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

Ringtonium is simple and easy to use, and best of all saves you money by letting you use your already purchased songs as ringtones.

Ringtonium is the best app for creating custom ringtones -- and alert tones -- on your iPhone. While record labels are happy to resell you ringtones for the same tracks you've already bought -- often at the same or even higher prices than the full song -- if you don't mind a few quick steps, you can save some money and get exactly the ringtone you want, exactly the way you want it.

Although there are plenty of ringtone creation apps available in the App Store to do just that, none of them are a well rounded or useful as Ringtonium. The user-interface is extremely easy to use and builds on some of the unique syncing abilities available in iTunes, along with a number of outside apps like SoundCloud, and of course social network sharing.

Dialing down to specific start and stop times with Ringtonium's fine-tune slider and associated dial

Upon launching the app you'll be asked to choose between an existing track from the iPod music library, or creating your own track by using the iPhone's built-in microphone. Once you've got a track to work with, you can then jump into the mix and get into the details with a fine-tuned audio scrubber for selecting your start and stop times. If you need even more control over your start/stop times, Ringtonium offers a dial with the ability to drill down to milliseconds for absolute precision.

If you chose to record from the microphone, the quality is remarkably high and distortion free, even at higher input volumes. That's surprising and very welcome.

Adding effects in Ringtonium using their built-in FX feature is easy

Ringtonium also has an included FX panel where you can add fade in and fade out, adjust the pitch or reverse the audio, and add flange or echo effects. The quality of the included effects are top-notch and Ringtonium lets you go for the longest ringtone duration Apple allows -- something most other ringtone apps haven't caught onto yet.

Exporting custom ringtones with Ringtonium

The Good

• Fast to use
• Well thought out design and user interface layout.
• Supports exporting using iTunes or with 3rd party cloud integration.
• Fine-tuned slider and dialer let you set perfect start/stop times.
• Modify or delete custom ringtones within the app -- no iTunes required!
• Video tutorials included.

The Bad

• Cannot mix/combine multiple tracks.
• Limited built-in FX.

The conclusion

Ringtonium is simple and easy to use, and best of all saves you money by letting you use your already purchased songs as ringtones. If you've been looking for the best ringtone app for your iPhone, look no further than Ringtonium -- it's the best option currently available and excels in every area.

$0.99 -- App Store Link

With their new UltraFit line of sports headphones for iPhone, iPad, iPod and other devices, Polk Audio is really putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to their SecureFit, "stays in place" promise. Rather, they're putting Olympic-calibur athletes on a trampoline smack-dab in the middle of Macworld 2012. There are several different sport-optimized headsets in Polk Audio's UltraFit line. All of them share iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible 3.5mm connectors, tangle-free, planar audio cables, and Strainguard moisture shields, along with 41-inch cables for those who want to keep their device on a belt, in a pocket or otherwise further away, and 14-inch cables for those who want them on an armband, or clipped or stowed closer to the collar. Here's the breakdown:

• UltraFit 500 are in-ear, lower end headsets in black/red, black/gold, white/gray, and white/orange with 3 pairs of StayFit tips. They go for $49.95.

• UltraFit 1000 are in-ear, mid range headsets in black/red and white/gray, with the iPod-style remote control and three pair of StayFit silicone tips. They go for $69.95

• UltraFit 2000 are on-ear, mid range headsets in black/red or white/orange, with the iPod-style remote control, two pairs of foam ear pads, and one pair of cold-weather pads. They also go for $69.95.

• Ultrafit 3000 are in-ear, high range headsets black/red, white/gray and white/orange, with iPod-style remote control and 2 pairs of StayFit, 3-flange silicone tips, and three pairs of memory foam tips. They go for $99.95.

If the trampoline demos at Macworld were any indication, where the athletes jumped, flipped, spun, and otherwise shot themselves across the sky -- with and without snowboards -- are any indication, when Polk Audio says these new UltraFit headsets stay in place, they mean just exactly that.

As someone whose ears have been mangled by years of grappling, and whose standard headsets continuously fail to stay in place, I'll definitely be checking them out.

