime, they're still tweaking what we have now.

When you visit the App Store you will now see two new features -- Editor’s Choice and App of the Week. Editor’s choice looks to have taken the place of the previous iPhone and iPad App of the Week. This week’s editor’s choices for the UK are The Thames, Air Mail, and Extreme Skater. In the U.S. different apps have been chosen and they are Facebook Camera (fairly fast, given it was only released yesterday...), Sketchbook and again Chillingo’s Air Mail.

The App of the Week for this week is Cut the Rope: Experiments. Apple’s App Store twitter account tweeted the information and included a new hashtag “#FreeAppoftheWeek”. We don’t know if the App of the Week will always be a free app, if it will be a paid app on temporary sale for free, or if -- as we assume -- it won’t always be free and that it will still be any app, paid or free.

These new changes may make things slightly easier to find apps that maybe of  interest to you but the App Store still has a long way to go before it becomes a great experience. Hopefully the rumors of an iTunes redesign will turn out to be true and Apple will use the acquisition of Chomp to offer a better version of the App Store; until then, we will take any improvements we can get.

Source: Touch Arcade

GameFly is looking to branch out into mobile gaming but instead of its usual rental model, it is looking to get developers on-board from a much earlier stage. The new initiative would see GameFly becoming the publisher and promoter of a developer’s game. GameFly has set aside a fund for game developers who are already working on their next big game but do not have the resources to publish and promote it; GameFly would take care of that side of the games development

"GameFly is dedicated to giving consumers the best user experience possible, and to be their single destination for console, PC and mobile gaming needs," said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. "We plan to be a leading player in mobile games by launching our retail GameStore for Android and helping to fund mobile developers of all sizes to publish, promote and sell their smartphone and tablet games."

Source: PR Newswire

A stolen iPhone is helping its owner close the net on the thief thanks to Apple's iCloud Photo Stream. We assume that Find My iPhone was either not enabled, or was disabled by the thief, but it seems the thief was unaware that Photo Stream was running and cataloging every photograph

Katy McCaffrey had her iPhone stolen on a cruise ship last month. She had lost hope in recovering her smartphone, but then photos started showing up in her Photo Stream. The handy iCloud service automatically uploads photos taken on an iOS device to a feed that can be viewed on other authenticated devices.

Kate has now informed Disney Cruise Line and sent them copies of the photographs; she hopes to get her iPhone returned and maybe some free passes to Disneyland too.

Source: Facebook via Cult of Mac

The untethered iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak could be released in a matter of days. Many people have been eagerly awaiting an untethered jailbreak for the latest version of iOS 5.1.1. It has taken a while for it to even look possible never mind become available. Now it appears that the wait may finally be over and it could arrive as early as next week. According to jailbreak developer pod2g.

Thanks to awesome work of @planetbeing and @pimskeks, we're near ready for a release. Now it's a matter of days.

Update: @MuscleNerd has provided some additional information, which he prefaces by saying is tentative and subject to last minute change:

• the initial 5.1.1 plan used a kernel exploit from @westbaer which unfortunately precluded use in iPod3,1 and iPhone2,1
• @planetbeing stepped up and provided a kernel exploit that covers both of those. Those two JBers are the bomb!
• The 5.1.1 A5 JB is very similar to the A5 5.0.1 JB. @pimskeks has done a tremendous job supporting both 5.0.1 and 5.1.1 in absinthe
• Similar to 5.0.1, there will also be a 5.1.1 CLI "cinject" binary and redsn0w version of the 5.1.1 JB+untether. Absinthe, cinject, and redsn0w will all provide the same JB in different fashions.
• timing is indeterminate. Plans are for this week, but a number of factors can influence that.
• For those wishing to donate, we've set up a new 5.1.1 paypal URL: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=s-xclick&hostedbutton_id=4U6DQGJ2NRVUN -> Please don't pirate AppStore apps (seriously, please do not).

There is some good news and bad news with this particular jailbreak. First the bad news -- the new jailbreak tool will still not support the latest 1080p Apple TV. The good news however is pod2g believes that it should work with the new iPad; whichever version you have although testing has not been done on the iPad 3 Global version. The new jailbreak tool hasn't been tested yet on the just released iPad 2 R2 either but again it is believed to work.

I personally can't wait for this to arrive just so I can update some apps that must have iOS 5.1 like the latest versions of iMovie, Pages and Numbers.

Anyone else looking forward to the iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak?

Source: @Pod2g, Pod2g's iOS Blog, MuscleNerd.com

Apple has just announced its line up for the annual iTunes Festival. The event which first started in 2007 has been hugely popular as all of the tickets are given away free of charge. The live concerts all take place at London’s The Roundhouse and it all kicks off on September 1^st and goes on until September 30^th.

Every year since 2007, the iTunes Festival has been bringing you a full month of spectacular live music. Many of the world’s biggest stars and the brightest newcomers have graced the festival stage, and this year’s brilliant line-up includes jack White, One Direction, Norah Jones and more. It will all take place in September 2012 at one of the UK’s best live music venues-the Roundhouse in London.

If you can't make the live shows, you can enjoy all the action live on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via the iTunes Festival app, as well as on your Mac or PC. The iOS app even supports AirPlay; enabling you to stream the action straight to your Apple TV. Unfortunately, it looks like being exclusively for UK based users as the app is only available in the UK App Store.

Free - Download Now

Source: iTunes Festival

The Brooklyn Tap House is now using a new point of sale system that incorporates both iPads and iPod touches. The Brooklyn Tap House has one of the most extensive ale choices of any establishment that I have seen and now they can all be accessed and ordered using an iPad or iPod touch.

The gastropub has installed a point-of-sale system from Albuquerque-based POSLavu that uses the Apple devices in place of a much more expensive traditional restaurant POS system. The main attraction for the POSLavu system, according to restauranteur and co-owner Hugo Salazar, was the price. Many restaurants use systems from Micros or Aloha that can sport price tags of US$20,000 or more; the bottom line for the devices and software at the Brooklyn Tap House was about $7,000.

Source: TUAW, Brooklyn Tap House

A new, portable fuel cell charger will be available to buy this year and it claims to be able to recharge your iPhone between 10 and 14 times. The small charging device does not need to be recharged by plugging it in; it works with replaceable fuel cell cartridges which can even be carried on planes.

Fuel cell maker Lilliputian Systems today announced that Brookstone will be the first retailer to carry its portable USB power source, which will be sold under Brookstone's brand. The fuel cell device is about the size of a thick smartphone, and the lighter fluid-filled cartridges are about the same size as a cigarette lighter. It's a big step forward both for Lilliputian Systems, a 10-year-old spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and for portable fuel cell technology in general. Several fuel cell companies have developed portable power systems, but a number have failed. The new fuel cell will charge any device that has a USB cable.

The charging unit and replacement cartridges will be available to buy online from Brookstone and the cartridges can be fully recycled once depleted. There is no pricing information available at this time however the replacement cartridges are thought to cost no more than a few dollars. The system is being tested with users this year and an announcement on retail availability should follow that.

We've used all sorts of batteries for years, from household brands like Duracell and Energizer to the lithum-ion and lithium-polymer types found in many gadgets. How does the idea of a fuel cell grab you?

Source: Cnet

Anyone in the U.S. who bought a first or second-gen iPod touch between September 12, 2007 and and March 31, 2009 are eligible to get in on an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The two complaints state that Apple broke federal and state laws by charging for iOS updates and prevented iPods from playing anything that wasn't bought through iTunes. The litigating class membership includes just about every iPod model, including classic, shuffle, and nano.

Although I was peeved when Apple had the gall to charge for an iOS update on my first-gen iPod touch, just so that users could get email and other apps that came for free with the iPhone, it was easy enough to work around. Apple's story about GAAP vs. non-GAAP accounting methods and reasons for insisting on the charge were overly complex and ultimately user hostile. Which is probably why Apple stopped charging for iOS software updates entirely.

I'm still not sure why the lawsuit is claiming that iTunes wouldn't allow outside music sources; from the sounds of it, that situation was isolated to a few types of incompatible DRM, but that's it. Basically, if you bought something from Real (remember them?) or something protected by Windows DRM, it wouldn't play on your iPod. If you had iTunes music with FairPlay DRM or DRM-free MP3s from any source, you were good to go.

Right now there's not much to do besides wait to see how the case pans out and collect what will likely be a five dollar refund for what you paid for the firmware update. You can get updates by signing up at the class-action suit site, or opt out of the case if you're crazy and intend on going after Apple separately for the same issue.

Apparently this case has been hounding Apple for awhile; do you guys see any legitimacy to it?

Source: AppleInsider

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

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

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

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

Apple has released information on the security updates that were covered in the recent release of iOS 5.1.1. When it was originally released yesterday, all that we knew was that there were various bug fixes. This update actually covers some important security fixes too for Mobile Safari and WebKit based browsers in general.

• Available for: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation) and later, iPad, iPad 2. Impact: A maliciously crafted website may be able to spoof the address in the location bar.
• Available for: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation) and later, iPad, iPad 2. Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to a cross-site scripting attack. Description: Multiple cross-site scripting issues existed in WebKit.
• Available for: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation) and later, iPad, iPad 2 Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. Description: A memory corruption issue existed in WebKit.

Given that, with iOS 5, Apple introduced over-the-air (OTA) updates to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, it's interesting that they're still waiting and bundling security patches into larger software updates. OTA updates are done via bit-differential (delta file), and happen on-device and without the need to backup, re-install, and restore, so they're small and incredibly efficient. Apple could choose to push out security updates far more frequently. It's possible they think more frequent updates could annoy users, or their numbers tell them too many users are still updating over USB with iTunes for it to make sense right now. Hopefully, however, they're moving in that direction.

If you haven't yet updated to iOS 5.1.1 and you're looking for some help to get started, here’s where to go:

• How to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad over-the-air using iCloud
• How to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad using iTunes on Mac or Windows
• iOS 5 help and discussion forum

Apple has pushed out iOS 5.1.1, a free software update for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users. The minor point release focuses, as usual, on bug fixes and performance enhancements.

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
• Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
• Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
• Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
• Fixes an issue where 'Unable to purchase' alert could be displayed after successful purchase

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

You can update now quickly and efficiently, on-device and over-the-air (OTA) by going to Settings, General, Software Update on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Or you can break out the USB dock cable, tether up, and launch iTunes on your Mac or Windows desktop. If you need help updating, here's where to go:

• How to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad over-the-air using iCloud
• How to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad using iTunes on Mac or Windows
• iOS 5 help and discussion forum

Jailbreakers, as always, will want to stay clear. If you notice any other changes, drop us a line.

Sanofi US announced today that the iBGStar Blood Glucose Monitoring System, consisting of the iBGStar blood glucose meter and iBGStar Diabetes Manager App, is commercially available in the U.S. iBGStar is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared blood glucose meter that directly connects to the iPhone and iPod touch, offering accurate blood glucose monitoring that seamlessly integrates into the lives of people with diabetes. iBGStar is available for purchase at Apple Retail Stores and all Walgreens stores nationwide, online at Apple.com, Walgreens.com and through Diabetic Care Services.

Source: Multivu, Apple Store

Georgia, Seth, and Rene discuss low Siri usage levels, whether iOS 6 needs a new Home screen, Notification Center do not disturb, Pandora vs Slacker vs Spotify shootout, Quasar, BIG JAMBOX, and the iPhone bra. This is iPhone & iPad Live!

• Subscribe via iTunes: Audio | Video
• Subscribe via RSS: Audio | Video
• Download directly: Audio | Video

Meta

• Editor’s desk: WWDC 2012 and iOS 6, Google Drive, Google and Facebook apps, iCloud guide, and more
• What would you do with $110 (not billion) dollars?
• iMore community spotlight for April 2012
• Siri co-founder talks to iMore about the future of technology, mobile interfaces, and implementing Siri
• Which celebrity would you most like to see talking with Siri in an iPhone commercial?

iOS 6

• Siri six months later: Community report card
• iOS 6: Is it time for Apple to revamp the Home screen?
• OS X Mountain Lion gets Notification Center do not disturb — Can we have that for iOS 6?

News

• RIM Australia admits it was responsible for Wake Up flashmob at Sydney Apple Store
• Nintendo posts first annual financial loss as casual gaming continues to shift to Apple and iPhone

Apps

• Pandora vs. Slacker vs. Spotify: iPhone music streaming app shootout!
• Now you can stream music from Spotify directly to your iPad
• View multiple windows on your iPad with Quasar jailbreak tweak [Updated]
• Now you can block retweets from individual users with Tweetbot 2.3 for iPhone and iPad

Accessories

• Take your Bluetooth speaker power to the extreme with Jawbone’s BIG JAMBOX
• Make your iPad look like a MacBook Pro with Brydge, a new Bluetooth keyboard on Kickstarter
• JoeyBra lets ladies carry their iPhones safely and discreetly while dancing the night away

Hosts

• Georgia (GeorgiaTiPb
• Seth Clifford (@sethclifford)
• Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie)

Credits

You can reach all of us on Twitter @iMore, or you can email us at podcast@imore.com

For all our podcasts -- audio and video -- including iPhone and iPad Live, ZEN and TECH, Iterate, and more, see MobileNations.com/shows

If you haven't already please subscribe to all our shows in iTunes and leave a rating. It helps people find the show and means a lot to us!

The Pop Video pico projector is a new accessory from Micron Technology, Inc. that claims to deliver the big screen experience to your iPhone or iPod touch. The accessory clips onto your iPhone or iPod touch and turns it into a projector allowing you to display a lot of your devices content on a projector screen or wall. The video resolution is qHD which is 960 x 540 pixels.

The sleek and portable PoP Vide pico projector is the ideal iPhone or iPod touch accessory to share your favorite photos, movies, TV programs, and video clips! The PoP Video connects directly to your iPhone or iPod touch without messy cords. PoP Video™ is for anyone who enjoys simple and fun entertainment through projecting humor, interests, experiences, and social networking. It's not about the device but rather the person using it...

If you fancy getting your hands on one of these, you can pre-order them now for a cost of $99.  They are compatible with the third and fourth generation iPod touch and the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Source: Pop Video

At Macworld 2007 Steve Jobs pulled the original iPhone from his pocket, held it up high above the stage, and showed off the app launcher-based Home screen... that's pretty much remained the same ever since.

That's not entirely true, of course. Apple quickly added the ability to create WebClip icons for websites, and to re-arrange and delete them. With iOS 2 (iPhone OS 2) they added native apps to that mix. They increased the number of Home pages. They added Spotlight. They added wallpaper. With iOS 4 they layered in the multitasking fast app switcher. They layered in folders. The iPad, and the iPad alone, got landscape Home screen support. With iOS 5 they layered in Notification Center and Siri.

Is it time for something more?

Familiarity is a feature

To a casual user -- someone who only makes calls, plays music, takes photographs, and runs the occasional app -- the iPhone today works almost exactly as it did back in 2007. Just like a casual Mac OS X user can ignore the Terminal, iOS users can happily ignore Spotlight, the fast app switcher, folders, Notification Center, and Siri, and still fully use and enjoy their iPhone. They can wait years between hardware upgrades (and sometimes, because of that, software upgrades) and still pick up the latest iPhone and use it exactly as they used the first iPhone.

That may not matter to gadget geeks who change their platform as often as they change their jackets, but to mainstream users, to those for whom technology has traditionally been intimidating and inaccessible, that familiarity is a huge feature.

It's why Apple made the iPad work almost identically to the iPhone and said as much -- hundreds of millions of people already know how to use it.

It's why Home screen interface and experience isn't fashion. If you're bored by the iOS UI or UX, consider how little computer UI and UX has changed much over the last few decades. For all its other advances, for all it's design tweaks, OS X still has icons and folders on a desktop, the same as the classic Mac OS had generations ago. For all of Windows 8's Metro skins and finger-friendliness, it will still ship on beige boxes with full mouse and pointer support at its core.

That being said, mobile is moving at a blisteringly fast pace. While the iPhone and iOS were the startling new in 2007, they're now one of the oldest mobile experiences in the space. Interface and experience aren't fashion, but users are fashion conscious, and phones are subject to fashion trends.

Android has a huge marketshare. Windows Phone is getting a lot of attention, not just from AT&T but from designers. BlackBerry 10 may bring a new level of gesture-based interface to the table (if they can solve the discoverability issues).

These Home screen experiences not only look different to iOS and the traditional app launcher, but they function differently as well.

App launchers and information density

iPhone wasn't the first app launcher style Home screen. Not by a long shot. Long before smartphones, Palm Pilots were based entirely on the icon grid. When smartphones came along, the Treo retained the app launcher. Windows Mobile adopted it as well. Even today, you can find app launcher Home screens on webOS, BlackBerry OS, and Android. Some of them also add other layers, like Cards or widgets, but for the most part app launchers are never far away.

That's because they're familiar, as mentioned above. You see an iconic representation of something you want to do, you tap it, and it opens up. Because they're iconic (or supposed to be), and because human brains are great at pattern recognition, they scale well and can (usually) be picked out even among a large quantities of other icons.

What they lack is information density.

With very few exceptions, all an icon on an app launcher tells you is which app will launch when and if you tap it. They're static images and there's typically no information about the current state of the app, or any relevant data beyond the static image.

In the case of Apple's iOS, Calendar will show you the current date on its icon, and Apple created a badging system to overlay the number of outstanding alerts an app has pending. But that's it. With Notification Center, with a little extra effort, you can pull down snippets of those alerts, and see widgets for Weather and Stocks. However, the level of immediately available, glanceable data remains low.

Even if we consider the status bar, which shows carrier and Wi-Fi, time and battery, location and Bluetooth, none of it is actionable. It can't provide additional information or take you to it. (Although it has added persistent color bands for tethering, voice recording, VoIP or telephone calls, etc. and tapping those will take you to the associated app or Setting.)

Widgets and cards and tiles, oh my

There's no consistent Android interface, but stock Google, Sense, TouchWiz, "Blur", and other manufacturer implementations typically offer some variety of widgeting system. With them, you can have social statues, search boxes, clocks, news feeds, and a huge amount of glanceable data available right on the Home screen. They typically take up more space, however, might use slightly more battery and bandwidth as they keep up-to-date, and add an element of chaos to the layout. However, the amount of time they can save makes for an excellent tradeoff. (If that type of data is important to you -- some users simply don't find a use for widgets on computers or smartphones.)

webOS takes a different approach, shrinking entire apps down into "Cards" that stay live-ish on the Home screen, and thanks to more recent updates, can be stacked together. Flipping through Cards doesn't give you an iconic view or a widget-ized extract, but a look at the entire app, in its current state, with its current data. BlackBerry's Tablet OS essentially aped this approach as well. The only drawback is that sometimes some apps aren't as identifiable by their actual screen as they are by their icon (long white list views just look like long white list views). So, it might take a moment to find the exact Card you want, but probably not longer than finding and launching an app.

Both Android and webOS have easily accessible app launchers as well. Both also typically provide more information in the status bar, including the ability to tap into icons to activate drop down menus or initiate other functions.

Windows Phone 7 took an even more radical approach. They threw away the Windows Mobile app launcher and replaced it with a tile-based Home screen. Squares or rectangles represent categories of functionality, and can show a small amount of live content -- a picture, an avatar, a number, an icon, etc. It's not always great, however, since at times they take up the space of a widget while not showing much more data than an icon. (They're not as informationally dense as they could be, at least not yet.) And because they update, they're not as visually persistent, which means they lose the advantage of pattern recognition.

BlackBerry 10, which will only be released later this year, seems to be taking a hybrid approach. In the little they've demonstrated so far, they've shown something akin to a set of four cards, one per corner. Sliding panels also allow access to notifications, messages, and more. (Somewhat like Twitter for iPad. There's likely a lot more to it as well, and we'll hopefully see it as time goes on.

Siri

Siri is and isn't a Home screen. It isn't the traditional implementation of a Home screen -- something you can sit in and navigate around. It demands immediate interaction. But Siri can be used to access data and apps without having to move through the traditional Home screen. Rather than unlock, look for an icon, and launch, with Siri hold down a Home button, wait for a double tone, and speak.

Siri can by no means replace the traditional iOS Home Screen, but it can and does sit in parallel to the traditional iOS Home screen, and can replace its use in a few very specific ways. Yet it's clear Apple put significant work into Siri, not just into the server-side voice and context parsing engine, but the interface as well. Siri got a lot of the widgets that the traditional iOS Home screen hasn't. Depending on what you ask, all manner of clock and alarm and to-do and information snippets pop up. All incredibly well thought out and incredibly well rendered.

Getting a Reminder into iOS using the traditional Home screen, icons, buttons, and gestures is a chore. Getting a Reminder into iOS with Siri is remarkably fast. (Granted, when Siri works.)

Siri is still in beta, it's still not fully baked, Apple hasn't implemented it on the iPod touch or iPad. So, while Siri is no doubt part of the future, how much of the future is still to be determined.

iOS 6 and the Home screen

There's not a lot of low-hanging fruit left in iOS. Over the years, Apple has slowly but steadily added in most of the features that most of the people thought were missing in the original iOS (iPhone OS) -- apps, copy and paste, multitasking, notifications. There's a lot of ways to improve the existing functionality, but not a lot of functionality that's still missing. So on what tent poles will Apple hang its iOS 6 keynote this year?

Sure, Apple's bought 3 map visualization companies (but no map tiles), so a new Maps App could be one. I'd still sincerely love a Files.app repository, now iCloud enabled. Georgia still wants her Theme Store, where users can choose between a small amount of Apple designed iOS skins. But over the years, as iOS has matured, the amount of features truly "missing" has reduced considerably.

That leaves improving existing functionality. And that brings us neatly back to the question asked in this article's title.

Is it time for Apple to revamp the iOS Home screen?

Do you want them too? Do you need them too? If so, how so? Is it as simple as adding a widget layer to the existing multitasking and notification layers? Is it increasing Siri to the point where the app launcher becomes secondary? Or does it require something completely new, something that makes Windows Phone Metro and webOS and the upcoming BlackBerry 10 look old and outdated?

If Apple does make a substantive change to the Home screen, what does that mean for the hundreds of millions of mainstream users who are used to, perhaps dependent upon, the way things work now?

Apple has always been fearless when it comes to driving the future. They obsolete hardware and software often faster than the market itself. Is it time for Apple to apply that fearlessness to the iOS Home screen?

Additional resources

• iOS 6 wants: Files app and documents picker with iCloud
• The 4 inch iPhone
• iOS 6 wants: The opposite of widgets
• The challenge of bringing Siri to the iPad
• iOS 6 and privacy: How Apple should draw inspiration from Android for better app

Apple has quietly continued the roll out of its iTunes Match service by launching it in five more countries. iTunes Match is now available in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Austria and Slovenia. iTunes Match was originally made available in the United States  back in November. It was then rolled out to a few more countries in December last year and now a five more have been added into the mix.

iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to iCloud for you to listen to anytime, on any device. Since there are more than 20 million songs in the iTunes Store, chances are your music is already in iCloud. And for the few songs that aren’t, iTunes uploads what it can’t match. Even better, all the music iTunes matches plays back from iCloud at 256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.

How to set up and use iTunes Match

Source: Macstories

Sir Jonathan Ive has won the British Visionary Innovator 2012 award organised by the Intellectual Property Office. The award comes after the competition was open for seven days and allowed the public to vote for their most innovative person of 2012.

After a week of voting, you have chosen Sir Jonathan Ive as your favourite British Visionary Innovator for 2012. He received 46.6% of your votes, making him the clear favourite amongst a list of other hugely talented, creative and innovative people.

Source: Intellectual Property Office

NoiseHush stereo headphones feature neodymium magnet drivers and advanced engineering to deliver a great audio experience whether used with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. I'm going to review a couple of their models, starting with the NoiseHush NX26 Hi-Fi stereo headphones.

The NoiseHush NX26 headphones are for high-performance audio that promise deep bass, low distortion and a wide dynamic range. They eliminate noise, making sure no matter what you're listening to, music or video or someone else at the end of a call, you're not distracted by a lot of external chatter. They have an adjustable headband and an over-the-ear design that delivers good sound and strong bass. The microphone also claims to be acoustically tuned to filter out external noise so the people you're talking to hear you, and not the racket around you.

While the NoiseHush NX26 are a lot of headphone to love -- they're big, really big -- but being over-the-ear lets them deliver really rich, really clean sound. They don't fit as tightly as some other headphones, however, so if you're seriously getting your headbang on, you'll need to be careful so you don't know yourself out. (Kidding!)

I use similarly sized headphones for podcasting on a regular basis, so for around the house it really doesn't bother me. I wouldn't use them to go jogging or in the gym, but if I really wanted to enjoy my favorite music or a movie with amazing sound design, these would be the headphones Id' use.

The good

• Over-the-ear design is comfortable
• Sound quality is excellent

The bad

• Loose fitting
• Large

The conclusion

The NoiseHush NX26 are good headphones for the price. The size and design won't appeal to everyone -- these aren't your Apple earbuds, and thank goodness for that! -- but for those who like the form factor, they'll appeal a lot. Combining long-wearing comfort with excellent sound quality the NoiseHush NX26 are an excellent pair of headphone to keep at home for the stuff you want to listen to most.

$69.95 - Buy now

Apple has approved an app called Bluetooth OnOff that simply allows you to turn your Bluetooth connection on and off from your home screen. Apple hasn’t previously permitted any apps that connect and interact to stock settings until now; so this is an interesting development.

Did it take too many steps just to turn on/off bluetooth? You can now turn on/off just by launching this app. Just in a second, you can activate or deactivate Bluetooth.

The app is extremely simple to use, once installed you have an icon on your home screen. If you click on it, a screen loads with a Bluetooth toggle switch, you can then turn Bluetooth on. If Bluetooth is already turned on then loading the app will give you the option to turn it off. The best way of using the app is to go into the apps settings and turn the OnOff switch to on. This enables you to now toggle Bluetooth On / Off from your home screen with one tap of the app icon.

Shortcuts similar to this were very popular when iOS 5 was initially launched. You could use Safari Bookmarklets to add various on/off settings to your home screen. This type of interaction was broken by Apple with the release of iOS 5.1.

It is very interesting that this app is now available but we don’t know if it is a mistake by Apple. It may be pulled at any minute or it could be a sign that Apple is prepared to allow apps that make its users life easier. Let’s be honest, turning systems settings on and off should not be anywhere near as tedious as it is now.

I hope that Apple finally addresses this problem with iOS 6. In the meantime let’s see if this app stays in the App Store. Maybe we will start to see more approved apps that allow us to toggle Wi-Fi and other system settings too.

$0.99 – Download Now

UK TV network Channel Five's The Gadget Show aired a 360 degree promo video for its new series which starts next week. The promo which aired last night was the first of its kind ever to be shown. To benefit from the complete experience, users had to watch live TV with an accompanying iOS app running on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The app ran in time with the live TV stream and enabled you to look around the studio using the inbuilt gyroscope; giving 360 degree views in real time of the studio.

At 9pm on 16th April 2012, Channel 5 will make television history by bringing you the world’s first 360 degree promo for the new series of The Gadget Show: World Tour. Jason Bradbury and Pollyanna Woodward are off on an international gadget-filled expedition to seek out and play with the greatest tech the globe has to offer.

Source: The Gadget Show, YouTube

The classic PC game Max Payne is set to arrive on the iOS platform next week, April 12^th to be exact. Rockstar has announced that it will have the original version of Max Payne ready for iOS next week and it will be called Max Payne Mobile.

Max Payne is a third-person shooter in which the player assumes the role of its titular character, Max Payne. Almost all the gameplay involves bullet time-based gun-fights and levels are generally straightforward, occasionally incorporating platforming and puzzle-solving elements. The game's storyline is advanced by the player following Max's internal monologue as the character determines what his next steps should be. Several of the game's levels involve surrealistic nightmares and drug-related hallucinations of Payne.

Source: The Verge, Wikipedia

You asked for an accurate blood glucose meter that would fit seamlessly into your busy lifestyle. We listened and are introducing the new iBGStar, a blood glucose meter for the 21st century designed with you in mind by the company with over 85 years of insulin expertise. The innovative iBGStar is the first available blood glucose meter that seamlessly connects to the iPhone and iPod touch allowing you to view and analyse accurate, reliable information in ‘real time’. Using the technology built into your iPhone or iPod touch, you can share this information with your healthcare professional while on-the-go, to help you make better-informed diabetes-related decisions together.

Source: iBGStar

Brand new today is the introduction of iPhoto, which will be coming to iPad along with updates to iMovie and GarageBand to complete the rest of the iLife suite for iOS. It will come with many new features including new gestures, effects, multi-touch editing and the ability to send images wirelessly between devices.

Randy Ubillos, chief architect of photo and video applications, announced the addition of iPhoto for iOS at Apple's iPad event today and has this to say -

"If you're someone, like many of us are, who truly love the photos they take with family and friends​ and want to do even more with their photos, that is what iPhoto is for."

Better photo management and editing has been a much desired feature for iOS devices. No word yet on whether or not you'll be able to organize photos into albums or events yet. iPhoto for iOS should should be a large improvement and will come with the following features -

• Smart browsing
• Multi-touch editing
• Professional quality effects
• Brushes
• Photo beaming
• Photo journals

iPhoto for iOS will be available starting today for $4.99.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EA has severely underestimated the popularity of any game that involves characters and voices from the hugely popular animated TV series The Simpsons. After releasing its latest game called The Simpsons: Tapped Out, it has now embarrassingly had to remove it from the App Store as its servers are being slammed and user experience is being badly affected.

To make sure you current players have the best possible experience, we’ve temporarily removed The Simpsons: Tapped Out from the App Store. Yes, as a current player you can keep playing -- and things should only get better as we make improvements to connectivity. Once we have a solution, we’ll return the game to the App Store so new players can join in the fun. Meanwhile, thank you for your patience and support.

EA hasn’t said when the game will be back in the App Store but we will keep an eye out for it and let you know as soon as it does!

Source: Facebook via MacRumors

Apple is rumoured to be launching its own TV streaming service which could be available in time for Christmas. The news comes from a report in the New York Post which claims to have some inside information on the direction Apple is looking to take.

For months, Apple’s point man, Eddie Cue, has been leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant’s efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service, including pricing, sources said. Apple’s negotiating stance can be summed up as “we decide the price, we decide what content,” according to one source familiar with the talks. “They want everything for nothing,” said another media executive, echoing similar tense negotiations Apple has had in the past with magazine publishers and music companies.

Apple has been rumored to be releasing an updated Apple TV device at its iPad 3 event which is scheduled for March 7. It has also been strongly rumoured that Apple is working on an actual Apple HDTV set. We will have to wait and see how this one transpires but it would appear to make more sense if Apple manages to get control of some live TV content; especially sports content.

Source: New York Post

Complete rumor rundown of Apple's upcoming iPad 3 event, from release date to hardware hopes and software speculation

Apple's next generation iPad 3 will almost certainly be announced on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, California. Everything else about it, however, is still up in the air. That's nothing new. The road to every Apple product release is paved and pot-holed with rumors true and fake - and this one is no different.

Still, while Apple is secretive they do tend to follow patterns. What they've done in the past can indicate what they may do in the future. That's what we're going to look at here -- sift through all the recent rumors and try to figure out what makes sense.

Name

Product names are ultimately marketing decisions and regardless of specs, chronological or model generation, or any other factor, Apple can call any of their products anything they like, whenever they like. The 2010 iPad was simply "iPad" and the 2011 iPad was simply "iPad 2", so there's a good chance the next one will be simply "iPad 3".