• $49.95 - $99.95 - Amazon link

Polk Audio's new UltraFit athletic headsets will make you jump

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SwitcherLyrics is a new jailbreak mod in Cydia that offers the ability to view lyrics for any most tracks stored in your iPod music library.

With SwitchLyrics you can have your song's lyrics and information right in your Multitasking bar. You just have to double tap the Home button to make it work. SwitcherLyrics takes the song's lyrics from the iPod.app library. If iPod.app doesn't have any lyrics, SwitcherLyrics will search it on the web automatically.

This is a great mod in theory and brings with it a lot of added value --when it actually works. I noticed a lot of bugs right out of the gate when playing around with it. For example, when I tried messing with the settings to reveal more information in the Fast-App Switcher tray, my phone locked up completely and required a reboot.

This is one of the reasons the video demonstration was short in duration. I didn't get into any of the additional settings for fear of locking up my iPhone again, but in any event, when I played a track without lyric support in the video it still ended up locking up on me.

It's a great idea, but I'm going to wait it gets some bug fix updates and runs more smoothly before trying it again.

• $.99 - Cydia Link

I think she likes it.

Via: @alli_flowers

According to the NYT, Apple is rumored to be testing wearable iPod-like devices that fit around your wrist and are controlled not by touch, but with your voice using Siri.

Apple has also experimented with prototype products that could relay information back to the iPhone. These conceptual products could also display information on other Apple devices, like an iPod, which Apple is already encouraging us to wear on our wrists by selling Nanos with watch faces. [...] One idea being discussed is a curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist; people could communicate with the device using Siri, the company’s artificial intelligence software.

Apple previously experimented with a nearly buttonless, voice controlled iPod shuffle but quickly returned to physical controls for the tiny device. Siri, which unlike the older VoiceControl system, currently requires a network connection to properly parse voice queries. Since no iPod other than the iPod touch currently has Wi-Fi, let alone cellular data, that raises the same interesting questions about the future of Siri and the iPod line both.

We've been asking for an iPod nano watch with Bluetooth connectivity for a while now. Perhaps the iPod will work as a tethered link to your iPhone?

Although it may be some time down the road before we actually start to see something like this materialize in Apple's product lines, it's still good to know they're considering ideas like this.

Source: NYTimes Bits

Concept image credit: Yanko Design

In case you hadn't heard -- blame your friends! -- 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 2 so you now have a second 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 2 thread!

Apple's one day discount event has started going live in Australia and the UK, among other countries. Deals seem to be as expected -- slim but fairly widespread -- on select iPod touch, iPad, Mac, Accessories, and even iTunes Gift Cards.

Unfortunately, you won't be getting any deals on the iPhone, iPod classic, iPod shuffle, Apple TV, Mac Pro and the Mac mini. (Sorry!)

Below is a list of prices for Australia, UK, US and Canada.

Australia

• iPad 2 - A$534 (16GB), A$634 (32GB), A$734 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G - A$684 (16GB), A$784 (32GB), A$884 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover - A$34 (Polyurethane), A$ 68 (Leather)
• iPod Touch - A$198 (8GB), A$298 (32GB), A$398 (64GB)
• iPod Nano - A$138 (8GB), A$158 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card - A$45 (A$50)

UK

• iPad 2 - £368 (16GB), £438 (32GB), £508 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G - £468 (16GB), £538 (32GB), £608 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover - £24 (Polyurethane), £48 (Leather)
• iPod Touch - £154 (8GB), £224 (32GB), £295 (64GB)
• iPod Nano - £104 (8GB), £118 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card - £45 (£50)

US

• iPad 2 - $458 (16GB), $548 (32GB), $638 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G - $588 (16GB), $678 (32GB), $768 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover - $28 (Polyurethane), $58 (Leather)
• iPod Touch - $178 (8GB), $268 (32GB), $358 (64GB)
• iPod Nano - $118 (8GB), $138 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card - $45 ($50)

Canada

• iPad 2 - $478 (16GB), $568 (32GB), $658 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G - $608 (16GB), $698 (32GB), $788 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover - $34 (Polyurethane), $68 (Leather)
• iPod Touch - $178 (8GB), $268 (32GB), $358 (64GB)
• iPod Nano - $118 (8GB), $138 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card - $45 ($50)

So are these prices enough to get you buying someone an Apple product for the holidays?