The internal Apple model number seems to be iPad 3,1, but that doesn't always translate to marketing name. (iPhone 1,2 was released as iPhone 3G, and iPhone 2,1 was released as iPhone 3GS). Could Apple go with an iPad 2S name like iPhone 4S? Given the presumed Retina display (see below) and processor bump, it seems unlikely. So do things like iPad Pro or iPad HD. The former seems more fitting of the Mac line, the latter unlike anything Apple has used for a flagship products in the past.

So, for purposes of this article, we'll stick with iPad 3.

Release date

Apple will no doubt announce the release date for the iPad 3 during the March 7, 2012 event. We've heard a couple of dates, the most frequent of which is Friday, March 30, 2012.

That fits with previous releases, which were also on Fridays. It is a long time between announcement and release, however. If they go earlier, March 16 or March 23 are both good targets.

Until we hear otherwise, however, March 30 is likely.

Hardware features

Because Apple doesn't manufacture their own hardware, there are often leaks that come from the factories that do the assembly, or accessory makers who manage to sneak a peak at the assembly. However, Apple also tests and produces different prototypes, so leaks might not always be for the final production model.

When looking at rumors, one thing to consider is component availability and costs. Apple will need to keep component costs down to maintain price points and margins. They're in the hardware business and they don't price their products to be at or near the break-even price point.  The iPad 3 has to make money, and that helps reduce the likelihood of some of the more extravagant possibilities.

Processor

Rumors about the iPad 3 processor are split right down the middle. iMore heard Apple is going quad-core with the iPad 3. Others have heard they're sticking with dual-core, albeit supercharging it with much better graphics. 9to5Mac discovered references to both a quad-core and a dual-core chipset in the iOS software, so it's possible Apple is testing both and will decide based on factors like battery life. It's also possible dual-core and quad-core will each be deployed in different devices, an Apple A6 quad-core processor for the iPad 3 and an Apple A5X processor for something with lower requirements, like an Apple TV 3.

For the most part , it won't matter much. Since Apple controls the iPad 3 from atoms to bits, they can optimize dual-core to do specific tasks better and smoother than many non-integrated quad-core devices. And either way, it sounds like iPad 3 will be a monster gaming machine.

While there haven't been many specific RAM rumors about the iPad 3, BGR obtained an alleged iPad 3 iBoot log, and developer Will Strafach spotted a reference in it that suggests there will be 1GB will be on board.

Again, because Apple can optimize iOS for the exact hardware they're releasing, they can usually get by with less RAM than competitors. More pixels (in a presumed Retina display, see below), and more power might just demand more memory, however.

Storage rumors have been all but non-existant this time around. iPad 2 came in 16, 32, and 64GB models, as did the iPhone 4S. 24nm NAND Flash chips have been announced, making 128GB a technical possibility. Whether it's a cost-effective one remains the question.

If 1080p content becomes a reality (see below), the extra storage will certainly come in handy, but if iCloud really is Apple's future, they may consider streaming far more important than storage. Apple can buy in flabbergasting volumes, but even at iPad numbers, 128GB still seems like a very expensive option.

Quad-core Apple A6 with 1GB of RAM and 16, 32, and 64GB of storage sound most likely at this point.

Radios and 4G LTE

We heard that Apple was going 4G LTE this year, but weren't certain if it would start with the iPad 3. The WSJ claims it will. What we're still not certain about, however, is where LTE will be available.

LTE isn't a standard and different carriers around the world use a wide range of different bands to support it. There are so many variations, in fact, our friend and LTE expert, Mickey Papillon thinks Apple would need two different LTE models -- one to support North American, and another to support Europe, Australia, and Asia.

It's possible Apple restricts LTE to North America only, or to the U.S. only for AT&T and Verizon. Verizon needs it the most -- their current CDMA/EVDO Rev. A iPads are almost crippled at 2-3mbps.

There are also newer, faster and more flexible Wi-Fi technologies on the horizon, and Apple was an early adopter of 802.11n. Is it possible Apple will add 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi Direct to the iPad 3? 802.11ac may still be a ways off, and AirPlay and AirPrint are doing a lot of direct Wi-Fi transfers now, though not via Wi-Fi Direct. So neither seem imminent at this point.

Both the iPhone and Mac have gone Bluetooth 4.0 however, and it makes sense for the iPad to follow suit. That will allow for low-power accessories, and likely speed up the iPad (and other iOS devices) becoming interfaces for all sorts of accessories, from household appliances to cars to healthcare products and everything in between.

So LTE, but perhaps North America only, and Bluetooth 4.0 are good bets, but 802.11ac and Wi-Fi direct probably aren't.

Cameras

The iPad 2 cameras are... terrible. There are reports from NextMedia that we might see a better rear camera in the iPad 3, anywhere from 5 to 8 megapixels, the latter of which would match the excellent iPhone 4S camera. The size and quality of the lens, however, is limited by the depth of the device, so a better camera would either need a slightly thicker device or be positioned at a thicker point in the device. Both are possibilities, given other rumors.

Likewise, Apple has introduced "FaceTime HD" cameras in the Mac, but not in the iPhone 4S. With a Retina display rumored for iPad 3 (see below), the current, incredibly low resolution front facing camera in iOS devices would make my eyes bleed. It seems logical Apple would give it a bump, even if only into the very low megapixel range.

Frankly, any camera improvement would be welcome at this point, so anything 5mp or above on the rear, and FaceTime HD on the front would be huge wins.

Dock connector and speakers

While iMore did hear Apple was getting ready to ditch the traditional dock port for something smaller, it sounds like that's on more of an iPhone 5 timeline than the iPad 3 timeline.

As for speakers, Apple hasn't shown any interest to date in augmenting them for their iOS devices. They let the headphones handle the heavy listening. Even though competitors have implemented technology like Beats, there have been no rumors suggesting a speaker improvement is in the cards.

Screen size, aspect ratio, and Retina display

Apple has said they don't think smaller tablets are as usable or allow for the quality of apps they want on the iPad. However, Apple has famously derided products and features they later went on to release themselves. Even so, and even though rumors of iPads in sizes from 7- to 8-inches have floated around for a while, there's absolutely no reason to think the iPad 3 will change screen sizes any time soon. Especially not with so many apps in the App Store designed for the current screen size. (Shrinking apps, even if you keep the same resolution, makes touch targets small and hurts usability.)

Likewise, while 16:9 aspect ratio tablets are better for 16:9 video (which is mostly HDTV -- movies tend to vary more), they're terrible for portrait use. Apple needs a device that's okay for both landscape and portrait, and that means sticking with 4:3.

A 2048x1536 Retina display seems like the closest thing to a sure bet. Apple has reportedly been working on it since before the iPad 2 launch, and if parts leaks from MacRumors are to be believed, they can finally produce them cheaply enough, and in sufficient quantities to make them affordable and viable.

To put the display in context, 2048x1536 (and it really couldn't be anything else without trashing existing apps) is a higher resolution than many computer displays, and higher than a 1080p television (1920x1080) -- in a 9.7-inch screen.

The idea is that it makes pixels so small they disappear - all you notice is the content. Everything from ebooks to web pages to videos should look almost as good as they do on the iPhone 4S. The density isn't quite as high, but since the screen is bigger you'll probably hold it slightly further away, making the relative quality close to the same.

So yeah, 9.7-inch, 3:4 Retina display at 2048x1536.

Home button

Apple's iPad event invitation (see above) didn't show a Home button, leading to rampant speculation that Apple might be ditching the click and going exclusively to multitouch gestures, as introduced in iOS 5.

Gestures aren't as discoverable as buttons, however, and the iPad is a decidedly mainstream device. The introduction of the Fast App Switcher has put more strain on the Home button than ever before, but with the iPhone 4S Apple has begun making them stronger and longer lasting.

There have been rumors from Boy Genius Report about Apple dumping the Home button in the past. There have also been parts leaks showing an unchanged front-panel layout, including the Home button spot.

It could be something Apple's working on obsoleting, but not any time soon.

Miscellaneous

No glowing Apple logo. No additional hardware buttons. No AMOLED screen, super or otherwise.

Software features

Software is harder to predict than hardware. With the exception of the beta process for developers, and carrier testing for network compatibility, Apple gets to keep it completely in house. Leaks happen when people discover hidden strings and images, but Apple almost always keeps the most exciting, most demonstrable new features completely out of the software until event day. That makes new apps and many new functions much harder to guess before hand. Still, there are some things to consider.

iOS 5.1

New versions of iOS have traditionally come with new models of iPhone, and while the incremental x.1 version of iOS has traditionally come with new models of iPod touch, there wasn't one last year (not really) and so iOS 5.1 falls to the iPad 3.

iOS 3.2 was a major new version, bringing iOS to the big screen, tablet style user interface for the first time. iOS 4.2 was fairly big, re-unifying the platform and bringing all the iOS 4 features like multitasking and folders to the iPad for the first time.

The iPad got iOS 5 day and date with the iPhone back in October, however, so we're probably not looking at anything nearly as profound as the last two years.

iOS 5.1 has yet to go Gold Master (GM), but that will probably happen at the March 7 iPad event, with release to follow a couple of days before the iPad 3 hits stores.

In addition to some small changes already seen in the iOS 5.1 betas, like the ability to delete Photo Stream photos, faster fast camera access, and fixes to some privacy bugs, there are still a few cards left for Apple to play.

Siri

Apple's intelligent virtual assistant, Siri is the headline feature of the iPhone 4S and hasn't been made available to any previous iOS devices. Apple was also careful to point out that Siri is still in beta, with limited language support for now. The beta was, in part, to allow Siri access to far more voice data than it could ever get locked up inside Apple’s private test bubble.   Although Siri was plagued with server problems early on, it's largely more stable  (though certainly not perfect) now.

If Apple really wants to push Siri as part of their user interface going forward, they'll have to bring it to more devices... eventually. iPads aren't as mobile as iPhones, however. They aren't as ubiquitously connected to the internet either (there are Wi-Fi only models, after all). You likely won't need to dictate iMessage replies on your iPad while driving.

But even now, when I'm using my iPad 2, I keep trying to hit the Dictate button so I can use Siri.

It will likely require better mics, like the iPhone 4S has, but Siri seems like a good bet for iPad 3. If it's not there, the absence will be notable.

1080p

With a Retina display screen, the iPad 3 will have a higher pixel count than a 1080p television -- 2048x1536 vs. 1920x1080. With a faster processor, regardless of whether it's dual- or quad-core, it'll be able to handle video better than ever before. 1080p content just seems like a natural fit, and a great way for Apple to show off that new display and all that new power.

Whether iTunes begins to offer 1080p content, and how much they can offer, how soon, and in how many regions is another question. In some areas, ISP bandwidth caps may prove prohibitive even to an average amount of 1080p content. Likewise, even with 4G LTE, the ability to stream 1080p would likely be extremely limited if not blocked outright.

But having even simple support for local 1080p -- however you get it on the device -- sounds absolutely reasonable.

iMovie HD/Final Cut Pro X for iPad

Apple launched iMovie for iPad alongside the iPad 2, but it's since been overtaken by Avid Studio which offers better support and more features. Again, given the Retina display, it feels like Apple is going to want to show off a little and give iMovie an update.

Given the recent iMovie-style makeover of Final Cut Pro X, there's been some speculation Apple may start porting their pro apps to iPad, but that seems less likely. There are still limitations to mobile devices and multitouch that professional level software doesn't face on the desktop.

If Apple goes back to video for the iPad 3 launch, a version of iMovie that supports 1080p and overtakes Avid Studio in features seems more likely.

iPhoto/Aperture

iOS 5 added rudimentary retouching tools to the Photos app, but it's nowhere near the desktop iPhoto in feature set or functionality, never mind the professional power of Aperture. Again, a Retina display seems to demand great Apple software to go along with it, and iPhoto feels like it fits that bill.

Aperture, like FCPX, is a pro tool and probably wouldn't fit with demands of mobile and multitouch, but iPhoto would. Photography professionals are already drooling over the idea of a Retina iPad for carrying around their portfolios. Give them -- and us -- even good quality consumer tools for editing them, and it will be a huge win. (Especially if, given the native code and Apple UI acumen, it proves more useful than the often-frustrating Adobe Photoshop Touch.

FaceTime conference calls

If Apple goes with a FaceTime HD camera in front, an better chipset inside, and a Retina display on the panel,

one of the best demos they could do alongside it would be a  A FaceTime conference. Showing gandma the grandkids and talking to a colleague across country is one thing, connecting several members of a family or a team scattered across the globe is quite another.

It would make for a great commercial. Allowing it to work over 4G LTE, if available, would just be a bonus.

Miscellaneous

Given the recent developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion, it's obvious that there a lot of other interesting stuff Apple's working on. And as much as iPad interface an experience elements have been brought "Back to the Mac", it'd be great to see some of the Mountain Lion stuff brought Back to the iPad as well. But that's probably more likely in iOS 6 than it is for the iPad 3.

One more things...

In addition to the iPad 3, there are rumors suggesting other products might also make an appearance at the next Apple event on March 7. Some Apple events, like the fall music events, typically showed off numerous iTunes-related products. Apple's famous "One more thing..." has also been used to highlight additional products, including the original MacBook Air, during largely unrelated events.

Apple TV 3

There are rumors, many from 9to5Mac, that Apple's getting ready to announce an updated Apple TV 3 as well. Given the Apple TV wasn't updated last year, it makes sense they'd want to get it on the new hardware platform eventually.

Would they take attention off the iPad 3 launch with an Apple TV 3 introduction? Sure, they split the original iPhone launch with the original Apple TV launch back at Macworld 2007. If the Apple TV 3 is positioned as having cool new features that enhance what Apple shows off for the iPad 3 -- especially 1080p -- then it's easily something we could see.

New iPod touch

Like Apple TV and the rest of the iPod lineup, the iPod touch received no significant update last year, which makes it feel like it's due. However, the lack of any leaks surrounding a new iPod touch make it seem like it's not a priority right now and probably won't happen for a while still.

(Georgia thinks the "And touch." in the iPad event invitation might hint at it.)

Conclusion

It's been roughly a year since Steve Jobs took the stage to launch the iPad 2. This year, Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall, Eddy Cue, Jony Ive, or some combination thereof will show us what Apple has in store for iOS for the first part of 2012.

Regardless of which rumors ultimately prove true, and what surprises may or may not be in store, one thing's for certain -- it'll be one hell of a show.

Join us next Wednesday, March 7, at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm GMT for iMore's usual commentary, color, and analysis. And until then, give us your best predictions in the comments below!

For a long time now, Apps have been able to access your Camera Roll as long as you give the app permission to access your location. The reason it needs that permission is that there may be geolocation (GPS) date included in your photos, and Apple protects that. Once you grant the location permission, however, the app has unfettered access to your photos and can do pretty much anything it wants with them, including great things like applying filters, doing edits, and sharing via social services. That's how all the popular photography apps work.

It's a non-intuitive, and frankly a little confusing way to handle Camera Roll access, but it shows Apple has thus far focused on protecting location data more than other type of data, including your photos. That means, yes, theoretically, a fake, malicious app could be created just to trick you into giving them location permission, and then they could steal your photos.

But that could happen with all sorts of content, with all sorts of malicious apps.

So is it worth pointing out? Absolutely. Is it worth sensationalizing? No, of course not.

This issue with the Camera Roll has been widely known for years. It's not new. It's just timely given the recent brouhaha over iOS apps uploading Contact information without permission. (Which was also widely known before the latest outcry.)

Apple has indicated they'll be adding Contact permission settings in a future update of iOS, perhaps even iOS 5.1 expected to be released next month alongside the iPad 3. However, there's a greater issue concerning iOS and privacy, and the manageability of privacy options that Apple still needs to address.