Source: Apple Store Australia, UK, US, Canada

Like to go to sleep listening to your iPhone's Music app and curious how to get it to "sleep" after a set period of time? One of the most annoying things is waking up a few hours later and it is still playing. Especially true if you are listening to an Audio Book and have to scrub back through hours of audio to find where you stopped listening.

Luckily you can set your iPod to stop playing after a set amount of time. It is really easy to do and we will show you how.

• Open up your Clock app on the home screen

• Select the Timer

• Set the amount of time you want the Music app to play for
• Click on the When Timer Ends button
• Scroll down to Sleep iPod

• Click on Set
• Start the Timer

• Fire up the Music app, lie back, relax and enjoy
• After the timer runs down, the Music app will stop

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

Former Apple engineer Bret Victor over at Worry Dream has an interesting article up about the future of touch technology. The main focus of the article is how we interact with with devices like the iPhone and iPad using our hands. His main point is that our hands are meant to interact with objects and feel things in a more "tactile" way than simply "photos under glass".

While companies like Apple have made great strides with devices like the iPhone and iPad, he believes that using our physical hands are the future. That's how we should interact. He argues that using your hands to touch and feel things is not the same experience as using devices such as the iPad where everything you are "touching" is under glass. And that the sooner we get away from this mindset and move forward, the better.

This technology is a long way off but given how far Apple has always brought us, I can't help but agree. We're at the very beginning of a really exciting future.

Source: Worry Dream

If you're looking for a stylish pair of headphones without a hefty price tag - the RF3 LIVE natural wood stereo earphones may be worth taking a second look at. Everything from the design of the actual earbuds down to the elegant packaging makes these headphones stand out from a lot of others in the same price range. But what about the most important feature of a good pair of headphones? Sound quality. Follow along to see how we felt they performed.

When it came to sound quality I thought the RF3 headphones held up extremely well for the price. The headphones themselves are noise isolating and come with a few different sets of tips for a better fit. They were rather comfortable to wear but I wouldn't suggest them as the best option for athletes or runners as I had them fall out of my ears a few times.

The 3.5MM headphone jack has a longer adapter which also allowed me to use them with virtually any case. One quirk I've never really gotten over with my Bose headphones is that the jack is shorter and some cases including bumpers don't like to play nice with them. That isn't the case here.

The headphones also have a built-in mic that you can interact with just like you can default Apple earbuds. This means iPhone 4S users can easily interact with Siri quickly and easily. I tested the mic on several occasions and had no issues with Siri picking up on what I was saying even in a semi-noisy environment.

As far as the acoustics and sound while listening to music, I thought they held their own against many other headphones in the same price range. They even performed better than some more expensive headphones I've used in the past. The only issue I did see was when it came to bass levels. I felt that they were rather shallow. Even with my iPod settings set to enhance the bass they didn't seem to perform near as well as my Bose MIE2i headphones. That is not as fair of a comparison though since they are nowhere near the same price range.

Overall, I'd say they perform well for the price if you want a decent pair of headphones that stand out from the rest without breaking the bank. You can find the RF3 LIVE natural wood headphones in the TiPb accessory store for $34.95.

Pros

• Great price for a quality product
• A variety of ear tip pieces included
• Built-in mic works exceptionally well
• Noise cancellation works just as good as most expensive noise isolating headphones
• The sound doesn't distort when at a high level like some lower priced ear buds
• The headphone jack seems to fit well with almost every case I have, bulky or not

Cons

• Not great for runners and athletes as the headphones don't offer a very firm and secure fit (or I just have little ears)
• The bass levels seem to be rather shallow compared to other ear buds

Giveaway

Just leave a comment below telling us what you'd listen to if you were given a set of RF3 LIVE Natural Wood Stereo Earphones of your very own! A special song? A great audio book? A bunch of Mobile Nations podcasts? What?