So, while nothing new and a tad sensational, it's good that these issues are getting attention, and that privacy is considered something platform makers like Apple need to keep in mind. Hopefully the renewed attention leads to better privacy protections for everyone.

More: 9to5Mac, New York Times

Apple is reportedly working on a new audio format that's supposedly all about enabling a better streaming and downloading for users of Apple's iTunes Match service. The new format should hopefully enable Apple to increase the quality of audio being delivered without increasing its file size. The same format could also be an adaptive streaming format so a lower quality audio stream could also be delivered in times of low bandwidth availability. According to UK newspaper The Guardian:

It is believed that Apple will use the new file type to upgrade its iTunes Match service, which allows users to re-download music from iCloud to their Apple devices. A source with inside knowledge of the process says Apple has asked a London studio to prepare audio files for a new streaming format that will adapt to bandwidth or hardware capabilities. "All of a sudden, all your audio from iTunes is in HD rather than AAC. Users wouldn't have to touch a thing – their library will improve in an instant," said the source, who requested to remain anonymous.

Musician Neil Young claimed back in January that modern digital music was so highly compressed that 95 percent of the audio content was lost. He believed that Steve Jobs was working on a solution to the problem. The recent Mastered for iTunes seems like the first steps towards that. Maybe this new audio format is another?

Source: The Guardian

"With iCloud integration, SSH keys, and a re-designed Screens Connect, Screens 2.0 handles remote computing better and faster than ever before."

Screens 2.0 from Edovia lets you use your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Mac to take control of anything from your home computer to a secure server room, from the couch while you watch the big game, to poolside, half a world away, while you sip an umbrella drink. Mobile VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is the dream every geek has had since we first saw prop tablets on TV starships, since we first heard talk of ultra-thin clients. And Screens 2.0, thanks to its design and usability, opens that dream up to a wider, more mainstream audience than ever before.

There are many VNC apps available for iOS, and several of them are excellent. Which you ultimately prefer will come down to personal tastes and requirements. Do you want your finger to move the screen, or move the mouse cursor on the screen? Do you want something that stands alone, or is tied to a subscription service, perhaps one your company or enterprise uses? Do you want something specifically designed for iOS, easy to set up and intuitive to use, or something incredibly bare-bones and expert-user focused?

Screens is a universal binary for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and a separate app for Mac

Screens 2.0 makes deliberate, Apple-style choices. It's gorgeously designed, intuitive to use, and as consistent with iOS and OS X standards as can be. If you're coming from an enterprise environment where you're used to using a specific, point-and-click based PC tool, Screens can take some getting used to at first. If you've never used VNC before, Screens makes it incredibly accessible.

When you first launch Screens, or any time to tap Help in the Settings menu, you get all the information you need to get going with VNC.

Screens setup is ridiculously easy. If you're not already familiar with the basics, Screens give you a quick how-to on startup, including connecting to Mac, Linux, and Windows, using Screens Connect on Mac and Windows (more on that later), and using the Screens app itself, including gestures, Siri dictation, the pasteboard, and more.

Screens will automatically detect and help set up any computers on the local network, but also allows IP connections and SSH tunneling for experts.

To add a screen (remote computer view), just tap the button at the top left. Screens will automatically detect nearby and remote computers on your network. For most users, when on their home or work network, this is the fastest, easier way to get up and running. Just tap the tab, tap the name of your computer, and Screens will populate most of the general connection info for you.

Screens options include scrolling type, color depth, and custom gestures for everything from Mission Control to CTRL-ALT-DEL

You still have to enter your own username and password, either your Mac user account, or VNC account. If you're a more advanced, or security conscious user, you can also add machines via IP address or Hostname, enable SSH tunneling, toggle color-depth, and create custom gestures.

Your available screens (machines) are beautifully rendered -- even with multiple display configurations -- and available at any time with a swipe and a tap.

Once you have a screen set up, you'll see it available on the Screens desktop. On the iPad you can switch to a grid view to easily re-oder them as well.

Tap a screen to launch it. If you haven't saved or recently entered your password, you'll be asked to enter it for security. Then your screen will open up. It's literally that simple to get remote access to your desktop or laptop from your iPhone or iPad (or other Mac, if you're using the Mac version.)

Once in your screen, swiping with your finger moves the screen around (not the cursor, as it does in some other VNC apps), and two-finger swipes scrolls the content within the active window (for example, scrolls through a document or web page). You can pinch to zoom, and touch-and-hold one finger to drag a window around or drag and drop an icon or highlighted text. Responsiveness for panning and zooming is remarkably fast and fluid. Scrolling within a window is a little slower.

A single tap is equivalent to positioning the mouse curser and clicking. A double tap is a double click, a two-finger touch-and-hold is a right mouse click (or ctrl-mouse click). These can be a little trickier to accurately pull off, especially on the physically smaller iPhone display, so you'll want to make sure you're as zoomed in a possible first.

If you're connecting to a Mac, three finger swipes default to changing Spaces or launching Mission Control. Other Mac options include launching Spotlight, showing Dashboard, etc. Windows options include Open Start Menu, CTRL-ALT-DELETE, etc. Four finger swipes are currently used for for system-wide multitasking gestures on iPad, but if you disable them in Settings, you can reassign them for specific Screens actions as well.

Screens can display your computer in portrait and landscape orientations, and has regular and special function keyboards.

Screens 2.0 for iOS has a great new unified toolbar. Escape, tab, shift, control, alt/option, and command/Windows keys, as well as arrow keys, the Action button, and a special purpose as well as default keyboard are all accessible along the bottom of the screen. The standard keyboard is just what you're expect, and the second, special purpose keyboard lets you quickly minimize, close or quit an app, undo, redo, or send to pasteboard, copy, paste, or cut, and similar, as well as offering function keys F1 through F12.

On the [iPhone 4S](http://www.imore.com/iphone-4s], Screens' default keyboard includes Siri dictation for easy voice-to-text entry.

The keyboard doesn't automatically appear when you tap into an editable area of the screen; you have to open it manually. That's typically been my experience with other VNC apps as well, and I can see the reasoning behind it, but it feels a little un-iOS-like.

The Action button lets you quickly disconnect, snap a screen shot, or access help and settings.

Closing a screen is as simple as tapping the Action button and hitting Disconnect. You can also use the Action button to quickly take a screenshot (of just the desktop, not the entire display the way a built-in iOS screenshot would) and quickly access Settings and Help.

Overall, the iPad feels like it was made with a VNC app like Screens in mind. The large 9.7-inch display just works so well. The iPhone and iPod touch can feel a little cramped at 3.5-inches but the density of the Retina display mitigates that a lot. And yes, Screens 2.0 just screams for a Retina iPad 3.

Screens 2.0 for Mac is every bit as easy to setup and even easier to use, since you're driving a windows-mouse-pointer interface with a windows-mouse-pointer interface, and don't have to worry about mapping multitouch gestures to point and clicks the way you do with iOS. If you're familiar with Apple's own Back to my Mac service, it's almost as elegant (just not built into the system), but it works with Windows and Linux machines as well, not just OS X.

Screens Connect lets you easily, almost effortlessly open a VNC session to your computer while on a different network

Completing the picture is Screens Connect, which lets you open a screen into your home or work computer while away from home or the office, on a different network. After setting up a free Screens Connect account via Edovia's website, you download Mac or Windows clients and install them on your local machines. They keep track of your machine's IP address, so you can always find that computer remotely, over the internet. Because most of us don't have static IP addresses, a service like Screens Connect is really a must-have for remote connections.

On a final, fun note, with AirPlay mirroring you can even beam your screens via Apple TV your big screen HDTV, which is great for conference room demos.

The good

• Excellent design, very iOS-like experience
• Incredibly easy to setup
• Universal binary for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad
• Also has Mac version
• No subscriptions or additional services required

The bad

• Precise cursor placement with multitouch requires a lot of zooming

The conclusion

With iCloud integration, SSH keys, and a re-designed Screens Connect, Screens 2.0 handles remote computing better and faster than ever before. While other VNC clients have some advantages, such as more precise mouse placement, or integration with popular subscription RDP solutions, Screens is the most iPhone, iPad, and Mac-like remote computing app on the market today. It's the easiest to setup and the most familiar to use. That makes it a great VNC app for anyone just getting started with remote computing, or anyone who wants something with a great user experience that "just works". If you're a pro or a network admin, you might cycle between several different VNC apps depending on the situation. Screens 2.0 will almost certainly become one of them.

Screens 2.0 requires iOS 5 on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and OS 10.7 Lion on Mac. It's is available now, and is a free update for existing users.

$19.99 - Screens for iOS - Download Now

$29.99 - Screens for Mac - Download Now

Free - Screens Connect - Download Now

Special thanks to our resident networking wizard, Anthony Gabriel, for his assistance with the testing.

"Both iKlenz and eScreen removed fingerprints, smudges, oil, and grime with a minimum of effort and left my iPhone and iPad with clean, clear, gorgeous-looking screens."

Whether you're rocking an iPhone 4S or iPad 2, or a previous generation iPhone, iPad or iPad touch, there's just no getting around one simple truth -- they're fingerprint magnets. What's more, since fingerprints come with oil, food, dirt, and who-knows-what-other substances all over them, you're device's screen can often turn into a sticky, icky mess. Enter iKlenz cleaning solition and eScreen flat panel cleaner, both contenders to the title of best iOS device cleaning solution. But which one is the best?

iKlenz and eScreen are specially engineered cleaning solutions for exactly the types of large, glass displays found on iPhones, iPads, iPod touches, and other, similar gadgets. (Including your computer's display.) These aren't glass cleaners either, and eScreen, for example, states that it's ecofriendly and silicone, ammonia and alcohol free, so you don't have to worry about it damaging the oleophobic (oil repelling) coating of your iPhone or iPad. iKlenz also says it works as a disinfectant to destroy bacteria and germs.

Both come in small squirt bottles so they're easy to store or even carry around with you, and both iKlenz and eScreen include micro-fiber cloths, though eScreen's is both larger and more plush. eScreen also comes with a nice cloth carrying pouch while iKlenz comes in a cardboard box.

To put them to the test, literally side-by-side, I dirtied up my iPhone 4S as best as possible -- fingerprints galore! -- and then divided the screen right down the middle. I applied 2 squirts of iklenz on one side and 2 squirts of eScreen on the other, and then compared how many wipes it took to get each side spotless, and the quality of the cleaning when it was done.

Both iKlenz and eScreen come with micro-fiber cloths, though eScreens is bigger and more plush

The good

• Cleans better than a dry cloth
• Dries faster and is safer to use than a damp cloth
• Provides better, streak-free, finish
• Includes micro-fiber cloth

The bad

• More expensive than plain cloth

The conclusion

In my tests, iKlenz and eScreen performed equally well. Both iKlenz and eScreen removed fingerprints, smudges, oil, and grime with a minimum of effort and left my iPhone and iPad with clean, clear, gorgeous-looking screens. The full retail price for both is also the same (though at the time of this writing the iMore Store is offering a better sale price on eScreen).

So it comes down to the extras to break the tie, and with a bigger, softer micro-fiber cloth and the bonus carrying pouch, this time eScreen comes away with the win and the title. eScreen is currently the best cleaning solution for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

iKlenz - $17.95 - Buy now

eScreen - $14.95 - Buy now

If you've wondered why Apple would devote an entire event to iPad and textbooks in education but give the new version of Mac software, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion little more than a press release and a web page, here's a a blurb Tim Cook let slip in his talk this week at the Goldman Tech Conference:

"This 55 is something no one would have guessed. Including us. To put it in context, it took us 22 years to sell 55 million Macs. It took us about 5 years to sell 22 million iPods, and it took us about 3 years to sell that many iPhones. And so, this thing is, as you said, it’s on a trajectory that’s off the charts."

The fine folks at Asymco unpacked that a little further and looked at how many Macs Apple has sold over the last 28 years or so. 122 million Macs have been sold to date, while the iOS platform has reached a staggering 316 million units since launch. iOS outpaced OS X after the first four years, but if that's not enough, iOS could have done it in the last year alone with 156 million supporting products sold in 2011. This graph puts those sales into stark visual comparison.

Even with the iPhone alone, the growth is insane, but you can see how the iPad is showing a similar rate of adoption.  Every day, it feels like we are finding new and exciting ways to illustrate precisely how much ass Apple is kicking. If the Mountain Lion preview didn't make it obvious, this graph should show just how easy it will be for iOS to become Apple's primary operating system for tablets, phones, and computers in the long haul.

Source: Asymco

Google is facing an inquest after having allegedly been caught bypassing Apple’s Safari web browser privacy settings on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Google gets the big headline, of course, but Vibrant Media Inc., WPP PLC's Media Innovation Group LLC and Gannett Co.'s PointRoll advertising companies were all named in the report for tracking the web browsing habits of Safari and Safari Mobile users even when users have opted out of such tracking via Safari's cookie settings. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google and the other advertising companies used a special code that tricked Apple’s Safari browser into providing information even though it should have blocked it.

The Google code was spotted by Stanford researcher Jonathan Mayer and independently confirmed by a technical adviser to the Journal, Ashkan Soltani, who found that ads on 22 of the top 100 websites installed the Google tracking code on a test computer, and ads on 23 sites installed it on an iPhone browser.  The technique reaches far beyond those websites, however, because once the coding was activated, it could enable Google tracking across the vast majority of websites

Google issued a statement to the WSJ claiming that it had mischaracterized what had happened and claimed Google had used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed-in Google users had enabled.

Google has since disabled the rogue code after being contacted by The Wall Street Journal. WebKit, the open-source browser engine that powers Safari (as well as Google's Chrome browser) already has a fix in place to prevent the work around, and Apple should be rolling that out to iOS users in a future update.

An Apple official said: "We are working to put a stop" to the circumvention of Safari privacy settings.

This bypass seems specific to Safari because, according to one of the advertisers, no other major web browser blocks their tracking by default. (Which should make any Chrome, Firefox, etc. users race to their settings post haste.)

This should also serve as yet another reminder not to believe companies by the words, but by their deeds. "Don't be evil" or "we care about every customer" is easy to say, and as technology enthusiasts we're predisposed to believe and even vigorously defend the companies we love. But they're big, they're out to make money, and as advertising revenue increases, we become their products, not their customers.

Were you surprised by this news? Is Google getting more of the attention than they deserve because they have the biggest name? How do you feel about companies bypassing Apple's tracking protection?

Source: WSJ

Avoid carrier SMS and MMS charges and keep all your IMs in one place with iOS iMessage right on your Mac

If you have been waiting for Apple to release a version of iMessage for Mac then that day has just become a lot closer. After the release of the beta of OS X Mountain Lion earlier today, Apple has followed it up with the release of a beta version of its new Mac Messages app. Messages, which will replace the current iChat app, brings all of the great features of iMessage to your Mac while keeping many that made iChat great as well.

Messages for Mac works just like it does on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, running iOS 5. You can send and receive unlimited messages across all of your supported Apple devices. All of your devices will receive the same messages, and copies of messages that you have sent from other devices, so all of your chat messages are in the same place and in-sync, no matter which device you have in your hand at the time. You can start an iMessage conversation on your Mac, continue it on your iPad then finish it on your iPhone or iPod touch while on the go.

Just like the iOS 5 version of iMessage, Messages also lets you send photos, videos, file attachments, contacts, locations and even start a FaceTime call right from the app. Messages also supports a host of other chat services like AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk and Jabber. The Messages app is available today as a public beta so anyone with a Mac running Lion 10.7.3 can give it a whirl.

Messages Beta – Download Now

More: Mountain Lion on Apple.com.

Apple has sent out a letter via its iTunes Connect portal to all of its registered iBookstore content publishers advising them of some much needed improvements. The iBookstore will now allow publishers to submit screenshots of their books but even more importantly, they can now generate and issue promotional codes for any content sold in the iBookstore.

Publishers can now issue up to fifty promo codes which can be given to book reviewers to enable them to receive an iBooks version of a book for free. This works in a very similar way to app developer who already have the ability to give away promo codes for apps.

iBookstore publishers also now have the option of submitting screenshots of their books. This could prove extremely useful for books that include rich multi-media content which can be produced using Apple’s iBooks Author tools. Screenshots have to follow some strict guidelines with regard to size of the screen shots as well as the file types used.

The final change is in the way the iBookstore will handle any pre-order books. From now on, publishers can place books up for pre-order without the need to submit any cover artwork or other information. This information must be in place at least two weeks prior to the book actually being made available for sale.

Apple has made a couple of adjustments to its iAd mobile advertising platform for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, including significantly lowering the buy-in price to $100,000 -- down from $500,000, which was already down from $1,000,000 -- and to increasing developer revenue sharing to 70 percent -- up from 60 precent. iAd was supposed to allow developers who made free apps earn some extra revenue through in-app advertising, but Apple has been facing a lot of challenges getting the program off the ground. iAds were supposed to be both lucrative for developers and effective for advertisers, while delighting users with better presented, more engaging content than your average punch-the-monkey web banner.

However, Apple has had some trouble getting it off the ground, and competing with Google's AdMob. iAd is basically fighting a battle on two fronts. First, trying to get more advertisers on board with iAd. Second, trying to get developers to show the ads they do manage to sell. Higher revenue should sweetens the pot for developer, hopefully creating a bigger target for Apple to sell advertisers.

The iAd mobile advertising network provides a simple and compelling way to generate additional revenue from your apps. Now we’re making it even better, raising your revenue share to 70 percent. The new revenue share goes into effect automatically on April 1 for all developers in the iAd Network. Learn how easy it is to get started with iAd.

That's also where the significant decrease in iAd price comes in. Apple has struggled with adoption among advertisers since Steve Jobs introduced the program back in 2010. When first announced, Apple required participants to fork over $1 million to get started, which they've since realized was far too high an amount given the lack of participation after the program launched. Apple has been experimenting with the buy-in amount from the get-go, cutting the price in half to $500,000 a year ago.

These changes should no doubt encourage more advertisers to participate, but whether or not iAd will ultimately become what Apple envisioned is yet to be determined.

Source: Apple, TheLoop

Apple has voluntarily requested that the Fair Labor Association conduct special audits of its final assembly suppliers. Apple has moved very quickly following the damning report by the New York Times last month where workers’ rights and safety whilst working on the manufacture and assembly of Apple products was in question. The inspections will start today and will include Foxconn factories in Shenzen and Chengdu; both of which are in China.

“We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we’ve asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The inspections now underway are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their reports.”

The Fair Labor Association is a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to ending sweatshop conditions in factories worldwide. It will interview thousands of employees asking them questions about living conditions, health and safety, working hours and even communication with management.

Regardless of whether you believe Apple is being singled out as linkbait by the media, or whether they have responsibility and profile fitting their position, this is good news.

Source: Apple PR, Fair Labor Association; Image: Wikipedia

Like with Notification Center, Apple should look to and improve on what Google's done with Android to better keep our Contacts safe.

Earlier this week the internet got itself into a kerfuffle over Path, a small-circle social networking app for the iPhone, which took Contact information without asking and openly transmitted it to Path's servers. It's an important issue to be sure, one worth getting into a kerfuffle over, and Path eventually apologized and vowed to make changes. But Path was only one of many, many apps to act this way.

A couple of years ago there was a similar kerfuffle over Dragon Dictation when Nuance was transmitting Contact information to their servers as well. Nuance did this, it turns out, so that its server-side voice recognition services could better understand the names of your friends and family.

Path, it turns out, did this so it could notify you if your friends and family were already using, or started using, their service and offer to connect you in the app as well. (Though the "open transmission" part was concerning -- hashing or otherwise encrypting the data between iPhone and server would have been a good idea.)

It could have been any of a number of other apps in Path's place, however, if they'd been discovered first. Many of them are now updating, adding security if they weren't already, and custom-making request popups for user permission before transmitting Contact information. And that's a good thing. But it exposes a problem with the way Apple currently handles user privacy on the iPhone.

If an app, any app, even a built-in Apple app, wants to know your location, it has to ask for permission. If it wants to send you Push Notifications, it has to ask for permission. If it wants to access Twitter integration, it has to ask for permission. If it wants access to any of your personal information, however, like Contacts, it doesn't have to ask at all.

Apple should change that, of course. They should require that apps ask permission to access Contacts -- and Calendars, and any other personal data -- and insist any information be transferred in a secure manner, and never be stored permanently on a developer's servers.

Just like with Push Notifications back before iOS 5, however, their popup requester system doesn't scale. Right now, if you launch a new Twitter app for the first time and you get popup after popup, asking you to tap to approve Twitter account access, location, and Push Notification. Imagine when Contact access, Calendar access, and conceivably other information is added to the list. As the number of popups grow, the likelihood that a user will read and consider each one falls precipitously. They'll just start tapping through to get to their app.

Current iOS permission requests come via popups, which limits their scalability.

There's a school of thought that says inattentive users deserve what they get -- if they don't read, they abdicate their right to complain later. Apple doesn't usually subscribe to that school of thought, however. That's probably why they've kept permission requesters to a minimum for now.

Just like with Push Notifications, however, a better solution exists outside popups, and Android could once again be drawn upon for inspiration.

Android requires an app to list all the services it wants access to when you buy it

When you browse an app on the Android Market, whether via the web or in the Market app proper, there's a clearly defined place see what permissions that app will require. Arguably, Android presents way too many permissions and users might not bother to read them any more than they would a popup, but having them there as a permanent reference is invaluable.

Even on the web, Android Market presents you a list of permissions requested by an app

for iOS 6, Apple could do what they did with Notification Center in iOS 5, remove the cumbersome nature of popups, simplify Android's implementation, and, when an app launches, present a simple sheet of toggles allowing a user to pick and choose which ones they're willing to grant access to.

Mockup: What an iOS 6 "Permissions" sheet could look like, providing persistent access to information and toggles

Things like storage access are more noise than information, but Contacts and other areas that touch on personal information should absolutely be there.

Likewise, the permissions sheet could be kept available in the settings for the app (or in the general Settings.app), so users could easily change them at any time. Under special circumstances, if a service is absolutely required for an app to work -- for example, location is required for a photo editing app to access potentially geo-tagged photos in the Camera Roll -- then a popup could be generated explaining the situation.

For special circumstances, when an app absolutely needs a specific permission to function, a popup could then be used to inform the user.

Adding a list of permissions each app requires to the App Store, on device, in iTunes, and on the web would be a nice-to-have as well.

Path deserved the push-back they got for doing what they did with Contacts, but Apple deserves push-back for letting them do it in the first place.

Apple has shown a relentless drive to tackle the rough edges of iOS in recent releases, and as iPhones and iPads become more powerful and apps more sophisticated, privacy becomes one of the rough edges they need to get a handle on quickly.

They've used Privacy as a differentiator from the competition in the past, and Notifications and Location Services in iOS 5 are a huge leap forward when it comes to granularity and usability. Hopefully Apple brings it all together, and gathers up the loose ends like Contacts, in iOS 6.

Still waiting impatiently for iOS 5.1 to be released? Well, carrier profiles that were recently published by iPhone carriers in Japan, France, Greece, Finland, and Sweden indicate a March 9 release date for iOS 5.1.

Apple has been slowly trickling out betas for weeks and weeks now, more slowly and less regularly than is usual for an iOS beta cycle. In previous years, the new version of iOS would debut with the iPhone in June and the x.1 release with the iPod touch in September. This year, iOS 5 didn't debut until October with the iPhone 4S, and there was no new iPod touch. So we're in uncharted territory here.

Based on leaks from the beta, there also don't seem to be many new features included in iOS 5.1. At least not yet. March 9 would put the iOS 5 release somewhere around the anticipated March release date for the iPad 3.

That starts to sound interesting. Apple has been known to hold back key features in the past, preferring to introduce them live on stage when unveiling a new device.

We're hip deep in crazy rumor season right now, so it's impossible to say what, if anything, carrier profile dates have to do with actual Apple plans. (Which can and have changed at the last moment anyway.) But things do look like they're aligning nicely.

Source: Your Daily Mac

Hasbro has announced that its next release of Lazer Tag guns will use your iPhone or iPod touch to provide augmented reality and a heads up display. The Lazer Tag guns can accept an iPhone or iPod touch which is slotted into the gun in a purpose made holder. The user can then download an app from the App Store which can keep track of your gear, power levels and also setup multiplayer games with up to 23 other players.

To experience the LAZER TAG game, players download the free LAZER TAG app to their iPhone or iPod touch device, connect their device to their LAZER TAG blaster, and find themselves immersed in a world where video games and real life connect. Using either single or multi-player mode, players can engage in a LAZER TAG match featuring either real life worlds or virtual opponents. Each LAZER TAG blaster equipped with a device has a virtual firing range of over 250 feet and contains a 'Heads Up Display', or HUD, which allows players to keep track of their gear and remaining power, while also providing a view of the augmented reality targets and enemies in the area. A virtual leaderboard keeps track of each player's profile and, with every successful mission, players will gain in-game access to upgradeable attacks, missions and gear. With LAZER TAG blasters, the stakes are high, the game is real. Don't just play it, live it.

The Lazer Tag blasters will be available in August this year. A single gun will cost around $39.99. The app will be available as a few download.

Source: Engadget

The VooMoteZapper is a small accessory that clips into the dock connector of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and turns it into a universal infrared remote control for your TV and home theater components. Figuring out which remote controls which device, where to find batteries when they run dry, how to fix them when something goes wrong, or what to do when you can't find them are just some of the problems we face. There are a lot of dedicated universal controls, from cheap dollar-store varieties to incredibly expensive, programable Harmony remotes already. All of them offer to make our lives simpler and easier by replacing the complexity of multiple remote controls with a single, simple solution. There are other iPhone remote adapters as well. But the VooMoteZapper looks to be one of the smallest and most elegant so far.

 Say goodbye to the days of switching from app to app or fumbling for the right remote.  The all-in-one VooMote Zapper software and hardware combine all you need for an entire home entertainment experience. With VooMote Zapper App, you don't have to sacrifice customization for convenience. Consolidate all your remotes, TV Guide functionality (coming 2012), facebook and twitter (coming 2012) and still define custom remote layouts, programming and much more!

The VooMoteZapper can not only control single items of equipment but, like a Harmony remote, it also has the ability to be programmed with macro functions too. This enables you to program a string of commands under one function for example “Watch a movie”, this could then automatically turn on your TV, start your Blu-ray player and turn on your home theater surround sound system too.

Unlike the Harmony and other, dedicated, universal remotes, it harnesses the wonderful multitouch display of the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad for its user interface, making it far more powerful and easier to use.

The downside of course is that you need to have an iOS 5-compatible device available in your living room all the time. If you have an extra iPod touch, it won't be a problem. If you're trying desperately to change channels and your spouse is talking on the iPhone or your child is playing on the iPad, it could be quite frustrating.

The VooMoteZapper is available online from the Apple Store for $69.95 and is available in a few different colors like red, green, blue, pink and gray.

$69.95 - Buy now

Via: 9to5 Mac

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

Install Activator

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

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

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

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

How to configure a gesture in Activator

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

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

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

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

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

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

Additional jailbreak resources:

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

Following up on the information iMore received yesterday on potential ZFS hooks in iOS 5.1, a reliable source let us know that Apple has been investing heavily in ZFS appliances from Oracle. (Whether or not this will be made public is unknown; it doesn't seem to be right now.)

Also, several of our readers familiar with ZFS wrote in to speculate as to why Apple may be exploring ZFS for use on iPhone and iPad. Broadly, it may have something to do with ZFS' snapshot technology. ZFS snapshots can be easily compressed and encrypted, de-duplicated, and can transfer delta (bit differential) updates between cloud and device. The snapshots can also work like Time Machine, easily and efficiently providing incremental backup and restore capability from an hour ago, a day ago, a week ago, or more, asynchronously and block by block. Here's what Wikipedia says about ZFS snapshots:

An advantage of copy-on-write is that when ZFS writes new data, the blocks containing the old data can be retained, allowing a snapshot version of the file system to be maintained. ZFS snapshots are created very quickly, since all the data composing the snapshot is already stored; they are also space efficient, since any unchanged data is shared among the file system and its snapshots.

Writeable snapshots ("clones") can also be created, resulting in two independent file systems that share a set of blocks. As changes are made to any of the clone file systems, new data blocks are created to reflect those changes, but any unchanged blocks continue to be shared, no matter how many clones exist. This is an implementation of the Copy-on-write principle.

Snapshots is only one of the features of ZFS (Zettabyte Files System), the advanced file system created by Sun, now owned by Oracle. Apple included a partial port of ZFS in earlier versions of Mac OS X but pulled it before the official release. It's a file system particularly well suited for cloud environments and storage pools, which might be why Apple is looking at it again in the post iCloud.

Apple is an incredibly private company that works hard behind the scenes in order to present a beautifully packaged, highly polished product to consumers. No doubt there is a lot of really cool, really geeky technology at the core of iCloud, for example, but all most of us see are elegant interface elements in Settings.app that, when tapped, all but transparently backup and restore our iPhones or iPads.

If indeed Apple is planning on using ZFS to make iCloud backups and restores better, it will probably be invisible to end users. One day, iCloud will simply work better, faster, and even more reliably.

More: Wikipedia

Apple may have begun testing what appears to be ZFS (Zettabyte File System) support in the latest iOS 5.1 beta. If the information received by iMore is accurate. references to ZFS, including the mounting tools, are contained deep inside the system files. This raises a lot of questions about where Apple may be taking iOS storage in the future.

If you're not familiar with ZFS, here's Wikipedia's introduction:

ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun Microsystems. The features of ZFS include data integrity verification against data corruption modes, support for high storage capacities, integration of the concepts of filesystem and volume management, snapshots and copy-on-write clones, continuous integrity checking and automatic repair, RAID-Z and native NFSv4 ACLs. ZFS is implemented as open-source software, licensed under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL).

In other words, it's highly scalable and highly resilient, something you want in cloud environments. ZFS support was included in some earlier versions of Mac OS X, but was not included in the final, shipping version. Rumor has it Apple wasn't pleased when Sun spoke openly about Apple's adoption of their technology, leading Apple to pull the plug. Whether that's accurate or whether Apple simply determined it was going to go another way with OS X storage is unknown.

Even without official Apple support, we've seen OS X ZFS ports crop up since then. What sets this iOS implementation apart from some of the very original, official, OS X ports of ZFS is that it already contains the ZFS utilities (zpool, zdump, etc). By having the utilities already installed it means that the port is in a more complete stage of development and has full read + write access (unlike the original OS X ports).

So here's the question again, if this information is accurate, why is Apple looking to include ZFS in iOS? Could it be part of a greater plan to integrate better cloud services into future versions of the iPhone and iPad?

More: Wikipedia

If you're a jailbreaker looking to add a little more speed and functionality to multitasking on your iPhone or iPod touch, you'll want to check out Zephyr. We have talked about Zephyr before but we'll give you a close up look at what it does and the additional functionality it provides. There isn't much to configure after you install Zephyr which makes it easy to use and it's fully compatible with iOS 5.

The main purpose of Zephyr is to add additional multitasking gestures to your device. It adds the ability to swipe left and right on your springboard in order to page through apps. Swiping up will allow you to close out of an app as well. This is perfect for users who may have a broken home button on their iPhone 4, are out of warranty, and don't want to attempt a DIY home button repair themselves.