Don't need a fancy location-based Reminder in iOS 5 and just want it to tell you what time your task is due? No problem, time-based Reminders are perfect for those who care more about the when than the where, and couldn't be any easier to set up.

Start by launching the Reminders app.

1. Tap the + sign in the upper right corner to add a reminder.
2. After you add the reminder, click Done in the upper right hand corner. Or just clicking Return on the keyboard will complete the reminder as well.

3. Next tap on the reminder you just created in order to enter the settings for it. By default reminders won't notify you and function like a checklist of sorts. To change that, tap on the Remind Me option.

4. You'll have two options to set a notification. On a Day or At a Location. Since we want to set a time based reminder, select the On a Day option.
5. Simply select the date and time you'd like to be reminded and click Done in the upper right hand corner.

That's it! The Reminders app will now send you a push notification at the time you specified very similar to how the Calendar app already displays notifications for events. I've found myself using the built-in reminders app a lot more than any of the third party apps I used before due to the simplicity and syncing with iCal on all my Macs. Will you guys be using Reminders going forward or will you stick with whatever third party task app you used prior to iOS 5?

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

Happy 10th birthday, iPod!

It is 46mm square and powered by Android. It features a GPS system, heart rate monitor and wait for it.... Bluetooth so you can use it with wireless headphones; of course it is an MP3 player too. It can also pair with your phone and you can then read text messages and other alerts as well as answer calls using the 1.6-inch touchscreen.

So, a lot of what TiPb has been asking for in an iPod nano watch, only delivered by Moto for Android. And yes, it stings.

The MOTOACTV will be available in early November and comes in two flavors, an 8GB version for $249 and a 16GB version at $299. Apple could do so much more with that iPod nano, what a shame!

Source: Android Central

Just as with every past Apple keynote, Tim Cook began Tuesday's Let's talk iPhone event by discussing numbers for devices sold, apps downloaded, percent market share, etc. Let's take a look at those numbers:

Stores

• 100,000 visitors stopped by on opening weekend of the Shanghai store. It took the LA store to reach that many visitors.
• 357 total stores in 11 countries

Mac

• Six million copies of Lion downloaded so far - 80% more than Snow Leopard
• In comparison with Windows 7 - it took 20 weeks to reach 10% of the Windows install base. It took Lion two weeks.
• The MacBook Pro and the iMac are the number one best selling notebook and desktop in the United States
• Mac platform has grown by 23% since last year (the PC has grown by 4%)
• Approaching 60 million Mac users worldwide
• 23% market share for Apple as of August

iPod

• iPod has 78% of portable music player market share
• Over 300 million iPods have been sold (It took Sony 30 years to sell 220,000 Walkman cassette players)
• 45 million iPods sold from July 2010 to June 2011
• 20 million songs on iTunes- twenty times what the service launched with
• 16 billion songs downloaded from iTunes

iPhone

• The iPhone 4 makes up half of the overall iPhone market
• 125 percent growth year-over-year for iPhone sales
• 70% customer satisfaction with iPhone (HTC is second with 49%)
• iPhone is 5% percent of the overall mobile phone market

iPad

• Every state in the US has an iPad deployment program
• 1,000 schools have a 1:1 program
• Over 80% of the hospitals in the US are testing or piloting iPad
• 92% of Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying iPads
• #1 tablet in the world - 75% of all tablets sold are iPads

iOS

• More than 250 million devices sold
• #1 mobile operating system - 43% share compared to Android's 33%

Apps

• More than 500,000 apps in the App Store
• 140,000 iPad specific apps
• 18 billion downloaded apps
• More than 1 billion apps downloaded per month
• Apple has paid out $3 billion to developers

This last statistic is the interesting one to me, because Apple never mentions how much their cut of the app sales is. Well, I did the math for you, and Apple has earned nearly $1.3 billion in app sales. Not too shabby.

If you bought a new iPod nano in 2010, don't worry, Apple has already pushed out an update to bring you all the new features, including big icons and 12 new watch faces -- today! That's right, just plug into iTunes, hit update, and you'll be ready to rock everything from a classic timepiece to Mickey Mouse and... wait for it... ANIMAL!

What's really super sweet is that the watch faces know what color nano you have an match themselves accordingly. So if you have a golden nano, they'll be colored differently than if you have a silver one, for example.

It's great that Apple pays such attention to detail. Now hurry up and update your nano and let me know which watch face you choose to rock!

Previously, users could access and download click-wheel games for the iPod classic by clicking on a drop down list next to the App Store button within iTunes, but it looks like the option has now been removed completely. With Apple gearing up to announce the next iPhone on October 4th, this could mean they're making preparations to remove the classic from the iPod lineup altogether.

TUAW got a tip earlier this week that Apple is indeed planning to get rid of the platter-based iPod in addition to the iPod Shuffle to help streamline the product line and go touchscreen-only.

It seems that the "product transition" Apple mentioned on the last earnings call could very well be within the iPod line. Specifically, if you want to buy an iPod shuffle or iPod classic from Apple, you should do it sooner rather than later. We've heard those two iPods are getting the axe this year.

Could we see the iPod classic go the way of the Dodo or will Apple keep it around for nostalgia's sake?

Source: AppleInsider, TUAW

Wondering how to easily and quickly adjust the transparency of your icons or turn off labels? If you Jailbreak, you may want to check out Alphacon. Other apps like Winterboard allow you to do this but if you want something much more simple, Alphacon is it.

Once installed it will appear in your settings. You can choose to turn transparency on and off and further customize what icons you want the settings to apply to (home screen, dock, folders, etc). So if you'd like for your dock icons to not be transparent you can just tick off the transparency option for the dock. Same deal with icon labels. You can choose to turn them all off or just some. I personally still like to see my folder labels so I leave those on but turn off icon labels for everything else.

Alphacon is currently available in Cydia for free.

[Alphacon - Cydia Store Link]

Despise notification icons on your apps but not sure how to quickly get rid of them? Disabling them completely is one thing, but being able to selectively clear them when you've reached the point of overload is another. Luckily, there's a Jailbreak app for that and we're going to tell you about it, after the break!

BadgeClear is pretty much made for people who despise icon badges. Until iOS 5 drops (and a jailbreak for it), we don't have the option to disable badges for every single app -- Apple doesn't allow you to clear badges for a lot of default apps like Mail -- but if you're jailbroken, BadgeClear makes it easy to clear any and all app icon badges with just a few taps.

Just hold down any icon until they start jiggling (just like you would to delete an app) and tap on the badge you'd like to clear. BadgeClear will ask you if you want to clear it and just tap yes.

This is nice for annoying apps that have badges for no reason really. I have a couple of those. My banking app always sends me push notifications about 10 days too late and leaves an annoying little badge. This is much easier than digging through the app and viewing the notifications. Any apps you have this may be useful for?

$0.99 - Cydia Search Link

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. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Trying to figure out where to find the UDID or serial number of your iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone? There are many reasons you may need to look up your UDID, IMEI, or serial number of your iOS device. While earlier generations had the serial printed on the back casing of the device, many newer models don't. There are still several ways you can obtain this information both natively on your device or via iTunes.

Follow along to find out how.

As a side note, a lot of information is taken out for privacy reasons. Obviously your fields will not be empty.

Serial Numbers

There are a few ways to obtain serial numbers. The most common in under Settings.

1. Tap Settings and go into General.
2. Now click About.
3. When you scroll down you'll see quite a bit of device information including your serial number. (As a side note, users on 4.x will not see the UDID/ICCID number on your device like in the picture above. I believe this is a new feature in iOS 5.

If your iOS device will not boot and it has a SIM tray, you can also pull out the SIM tray and view the serial printed on it. As long as your SIM tray has not been mixed up with anyone else's, it should be the correct serial number.