You can always choose which swipe motions you want to have enabled. Ones you don't want enabled you can simply toggle off in Settings. In addition to enabling or disabling gestures you can also add application restrictions. This is ideal for situations where the keyboard is active and you may not want a swipe gesture to switch apps or close out the application. This is also a good option for games that require you to swipe so Zephyr doesn't attempt to switch between applications or close it out. If you'd like to get things done quicker and have better application switching functionality than what iOS offers stock, Zephyr is definitely worth checking out.

$2.99 - Cydia Search Link

Additional jailbreak resources:

• Jailbreak apps, hacks, and themes forum
• Best apps and utilities for new jailbreakers
• General jailbreak discussion and help forums
• List of popular Cydia repositories

As expected, Reckless Racing 2 is now available in the App Store. It is the sequel to the hugely popular racing game Reckless Racing which brought thrills and spills from the track as you slide you car around corners on dirt and tarmac.

Strap down and prepare for the ride of your life... Reckless Racing is back with more! Including a selection of 18 highly detailed cars, ranging from small dirt buggies to fast supercars, and 24 routes in a variety of flavors make this a racer for all tastes - both dirt and tarmac.Compete in the Career mode to earn money for new cars and car upgrades. Have a quick race in the Arcade mode with 40 pre-defined challenges. Compete against your friends on the leaderboards in Single Event mode - including Race, Hot Lap and Elimination events.Tune your car in the garage to match your driving style with a vast selection of parts and upgrades. Whether you are a reckless power slider or a slick race driver, make your car the way YOU want it.

• Probably the best power slides in the world
• Tune and tweak the performance, handling, tires, rims and colors of your cars
• Shader based game engine with normal maps, reflections, specularity, shadows, particles and more
• Improved and optimized shaders for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
• Online leaderboards with downloadable ghost cars
• Online multiplayer over the Internet
• 17 characters, including your favorites from Reckless Racing 1
• 5 control layouts with customizable button positions
• Optional assists, such as race lines, mini map, chase camera and more

• App Store link

In an update to his LinkedIn profile, Microsoft Marketing Manager for Xbox UK, Robin Burrowes, let the world know that he's been hired by Apple to push iPhone and iPad gaming even further.

Burrowes tenure at Microsoft saw him work on Xbox for roughly seven years, where he was most recently responsible for all product, business and marketing management of Xbox LIVE in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. For Apple, he's the latest in a series of high-profile British gaming recruits, following the hire of Nintendo's public relation's chief Robert Saunders last year, as well as Nick Grange -- who also at one point ran public relations for Xbox, as well as for gaming heavyweights Activision and Electronics Arts.

Microsoft came out of nowhere with the Xbox to take a significant share of the console gaming market, especially when it comes to hardcore gamers and multiplayer gaming with services like Xbox Live. Apple has seen enormous success in the mobile gaming sector after creating the App Store for iOS 2 and the iPhone 3G in 2008. Now they, along with Google's Android platform, have overtaken the likes of Sony and Nintendo when it comes to U.S. portable game software by revenue.

With Apple's last count of 550,000 apps in the App Store, and around 20% of those being games, it's not hard to see why Apple considers it important enough to hire a key gaming manager like Burrowes.

iPhones and iPads are increasingly this generations' portable gaming platforms of choice.

Source: Robin Burrowes via 148apps.biz via AppleInsider

Flipboard, the hugely popular iPhone and iPad social magazine app, has announced that it can now deliver customized content guides for four more countries, including UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia.

Anyone who has his or her iPad or iPhone region set to one of those countries automatically receive the local edition of their Content Guide when they tap on the red ribbon in the top right corner of Flipboard. To switch back to the “original” Content Guide, set your device’s country setting to United States.

The four new content areas are in addition to the other areas which are already supported. These are China, France, Taiwan, Hong Kong and of course the United States.

• Free - App Store link

Source: Inside Flipboard

The amazingly functional and customizable BiteSMS takes on the deeply integrated and easy to use Messages+ in a battle of the jailbreak messaging apps

Are you jailbroken on iOS 5 and wondering whether you should purchase BiteSMS or Messages+? Both applications add quick reply functionality and make messaging more functional. But which is a better choice for you?

BiteSMS for iOS 5

BiteSMS has been a long time favorite when it comes to messaging enhancement applications. Many competitors have come and gone while BiteSMS seemingly manages to stay at the top of its game.

One thing that sets BiteSMS apart is its ability to customize almost every aspect of your experience. You can choose what buttons you'd like to show up on your quick reply windows such as send, open, close, mark for later, Skype, FaceTime, templates, and more. The quick compose feature provides the option of auto-populating contacts. You can choose for it to auto show favorites, the last person you messaged, and more.

If you send a lot of international text messages, Bite allows you to buy credits to use on their own network. I don't necessarily recommend it as a way not to have traditional text messaging as the rates aren't cheaper than most carriers domestic rates. They are, however, cheaper than most carrier international texting rates. AT&T, for example, charges $10/month for 100 international messages. After that, it's $0.20 per message. You can set up per contact rules for sending messages as well. So if you have certain contacts in a different country, only then will Bite utilize your credits. Bite's prices are as follows -

• $6 for 50 SMS credits
• $12 for 105 SMS credits (includes 5 free credits)
• $24 for 215 SMS credits (includes 15 free credits)
• $60 for 550 SMS credits (includes 50 free credits)
• $120 for 1200 SMS credits (includes 200 free credits)

While BiteSMS has a sleek user interface in its own right, you can definitely tell it isn't something made by Apple. People who choose to theme and don't like the stock look of iOS may actually prefer this. Those of you who like to stick with the stock look may have an issue with it. It's also worth noting that BiteSMS is compatible with both LockInfo and IntelliscreenX.

Messages+ for iOS 5

Messages+ is an update of the messaging enhancement app TLert. The update not only brought a more streamline experience but deep integration into iOS 5. It literally looks like something Apple would release.

While BiteSMS aims to bring you an array of different customizations and user controls, Messages+ aims to be an easy to use add-on that just works. There's next to nothing to configure. You just enable Messages+ and set up a quick compose gesture and you're on your way. Messages+ also comes built-in to IntelliscreenX.

If your main reason for wanting a messaging enhancement app is to not have to stop what you're doing to compose a message, Messages+ will provide this functionality without any added icons. It simply adds a quick reply and quick compose function to the default iOS messaging app.

While Messages+ ties in nicely with IntelliscreenX, it is not currently supported by LockInfo. If you're a LockInfo user, BiteSMS is going to be your best option. We don't know if LockInfo will add support for Messages+ in the future.

BiteSMS vs Messages+ - which is better?

There's no arguing that BiteSMS still has plenty more features and controls than Messages+. It will really come down to what you personally need from a messaging enhancement application.

I personally prefer Messages+ over BiteSMS as I don't send that many international texts and just desire quick reply and quick compose functionality. I also like the stock feel of iOS and Messages+ gives me that. There are no added icons or tons of settings to configure before you start using it. Enable it, set a quick gesture for composing, and you're done.

There are no doubt users out there who care more about control and functionality than interface and ease of use. For those of you that think heavily of these things, BiteSMS is probably going to serve you much better over the long run. Let us know what you decide on and why. Make sure to check out our other resources below for tons of jailbreak apps, themes, tips, and more!

• Messages+ vs BiteSMS forum thread - See what our readers are choosing
• Jailbreak guides, how to's, and news
• Jailbreak apps, hacks, and themes forum
• General jailbreak discussion forum
• iMore downloads section
• List of Cydia repositories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Bluetooth accessories for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Apple has appointed John Browett as their new Senior Vice President of Retail. Mr Browett will be leaving his position of CEO of Dixons Retail, Europe’s largest specialist electrical retailer.

“Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple.”

Prior to taking the reins of the Dixon Group, Browett also held high positions within Tesco plc and even had the CEO role for Tesco.com. Browett replaces former retail head, Ron Johnson who left Apple in the summer of last year to take the post of CEO at JC Penney.

Full press release below.

John Browett Joins Apple as Senior Vice President of Retail

CUPERTINO, California—January 30, 2012—Apple® today announced that John Browett will join the company as senior vice president of Retail, reporting to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Browett comes to Apple from European technology retailer Dixons Retail, where he has been CEO since 2007. Beginning in April, he will be responsible for Apple’s retail strategy and the continued expansion of Apple retail stores around the world.

“Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple.”

Prior to joining Dixons Retail, Browett held a series of executive positions at Tesco plc including CEO of Tesco.com. Earlier in his career he advised retail and consumer goods clients at Boston Consulting Group. He holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Wharton Business School.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

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

Yes, there's a jailbreak app for that!

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

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

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

$4.99 - Cydia Search Link

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

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

A Police officer in New York used his own iPhone to catch a thief and retrieve a victim’s iPhone after she was robbed in a handbag store on Thursday night. A man walked into the store brandishing a black handgun and took the woman’s iPhone.

After a fruitless canvass of the area, one officer, Robert Garland, tried another tack. Using the 24-year-old victim’s iTunes account information and the iCloud feature on his own phone, Mr. Garland was able to track the victim’s iPhone. Officers then followed the cyber-scent to the area near 49th Street and Eighth Avenue. As they searched the area, the suspect, who the police said had placed the phone in his boot, walked past the officers. The victim’s phone began to beep. And, soon, the suspect was placed under arrest.

Source: The New York Times

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

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

• Add in your personal information

• Hit Done
• Open up your settings app

• Tap on Safari

• Tap on AutoFill
• Toggle "Use Contact Info" to on

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

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

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

Valve has released Steam Mobile for iPhone and iPod touch into the App Store. Sort of. It is available to download and install on your iOS device, but unfortunately you need to be part of a limited beta to actually begin to use it. We are sure this will change fairly soon but it is very frustrating for those gamers that use Steam and want to use the app now.

With the free Steam app for iOS, you can participate in the Steam community wherever you go. Chat with your Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, read the latest gaming news and stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales.

• Connect with friends:  Steam on your mobile phone is the easiest way to keep up with your Steam friends while on the go.
• Steam Chat: Now you can take your Steam chats away from your computer with Steam for iOS and Android.
• Shop Steam: Browse the extensive Steam library of Windows and Mac titles from your phone. Find out about Steam sales wherever you are.

The Steam Mobile app is available for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad. It is not a universal binary so you are looking at 2x mode on your iPad. Hopefully Valve will rectify that soon as well.

• App Store link

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

Apple has just announced another record breaking quarter, coming off the holidays with $46.33 billion in revenue, $13.06 billion in net profit, and a whopping 37.04 million iPhones, 15.43 million iPads, and 15.4 million iPods sold.

“We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”

“We are very happy to have generated over $17.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 13 weeks, we expect revenue of about $32.5 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $8.50.”

Apple's live conference call starts in about 10 minutes and we'll be doing play by play right here on iMore. Full PR after the break.

Conference call: apple.com

Apple Reports First Quarter Results

Highest Quarterly Revenue and Earnings Ever

All-Time Record iPhone, iPad and Mac Sales

CUPERTINO, California—January 24, 2012—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 first quarter which spanned 14 weeks and ended December 31, 2011. The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $46.33 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion, or $13.87 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $26.74 billion and net quarterly profit of $6 billion, or $6.43 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 44.7 percent compared to 38.5 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 58 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

The Company sold 37.04 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 128 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 15.43 million iPads during the quarter, a 111 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 5.2 million Macs during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 15.4 million iPods, a 21 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

“We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”

“We are very happy to have generated over $17.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 13 weeks, we expect revenue of about $32.5 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $8.50.”

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q1 2012 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PST on January 24, 2012 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq112. This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

This press release contains forward-looking statements including without limitation those about the Company’s estimated revenue and earnings per share. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation the effect of competitive and economic factors, and the Company’s reaction to those factors, on consumer and business buying decisions with respect to the Company’s products; continued competitive pressures in the marketplace; the ability of the Company to deliver to the marketplace and stimulate customer demand for new programs, products, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the effect that product introductions and transitions, changes in product pricing or mix, and/or increases in component costs could have on the Company’s gross margin; the inventory risk associated with the Company’s need to order or commit to order product components in advance of customer orders; the continued availability on acceptable terms, or at all, of certain components and services essential to the Company’s business currently obtained by the Company from sole or limited sources; the effect that the Company’s dependency on manufacturing and logistics services provided by third parties may have on the quality, quantity or cost of products manufactured or services rendered; risks associated with the Company’s international operations; the Company’s reliance on third-party intellectual property and digital content; the potential impact of a finding that the Company has infringed on the intellectual property rights of others; the Company’s dependency on the performance of distributors, carriers and other resellers of the Company’s products; the effect that product and service quality problems could have on the Company’s sales and operating profits; the continued service and availability of key executives and employees; war, terrorism, public health issues, natural disasters, and other circumstances that could disrupt supply, delivery, or demand of products; and unfavorable results of other legal proceedings. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 24, 2011 and its Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2011 to be filed with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reckless Racing 2 is expected to have many new features including a full single player campaign, longer and more dangerous tracks, better graphics and new car models. No news on pricing or if this will be a universal app for all platforms. We will let you know as soon as we find out anymore.

Source: Pocket Gamer

Time Warner has just updated its TWC TV app and it is now fully compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch. Since its launch back in March 2011, it has been an iPad only app, but not any longer. If you are a Time Warner Cable subscriber, you can now watch live TV, manage your DVR and change channels on your set-top box on your iPhone and iPod touch.

If you are a Time Warner Cable video subscriber, the FREE TWC TV app turns your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch into another TV screen and lets you watch selected live cable channels while in your home, through your wireless home network. Watch Bravo from your bedroom, take Food Network with you to the kitchen or catch up on CNBC news from the breakfast table.

• Interactive program guide (IPG) – up to 7 days of listings. View detailed show descriptions including box art. Option to display “HD only” or “favorites only” by creating a favorite channel list.
• Search – search for programming by title or episode name and filter results by genre
• Set-top box tuning – tap on a network logo or “watch on TV” button within the program description to tune compatible set-top boxes directly to the channel
• DVR management – schedule one-time and series recordings on compatible DVRs directly from the IPG. Tap on the “DVR” button to see a list of all upcoming recordings and make changes or cancel recordings

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

• Go to Settings

• Click on General

• Click on Keyboard

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

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

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

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

• Hit the Space Bar and the whole phrase appears

A hack called Whited00r allows iOS 5 features to be installed on the original iPhone and iPhone 3G devices, as well as the early iPod touch models.

Whited00r will automatically jailbreak your device, and the latest version of Cydia, 1.1.3, will be installed on it. The biggest advantage of the tool, is that you will get true multitasking, and apps will keep in running state in the background.

It's as simple as running a manual IPSW install via iTunes before Whited00r takes over and installs a custom iOS firmware package. Apparently you'll be running a heavily modified iOS 3.1.3 IPSW, which is required on older iOS devices. As such, this version of iOS comes with a custom iCloud setup, and also doesn't include the new Notification Center included in iOS 5.

Source: Whited00r via AddictiveTips

According to a report by Ars Technica, Apple is going to announce a GarageBand type tool to aid in the creation of e-books at its New York education event this Thursday. The new tools will assist in the creation of interactive e-books especially in the education sector.

At the same time, however, authoring standards-compliant e-books (despite some promises to the contrary) is not as simple as running a Word document of a manuscript through a filter. The current state of software tools continues to frustrate authors and publishers alike, with several authors telling Ars that they wish Apple or some other vendor would make a simple app that makes the process as easy as creating a song in GarageBand. Our sources say Apple will announce such a tool on Thursday.

Source: Ars Technica

"Mujjo capacitive touchscreen gloves are amust-have for any serious iPhone or iPad user caught in a cold, wintery climate."

Why have I instantly fallen in love with Mujjo's capacitive touchscreen gloves for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad? It's simple, really. I live in Canada where it's routinely been -20 celsius for the last couple of weeks -- so cold that when you go outside your face freezes and the last thing you want to do is pull off your nice warm gloves just to use your iPhone while out and about. You'd rather miss a call, wait to answer a text, or forget about looking something up on the web than risk the frostbite inducing winds and bone chilling snow. But with Mujjo, I don't have to give up my multitouch just to stay warm -- thanks to the capacitive carry-through, I can slide to unlock and tap away all from within the comfort of my gloves.