UDID numbers

To view your UDID number in iTunes, use the following steps -

1. Open iTunes with your device plugged in and you will see your device name and information. Tap where your phone number is a couple times and it will eventually show your UDID number (also known as ICCID). This is the number you have to have on file to test developer builds of iOS.

2. If you need to paste this number somewhere, simply go to the top of iTunes and click Edit and then Copy. This will paste your UDID number to the clipboard. From there you can easily copy it into an e-mail or text document.

To view your UDID number from on your device, use the following steps -

1. Download a UDID app from the App Store. There are several available and most are free. I use UDID by Sean White (Free - iTunes Link)
2. Simply open the program and it will give you all of your device information.

3. You can then copy it into an e-mail or just view it.

Viewing device information from programs like UDID are especially convenient if you aren't home to plug into iTunes and need to access the information quickly.

But what if your device is stuck in restore mode and you can't load this information in iTunes or on the device?

You can still pull the information if you have a previous backup file as the backups are saved as "UDID - Date".

Simply navigate to the following location and view your UDID as the name of your backup -

Backup locations in Windows

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Backup locations in Mac OS X

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

Have you used any of these methods or a different one? How'd they work for you?

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

Curious how to create a playlist directly on your iPhone or iPad? We already know you can create them within iTunes, but what about when you're on the go and want a different mix to listen to?

Creating playlists from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad is just as easy as it is in iTunes. Follow along and we'll tell you how!

1. First, go to the playlist tab in your iPod app and tap Add Playlist...

2. You'll be prompted to enter a name for your playlist. Enter it and tap Save

3. Now you can tap any of the tabs along the bottom to look for music you want to add to the playlist. Simply tap the plus song to add individual songs or whole albums.

4. Once you are done adding music, tap Done in the upper right hand corner.

5. If you need to edit your playlist (delete or add songs), simply go into the playlist and scroll up and you can edit, clear, or delete the playlist altogether.

That's pretty much it! Next time you sync to your computer, your newly created playlists should also sync back to iTunes. I use this feature quite often on vacations and trips. I also find myself using it to add music I've just recently download to playlists that already exist. Do you guys use this feature?

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 news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Apple has just announced their Q3 2011 results and the iOS platform continues to impress with 20.34 million iPhones sold (up 142% from last year), 9.25 million iPads (up 183%), 3.95 million Macs (up 14%) and 7.54 million iPods (down 20%). All that added up to $28.57 billion in revenue and record quarterly net profit of $7.31 billion.

“We’re thrilled to deliver our best quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Right now, we’re very focused and excited about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to our users this fall.”

“We are extremely pleased with our performance which drove quarterly cash flow from operations of $11.1 billion, an increase of 131 percent year-over-year,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $25 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $5.50.”

Their quarterly conference call is coming up soon and we'll add highlights as we hear them, after the break.