Unlike some iPhone-friendly gloves, Mujjo doesn't just weave capacitive thread into the thumb and forefinger, but they're made of high-quality silver-coated nylon fibers knitted into the fabric of the glove. The entire gloves! You can tap away with any finger you like. You can tap away with your knuckles, palm, ridge of your hand -- literally any part of the glove. That makes it so much easier to use in the cold weather and is a huge advantage over other gloves. The only downside is that they made two-sizes fits all, and I have fairly small hands so even the smaller size is a little loose on me, and I need to push a little harder to make the capacitive connection than I expect someone with larger hands might.

Wearing the Mujjo, I could do everything I needed to do with my iPhone, including making and answering phone calls, texting, and surfing the web at about 80% of my normal speed.

The giveaway

Leave a comment below to enter to win one of 10 free pairs of Mujjo capacitive touchscreen gloves for iPhone and iPad!

Namco Bandai has announced that it will be bringing its weapons based fighting game Soul Calibur to the App Store this week. Soul Calibur was originally launched in arcades back in 1998 and has also been available for the Sega Dreamcast and more recently the Xbox 360.

The iOS port of the classic arcade and Dreamcast fighting game features all 19 fighters and a mode list that includes arcade battle, time attack, survival, extra survival, practice and museum modes. Of these, time attack, survival and extra survival are compatible with Game Center's Leader Boards.

Source: Andriasang

Mole Kart has arrived in the App Store and if you are looking for a game that resembles the original Nintendo Mario Kart, you need look no further. After Nintendo sees how this game looks and plays, we are sure it will be talking with its legal team.

Your favorite Mole characters come together to battle it out in an adrenaline-fueled race to the finish line. They are zooming on to your iPhone and iPad for party racing showdown.Test your skills across different landscapes and unique tracks, ranging from freezing glaciers, cliffhanging mountains, waterfalls and even Mole’s World. Experience new challenges, all kinds of monsters, extraordinary gameplay and much more! Challenge up to four friends over WiFi or Bluetooth.

• Choose from 7 unique tracks, set in Mole Pasture,X.Mushroom,Sky Remnant, Mole’s Garden and other fantasy environments.
• Go through completing challenges and watch out for outrageous monsters that may await you at any turn!
• 6 iconic Mole characters, each has a custom built vehicle with special abilities to match against tough terrains and all racing conditions.
• Whether racing around an obstacle-filled track or battling in an arena, drifting and tossing items are the keys to Mole Kart success. You can toss a prop to temporarily boost their speed or create an explosion to block competitors. 19 super cool power-ups to outwit your opponents and enhance your racing experience!
• Manual or automatic modes! Experience the ultimate drifting by tilting the device or controlling the virtual stick.
• Local Multiplayer Mode: Battle up to four friends online either on WiFi or Bluetooth.
• Excellent graphic and 3D experience, feel the thrill of racing like never before!

• App Store link

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Sony is bringing its Music Unlimited service to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch later this year. Music Unlimited is Sony’s subscription based streaming music service and will be available as an app for all iOS devices.

Sony’s decision to offer the service, touted as the Japanese company’s answer to Apple’s iTunes, on iOS devices speaks to Apple’s presence in the all-important smartphone and tablet markets as well as Sony’s willingness to do whatever it takes to expand the reach of its content services.The Music Unlimited service, along with Sony’s video and videogame offerings, functions as the glue holding together the links between the Japanese conglomerate’s entertainment businesses and electronics products.

Source: WSJ

The TomTom App for iPhone and iPad will be the first to use social networks as a source for turn-by-turn navigation. It can automatically plan routes based on information from Facebook events, places and friends. Drivers can also use the App to share their destination and arrival time on Twitter, Facebook, by email and SMS text.

Source: TomTom PR

Shazam has launched a new app called Shazam Player which can be used as an alternative to the inbuilt Music app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Shazam Player lets you stream lyrics for supported tunes as well as view a huge store of information on the band or artist you are currently listening to.

Switch to a music player with a difference - Shazam Player™ the NEW app from Shazam! Why just listen to your music when you can now see streaming lyrics, watch YouTube videos and read reviews of your favorite tracks and artists! Get to know your music with Shazam Player. It’s your music. Shazam Player lets you do more with it.

• Bring your music to life with LyricPlay. See streaming lyrics in time to the music - you’ll always have the words to your favorite songs with you
• Share the soundtrack of your day on Facebook and Twitter
• Watch YouTube videos and concert clips
• Find tour dates for the bands and artists you’re into
• Manage your music – see your iTunes playlists and create new playlists on the fly
• Select your favorite tracks and hide ones you don’t want to hear
• Add to your music - buy new tracks on iTunes from within the app
• View music by artist/album/title and use the Track Tray to see all the great Shazam features available for each song
• Top tracks – a changing list of LyricPlay tracks – buy them straight from the app if you don’t already own them
• Identify new music you’re hearing by instantly launching the Shazam App

iCade by Ion, which made the Bluetooth arcade cabinet case for iPad a reality last year, has come back with three new versions for CES 2012, the iCade Core, iCade Mobile, and iCade Jr.

• iCade Core strips away the cabinet to give you just the controls -- joystick and buttons -- you need to get your iPad game on.
• iCade Mobile turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a full PSP-style handheld gaming console fit for any button masher
• iCade Jr. brings the traditional iCade look and feel -- only smaller and cuter -- to the iPhone and iPod touch.

Coming this spring, for $89, $79, and $49 respectively.

Amazon has launched a new web based Kindle Store designed specifically for the iPad. The new site looks and feels like an actual app rather than a web page however you don’t need to install anything to use the store.

Books are laid out in a cover flow arrangement and you can swipe through the books, click on the covers to see more information, read reviews and of course buy a book. If you do make a purchase, the book is automatically sent to your designated reading device. If you can’t wait that long, you can even read it within the new Kindle Store web page because Amazon has now made its Cloud Reader compatible with the iPad too. If you have your iPad handy, simply visit  http://www.amazon.com/iPadKindleStore to take a look at the new layout.

Consisting of two initial products, the WeMo Home Control Switch and the WeMo Motion Sensor, WeMo is a customizable, accessible home automation solution designed to simplify home maintenance and bring peace of mind to busy families and individuals on the go. WeMo works with a home’s existing electrical system and requires only a Wi-Fi network and free smartphone app to set up and control. Simply plug the WeMo Home Control Switch into any electrical outlet and then plug in any device, such as a lamp, into the WeMo Home Control Switch. Through the free smartphone app, the item then can be turned on or off remotely or scheduled to turn on and off at set times. The second product in the line is the WeMo Motion Sensor, which works with the WeMo Home Control Switch to make your device react to motion. Used together, WeMo can create a home environment that can turn a light on when someone walks in a room, or off when no one is present.

Source: Belkin PR

iRig MIC Cast provides a pocket-sized voice recording solution with crystal-clear audio quality. It features a tight unidirectional pickup pattern that minimizes background noise, making it ideal for single-source audio recording.

• Features a stereo mini-jack headphone output which enables real-time monitoring of what is being recorded using headphones or speakers.
• Offers a mini-switch that provides two different sensitivity settings to record close-up or distant sources.
• Includes an adjustable desktop stand for convenient iPhone/iPod touch positioning during recording.
• Has a bumper-friendly mini-jack connector that fits the majority of iPhone/iPod touch cases.
• Has an ultra-compact profile that can be carried anywhere with ease.
• Like other IK Multimedia microphones, it includes 2 free apps: iRig Recorder, an easy-to-use voice recording/editing app, and VocaLive, a multi-effects processing app for singers.
• Works with all regular phone calls and any Voice-Over-IP app.
• Is compatible with iPhone/iPod touch/iPad.

Source: IK Multimedia

OnLive, better known for its online gaming service has just announced that it will be launching a cloud based Windows 7 experience for iPad users. The OnLive Desktop app will give users access to a Windows desktop experience without the need for any VNC or remote desktop connections. It is all stored in the cloud and accessible from your iPad or a desktop machine.

OnLive has just re-imagined what’s possible on iPad with the OnLive Desktop app, available Thursday in the iTunes App Store. Launching a brand-new chapter for OnLive (and everyone), OnLive Desktop gives users instant access to a seamless Windows desktop experience, with full-featured Microsoft Office applications and 2 GB of free cloud storage for secure file access anywhere. Need to edit a Word doc with redlines and comments? No problem. Need to give some oomph to that PowerPoint deck for your meeting? Go for it: present animations and slide transitions, edit diagrams and embed videos. Desperate for a pivot table in Excel? Pivot away … Anything you can do on your office desktop, you will be able to do on your iPad—at home, in your hotel, anywhere.

OnLive also plan on offering some more advanced versions of the app too. OnLive Desktop Pro will offer up to 50GB of storage, priority access to apps, full-featured cloud-accelerated browsing and additional PC applications for a subscription of $9.99 a month. OnLive Enterprise will allow complete customization for business and organizations and OnLive collaborative services will offer thousands of users to simultaneously view, control and discuss a shared desktop via voice chat.

Source: OnLive

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

• Open Settings

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

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

• Click on Manage Storage

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

• Click on Delete Backup

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

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

Ion, the guys who brought us the magnificent iCade iPad arcade gaming cabinet have now announced some new gaming accessories for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. There are three new accessories in total to compliment the original iCade and they all look awesome. The iCade mobile is a handheld gaming system for your iPhone or iPod touch. The iCade Core is similar to the original iCade but doesn't include the cabinet surround. Finally the iCade Jr is a version of the original iCade designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch.

iCade Mobile

Gamers of all ages will love iCade Mobile's classic controller configuration, designed to play modern and retro games the way they were meant to be played. iCade Mobile's four-way directional pad, four front-facing action buttons and four shoulder buttons are designed to withstand even the most fierce button mashing. iCade Mobilegets your fingers out of the way and gives you a full view of the action with a specially designed cradle that ensures safe loading and unloading of your iPhone or iPod touch, while also providing a solid, secure fit even during the most intense game-play sessions.

iCade Core

iCade Core's specially designed cradle ensures safe loading and unloading of a user’s iPad, while also providing a solid, secure fit for even the most intense gameplay sessions. Beneath the cradle is a custom-designed pass-thru slot, which allows users to charge the iPad with their standard 30-pin cable. The cradle also swivels to allow either portrait or landscape so that orientation is never a problem. iCade Core's top-quality arcade controls quickly connect to the iPad using Bluetooth wireless technology. Once the iPad is in place, simply launch any compatible app and it’s game-on.

iCade Jr

A sequel to the smash hit ION iCade controller for iPad, iCade Jr. brings the arcade excitment to your iPhone or iPod touch. Game-on with great iPhone and iPod touch games with this pint-sized arcade powerhouse. iCade Jr. gives you a joystick and four front buttons, plus four rear trigger buttons for ultimate control over tons of iPhone and iPod touch games. This mini-arcade cabinet will give you a novelty gaming experience like no other!

Source: Ion

Photography app specialists Interealtime has just released an update to its highly acclaimed True NightVison app. The app uses special light capture techniques which allow much darker photographs to be taken using the iPhone camera.

Looking for powerful light amplification tech that fits in your pocket? You came to the right place. True NightVision features advanced image enhancement AND unique light gathering modes. Combined, they make this the most potent night vision app available on the App Store. How does it work? It uses a live camera view and special photo enhancement techniques capable of producing a decent image at high speed (we're talking fluid 30fps action here!) even where it's way too dark for the iPhone's camera app.

• Speed: For full motion, 30fps action use
• High: Balances speed and light enhancement, good for regular use
• Still: High level light enhancement, but requires a steady hand
• Max: Ultimate light enhancement for stationary use
• Improved zoom: Up to 8x zoom on iPhone 4/4S, up to 4x on 3GS
• Enhancement is now set to 50% initially
• Speed fix for iPhone 4s

• App Store link

The Griffin Twenty is the easiest, best-sounding solution for consumers who have speakers that are not AirPlay-enabled but still want to stream high-fidelity audio wirelessly,” said Mark Rowan, President of Griffin Technology. “Not only can users stream from their iTunes library, they can easily connect with any AirPlay-enabled iOS device.”

Source: Griffin

The Woogie by Griffin is a soft, plush, huggable, toy that doubles as an iPhone or iPod touch case. It's meant for children, to give them something to hold up their iPod touch for easy game playing or video watching, or to protect your iPhone if you're letting them use it.

With big round body and five legs, the Woogie is easy to position whether it's on the floor, a table, in a car, or on a lap. It comes in either pink or blue and the big round body is soft and fuzzy/furry to the touch. Even on its own could be a fun toy for a young child but what makes it even better is the clear, capacitive window in the front that holds an iPod touch or iPhone. Kids can cuddle the toy and play with the device right through the window, and if they drop it or knock it or kick it, the plushie offers a lot of protection.

The good

• Soft, cute, and cuddly
• Weighted feet so stays in place
• Makes an iPhone or iPod touch harder to lose
• Hold up to the bumps and drops kids are likely to put it through.

The bad

• Larger to pack and carry than a regular case
• Would be nice to have strap/backpack option
• Don't feed it after midnight.

The conclusion

The Woogie is great for young children, wether around the house or to take on a trip. It's huggable, luggable, and colorful for them, and easy to find and safer to keep an iPhone or iPod touch in for you. That's a really smart combination.

The giveaway

Leave a comment below telling us why you'd like a Woogie of you very own. Only one comment per person, please! Make sure you leave a real email address. We won't share it but we'll need it to contact you if you win! Contest starts now and ends Friday, January 13 at 12pm PT. Now hurry up and enter!

Source: Griffin

• Spark Digital: The world's first studio-grade condenser microphone to offer both USB and iPad connectivity, featuring Focus Control, adjustable desk stand, built-in shockmount, and y-cables with an attached, extended female headphone jack for each platform.
• Mikey Digital: The perfect tool for mobile recording with iOS devices features two custom-tuned Blue capsules for stereo recording, a line-input, USB pass through and a stylish 230-degree rotating design.

Source: Blue

ChatON is an instant messaging app that supports multi-platform chat across iOS, Android and Samsung Bada platform. Soon the app will also be available for BlackBerry and Windows Phone as well, so it will cover most platforms. What makes it really interesting is... the app was made by Apple largest Android rival -- Samsung.

ChatON is a Global Mobile Communication Service that enables you to have better relationships with your buddies or groups. ChatON brings together all of these methods of communication, expression, and sharing in one place.

• ChatON supports multi platforms and devices. Users can chat freely through ChatON.
• Currently, ChatON supports iOS, Android, Bada, Samsung Feature and will support Blackberry, Window mobile, web soon.
• ChatON provides multi ways to make your communication richer.
• 1:1 Chat, Group Chat, Broadcast, Drawing Message, Picture, Video, Voice, Location, Contact, Calendar.
• Using ChatON, create your own unique drawing message by hand drawing etc.
• ChatON provides group management feature for easy group chat
• ChatON provides Interaction rank which informs you how often you chat with your buddies.
• For every chat room, you can easily see all sent images and videos in a Trunk.
• Something to say for your buddies? Use 'Buddies Say'!

• App Store link

About a year ago I wrote a post explaining why you don't have to kill multitasking apps in iOS. iOS 4 had been introduced, bringing multitasking to iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and because Apple added the ability to jiggle and close them in the fast app switcher, some users decided to do just that. All. The. Time.

We're on to iOS 5 now, we have some new players like Newsstand in the multitasking equation, and apparently the community is just as deeply divided as ever on the issue, even developers, even Apple Geniuses. So Frasier Speirs has put together a post of his own on the subject of iOS multitasking misconceptions, and while he ultimately proffers the same thesis as yours truly -- you really don't need to manually manage apps in iOS -- he goes into far more detail about the whys and wherefores.

Regardless of how you feel, whether you think you should leave absolutely all task killing safely to Apple, whether you think you should purge every app, every time, or whether you're still on the fence, take a read of Speirs' article and give it some consideration.

Source: speirs.org

iHome is working on bringing three new iPhone docks to its already large portfolio of accessories. The new docks are set to be revealed at CES 2012 which starts next week. Three models will be introduced in total; one will even include AirPlay.

• iW4 AirPlay Wireless 20 Watts Bedside Speaker System for iPad/iPhone/iPod: making its alarm clock speaker system debut, AirPlay utilizes the home WiFi network to deliver more flexibility than ever before. Easily stream your entire iTunes library over the network to listen, sleep or wake to your favorite tunes. The iW4 is expected to retail for $269.99.
• iP18 LED Color Changing Dual Alarm Clock Speaker System for iPhone and iPod: a little bit of color goes a long way with this ultra-modern and stylish alarm clock speaker solution. Now with a smaller footprint and new cube design, this app-friendly Glowtunes offering has big features including four color-changing modes, Reson8 speaker chamber technology, one-touch clock sync and more. The iP18 is expected to retail for $69.99.
• iD50 App-Enhanced Bluetooth Alarm Clock Radio Speakerphone for iPad/iPhone/iPod with AM/FM Presets: the alarm clock you’d expect to see on James Bond’s nightstand, but with a price tag that makes it realistic for non secret agents to own. The iD50 is strong in the features department and has a smooth finish that will stir you to wake rather than shake you. The iD50 is expected to retail for $169.99.

The bad news is that these new docks will not be available to buy until later in the year. That’s as good as it gets on the release information for now. We will let you know as soon as we find out anymore.

Source: Business Wire

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

How to Download Music from iCloud

• Open up your Music app

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

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

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

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

How to delete music from device and leave it on iCloud

• Open up your Music app

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

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

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

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

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

According to an article in British newspaper The Daily Mail, Apple is considering throwing its hat into the bidding ring for the rights to broadcast English Premier League soccer games. The deal is open for a new round of bidding before the end of this season in May.

The Premier League is seen as the type of premium content that will help establish Apple TV in the UK and boost iPad sales, while the iTunes subscription service infrastructure is already in place.

Apple will face some huge competition if it is to get its hands on some form of TV rights for these games. Sky, who currently owns most of the rights for live games, had to pay around £1.6 billion ($2.5 billion) for the privilege. Competition is also likely to come in from Google, ESPN and Middle East Network Al Jezeera.

If Apple did manage to secure some of the rights to live EPL games, it would then have to force consumers to buy an Apple TV if they wanted to see the content on their big screen televisions. This does not appear to make a great deal of sense for the consumer unless of course the deal is just to sell the games through iTunes; in a similar way to its TV episodes.

Source: The Daily Mail

A couple of quick updates for those still waiting on Apple A5 device jailbreaks -- namely iPhone 4S and iPad 2 -- as well as an iOS 5.1 jailbreak.

For iPhone 4S and iPad 2 devices, @pod2g just tweeted the following:

made a step today for the A5. With some luck we could expect a release in a week.

As to iOS 5.1, @i0n1c seems to have something in the pipeline, so 2012 could get off to a strong start for team Jailbreak.

For more discussion and help, head on over to our Jailbreak Forums.

Source: @pod2g

I tend to go through phases where I can continually change the apps I have on my home page, and the apps I use the most. There are however five apps that will never leave their prime positions. These are my most-used apps, the ones I can't function without, the ones I use everyday, over and over again.

Tweetbot

I love Twitter, it has opened up a whole new world for me, I have friends on Twitter from all over the planet that share my interests. Tweetbot is in my opinion the most elegant and user friendly of all the Twitter apps available on the App Store. Every time I open it, it makes me smile, the subtle sound effects and smooth sliding animations are really well done. It may lack a few features compared with other apps but I would rather give them up just to use this app, it is that good!

$2.99 -  App Store link

HulloMail

One of the frustrations of moving your iPhone from the O2 network in the UK, is that it is currently the only network to support Visual Voicemail. Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange and 3 all skipped this really nice feature. So what are your options? Well HulloMail does a really good job of filling the gap. It is basically Visual Voicemail with loads more additional features.

The HulloMail iPhone app offers an easy way to manage your voicemails visually, send, receive and share voicemails, instant voice messaging to mobile and email, no matter which operator you use. There are two versions of HulloMail, a free version which is ad supported and a paid version which costs $8.99 a year via in-app subscription. The subscription version gives you some extra features like an ad-free service for a year, individual greetings, longer voicemails of up to 5 minutes and priority access to more features in the coming months.

If your network does not support visual voicemail, give HulloMail a try, it is an excellent voicemail management tool.

• Free -  App Store link

Reeder

Being a news editor for TiPb means I have to keep on top of the news at all times. I use Google Reader on my notebook but when I am mobile, I use Reeder. It is super clean, super fast and really easy to use. Of course it syncs with Google Reader too so I never have to read anything twice. I use it on my iPhone 4S as well as  Reeder for iPad on my iPad 2. Both work equally well with speed being the key ingredient.

• $4.99 – iPad App Store Link
• $2.99 – iPhone App Store Link

Air Video

Air Video is a fantastic app that can transcode and stream video content from your Windows PC or Mac straight to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It now includes AirPlay support so you can beam all your content onto the big screen too.

Your Windows PC or Mac needs a small piece of software installed to communicate with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad but once setup you can stream native iOS video content (MP4 and M4V) instantly to your device (rather than having to sync it over first via iTunes). Air Video will also convert non-supported video formats (AVI, MKV, etc) and either store them for later viewing or stream them on the fly so you can watch now rather than having to wait.

Air Video is an excellent app that gives me instant access to over 2TB of media on my networked drives. There are two versions, a free version which limits the number of displayed items in each folder and the paid version which removes those limits. Both versions are universal apps; so work great on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

• Free – App Store Link
• $2.99 – App Store Link

LiveScore

LiveScore is a fantastic free app that provides real time scores from many sporting events around the world; with a particular emphasis on soccer scores. Every match in the UK league is covered along with most other countries. With this app you will know about goals, yellow cards, red cards, substitutions, you name it, seconds after they happen.

The application comes directly from LiveScore Ltd., the inventors of real-time delivery of live sport data and owners of the no.1 ranked football / soccer web site globally. No country restrictions either,  fast access to scores and it is a universal binary too.

• Free -  App Store link

60beat has just launched its GamePad controller which it hopes will make gaming on an iOS device much closer to a dedicated console experience. The game content available to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices is now huge however the use of on-screen touch controls remains a major problem for many gamers.

With proprietary technology that uses the headphone jack as the interface, the 60beat GamePad significantly improves the iOS gaming experience by moving the controls from the screen to a fully-featured hand-held game controller. Developed to look, feel and operate like widely-used external controllers, GamePad easily and instantly transforms an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch into a game console. The ergonomic design delivers superior comfort and control. Buttons and joysticks are engineered to deliver precise response and the tactile sensations gamers expect.

The controller which is available to order now will cost $49.99; so it is not a cheap option. The biggest stumbling block with all of these type of accessories, is getting developer support. So far, the 60beat GamePad has only managed to garner support for two games.

Source: 60beat

If you want to celebrate the beginning of the New Year, Times Square is an awesome place to do it. Unfortunately for most, it is not possible to be there but at least there is an app that will let you see what’s going on and even get you and your family’s picture on the huge Toshiba Vision screen.

Join millions of revelers around the world to celebrate New Year’s Eve LIVE. The Official Times Square Ball App is your exclusive access to be part of the activities in Times Square as you watch the LIVE co-hosted official show featuring opening ceremonies, musical performances, celebrity appearances, hourly countdowns and the midnight Ball Drop!

• Participate in the celebration by submitting your New Year’s photo for friends, family and other revelers to vote on their favorites and possibly be selected to be seen on the Toshiba Vision screen atop One Times Square directly beneath the Waterford Crystal New Year’s Eve Ball on December 31st! The selected photos will also be featured on the LIVE Show.
• Discover everything you need to know about the Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebration including the history, news, weather, photos, map and event schedule.
• Send New Year’s Eve ecards and share photos with friends and family.
• Watch live streaming of the events in Times Square leading up to New Year’s Eve throughout December as well as the highlight promo and other exclusive video content.
• Customize your Toshiba Countdown Clock with your personal photo and time zone.
• Check-in via Facebook, Four Square, and Twitter to find out how far away you are from Times Square and get directions to special places at the Crossroads of the World.
• Put your face on Toshiba Vision with 5 new ways to upload
• New always-on webcam + livestream of countdown event
• Updated cards to send to friends and family
• Updated design for 2012

• App Store link

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supported devices

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

What you need

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

Untether via the Corona Cydia package

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

Untether via redsn0w

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

Jailbreak your device

If you're not jailbroken at all, perform the following steps -

1. First Launch redsn0w

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

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

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

Common issues and how to solve them

Stuck on Apple logo or in recovery mode

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

redsn0w fails

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

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

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

Thanks to pod2g and all his hard work, an untethered jailbreak is now available for the original iPad, iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and older models. Both redsn0w and Corona have been updated to support the new, untethered jailbreak.

A few days ago, @pod2g gave the untether to both the iPhone devteam and the chronic devteam. We’ve put it into redsn0w 0.9.10 and PwnageTool, and the chronic devteam put it into a Cydia package (the same set of exploits is in all three).

Unfortunately, Apple A5 chipset-powered devices, namely iPhone 4S and iPad 2, are still in jailbreak limbo.

Because those devices cannot use geohot’s limera1n exploit to inject the untether, they require exploits above and beyond those used for this release. Keep following pod2g on twitter or his blog for any progress reports!

Hit the source links below to start jailbreaking iOS 5.0.1 untethered, and if you need any help jump on into our jailbreak forums.

Source: Dev-Team Blog/redsn0w, Chronic Dev-Team/Corona, donate to @pod2g

If you want to become a master of Infinity Blade II, its developers have shared a number of great tips to get you on your way. Infinity Blade II is the sequel to the hugely successful original infinity Blade and it makes full use of the iPhone and iPad’s gaming capabilities to deliver stunning visuals and game play. There are a total of sixteen tips which we have listed below.

• Parry an enemy weapon by either swiping in the same direction as the enemy weapon strike or by swiping in the opposite direction.
• Pay attention to gem modifiers and equip them to get more gems or more gold.
• Save super moves and magic for the battles when you are really going to need them.
• Equip a Gold+ gem to earn more money quickly.
• Use a Health Regen potion before a difficult Titan to constantly heal throughout the battle.
• Keep an eye out for hidden keys. They are small and difficult to see, but they can open great treasures.
• When playing the Heavy class, doing a successful parry will also give you a block charge back.
• A successful parry will open up a Titan to more combo hits than a dodge or block.
• Perfect blocks prevent elemental damage from a Titan attack even if you don’t have the right elemental defense; it also reduces the block damage.
• Perfect parries increase the hit window on a Titan.
• To maximize damage with Heavy weapons make sure you plan to do the combo hit at the natural end of the hit window, as the slash attack always ends the hit window.
• To pull off an ultra combo with dual weapons you need to do left/right/up (or some rotated version) attacks when you are in the combo hit mode.
• Titans will tend to have the same elemental attack as each other during a Rebirth, equipping the right gems/equipment to defend against them is worth it.
• Titans are weak to the opposite elemental of their attack. If a Titan has a fire attack he will take double damage from ice elemental and ice magic.
• Using dual weapons allows you to do multiple combos, one after the other.
• Learn which moves cannot be blocked or parried, then dodge these moves.

• App Store - link

Source: Epic Games

Apple has launched its 12 Days of Christmas app for the third year running. The app offers free content from iTunes for twelve days between December 26^th and January 6^th. Today you can access three live audio tracks and three live videos from Coldplay’s recent appearance at the iTunes Festival in London earlier this year.

Each day between now and January 6^th, when you open the app, new content will be available for free. Last year this included music, movies, books and apps. It is offered by Apple as an introduction for new iOS users to get to know how iTunes works and also as a thank you for existing users too.

Apple’s 12 Days of Christmas is only available in Canada and most parts of Europe; strangely the United States is not part of the promotion. The app is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.

• App Store – link

Were your stockings stuffed with iPhones and iPods? Did Santa leave an iPad or Apple TV beneath the tree? Well, once you've ripped off the wrapping paper, torn open the boxes, and powered everything up... you may be wondering just what to do next?!

Don't worry, TiPb's here to help! And hey, if you already know everything you need to know, just forward this link to that friend or family member who's about to ask your help. We'll take care of them so you can get on with your own holiday merriment.

• iPhone and iPod touch new users guide
• Top 10 apps for new iPhone and iPod touch users
• iPad new users guide
• Top 10 apps for new iPad users
• Everything Apple TV coverage
• Jailbreak starters guide
• Holiday wallpapers, music, movies, apps, and games

Need more help? Jump into the TiPb Forums for expert help and the best conversation on the 'net! A

• iPhone and iPad Forums

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

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

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

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

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

Source; NORAD

Action Movie FX is a new app that lets you add special effects to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch videos. When we say special effects, we don’t mean boring old effects, we mean Hollywood spectacular explosions, missile attacks and car smashes.

Action Movie FX lets you add Hollywood FX using your iPhone's video camera! You direct the action! and free for a limited time – 2 Movie FX packs!! Select a Scene like "Missile Attack," film a target and Action Movie FX adds an incoming missile and its explosion right into your movie!

• 2 FREE Big-Budget FX! MISSILE ATTACK & CAR SMASH!
• Sound Design By Skywalker Sound!
• Fast, Automated Video Tracking!
• Music, Sound FX and Lens Flares!
• Post to Facebook or Email to friends!

Action Movie FX is free in the App Store and comes with two special effects built in. There is also the option to add two more effects bundles which you can get via in-app purchase. The Chopper Down and Tornado Action bundle and an Airstrike and Fire Fights Attack bundle; each at a cost of $0.99.

Action Movie FX supports the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPod touch 4^th Generation only.

• Free - App Store link

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

iMame has been taken out of the App Store by Apple as fast and stealthily as it originally appeared. The app first made its official appearance earlier this week and we thought then that it could be leading a bit of a charmed life.

Mame is a hugely popular app on other platforms as it is an emulator for retro arcade cabinet games from the early 1980’s. The App Store version was a more locked down app that came with a number of built in games but no official way to get more games into the app. This we assume is how the developer managed to gain Apple's approval.

On other platforms, Mame is all about downloading ROM images of old arcade games of which the legality is highly questionable. The iOS version was not advertised as having this ability to accept ROMS from outside sources; but it didn’t take users long to discover how to do just that. We assume that this may well be the reason that Apple has decided to pull the app!

Source: iTunes

In case you hadn't heard -- and really, there's no helping you at this point! -- TiPb wants to give you the iOS device -- or devices! -- of your dreams. That's right, a brand new iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPod touch, or Apple TV, or even iPad 3 in 2012, could be yours!

And this is week 4 so you now have a third chance to win!

The Prize: A $600 Apple gift certificate to put towards the iOS device -- or devices -- of your dreams. An iPhone or iPad for you or your special someone, a couple of iPod touches for the kids, a handful of Apple TVs for the whole family -- you could even save it for an iPad 3 when Apple releases it! -- whatever you choose!

How to enter: Each week we'll have a special thread in a different TiPb iOS device forum. Just leave one (1) reply in each thread telling us why you'd love to have that week's device. You can enter once per week, each week, for a total of four (4) chances to enter over the course of the contest.

The contest is on now and the winner will be announced on the iPhone Live podcast on December 28, 2011.

So what are you waiting for? Enter already!

• TiPb iOS Dream Device Giveaway: Week 4 thread!