• Starting off with Macs. Up 14%. 4x IDC forecast for PC industry... but nothing compared to iOS. Particularly strong in AsiaPac.
• New iMacs with Thunderbolt, FaceTime HD cameras
• iPod touch is half of iPods sold.
• iTunes $1.4 billion, music, video, apps strong. 225 million accounts. 15 billion songs.
• 20.3 million iPhones. 142% growth, double IDC estimates for global market.
• iPhone revenue $13.3 billion, increase of 150%
• Very strong growth, all segments. AsiaPac robust, 400% up.
• Increasing iPhone manufacturing capacity. 228 carriers in 105 carriers.
• 5.9 million iPhones in channel. Support strong demand, carrier additions, distribution.
• 91% of fortune 500 testing or deploying iPhone, 57% of global 500 companies testing or deploying iPhone. Acta, Netsle, Dow, SuperValue, Comcast.
• 9.2 million iPads. 183% increase. Increased production by over 4.5 million. Sold every one they could make.
• 64 countries for iPad, iPad 2.
• $6 billion in revenue from iPad.
• 1.05 million iPads in inventory.
• 86% of fortune 500 are testing or deploying. 47% of global 500 companies.
• Boston Scientific, Xeorox, Salesforce deploying iPad. Top hospitals, retail. General Electric, SAP internal apps. Airlines using in cockpit.
• iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, 222 million cumulative device sales.
• iOS 5 includes 200 new features, notification center, iMessage, Newstand. PC-free, activate and set up out of the box. Launching this fall.
• June provided preview for iCloud. Free new services. Work seamlessly. Store content on cloud, push to devices. Release in fall.
• App Store 425,000 apps, 15 billion downloads. $2.5 in cumulative payments to devs. Far ahead of competitors.
• Apple Stores now. (They're doing just fine thanks.)
• Cash is at 76.2 billion in the bank. Wow.
• Will continue to charge for OS upgrades like Lion and iWork.
• (Call keeps cutting ou for me, sorry if I miss stuff)
• Deferring revenue, recognizing over 2 years to account for upgrades.
• Now giving out typically conservative guidance for next quarter.
• Q&A time.
• 12% revenue downtick is more conservative than normal, why? PO: September more weighted to higher education. Best Macs ever. Expect increase. Expects iPhone increase as well, expanding iPad, expecting as well. iPod decline. A lot going on with iCloud, iOS 5. Product transition they won't talk about will effect quarter.
• How do you approach working transitions into guidance. OP: Not talking about it. Factored it in. Incredibly confident about pipeline.
• iPad 2 sales, trends? Tim Cook: Do believe some customers chose iPad over Mac. Believe even more chose to purchase iPad over Windows. Lots more Windows to cannibalize over Mac. Mac has attributes that will continue to do well in the market. Grew 5x market. iPad 2 has been a frenzy. Feel good about progress, reception.
• China, growth in AsiaPac? TC: China was key for results. Greater China up 6x. $3.8 billion is quarter, $8.8 billion year to date. Substantial opportunity for Apple. Just scratching surface.
• Outlook for gross margin? PO: 38%, down 370 basis points. 2/3 decline driven by different product mix. Loss of leverage on lower revenue. Full quarter of back to school. Future product transition. TC: NAND and DRAM, LCD, batteries, optical, in positive supply situation. Pricing to fall at or above historical trend. HD supply constrained, less than trend. Components favorable on sequential comparison. Offset by 1 time benefits discussed for June quarter.
• 1 time benefit on gross margins. PO: Saw benefit on warranty on phone support, benefits.
• Patents? IP strategy? TC: Simple view, we love competition, great for Apple, everyone. Want people to invent their own stuff. Going to defend portfolio.
• What drove iPhone strength? TC: Added 42 new carriers, 15 new countries. Throughout quarter. Real sequential improvement due to emerging and developed markets. China, Latin America - Brazil, Mexico, Middle East. Great for Apple. Not historically as strong in. Beginning to see fruits of their labor.
• Milestones for next quarter? TC: No, but can see it's something of great focus. Want to do business with great partners. Still out there. Working new relationships.
• Android activations higher than iPhone, China is on fire, what about Google numbers? TC: Android activation number is difficult to get hands around. Apple numbers from data sheet, add iPhone, iPad, approximate 50% iPods is iPod touch. Sold over 33 million iOS devices. Now over 222 million cumulative devices. Numbers very straight forward, transparent, quarterly. iPhone is up 142%, more than 2x rate of market growth. Incredible. Sold every iPad 2 they could make. Also gaining traction in enterprise. Converting to penetration focus. App Store largest by far, iPad specific over 100,000. Be hard pressed to find more than a few hundred on other platforms. Other tablets not getting any traction to speak of. $2.5 billion to developers, great model. Customers love it. Confident with model, app store. Ranked iPhone #1 in customer surveys. Confident in road map. Feel very good. Changewave data reaffirmed iPhone is clear leader in satisfaction, number one preference for new smartphone buyers.
• Apple TV? Not a leg of the stool yet. Not in size market iPhone, Mac, etc. Love the product, customers love it. Got it right with new model. Still a hobby.
• Non-Apple retail channel? TC: About 115,000 points of sale. Diversified. Part of the magic. Prefer not to share it. Make right decisions for Apple.
• iPhone, iPad manufacturing yield? TC: No specific numbers, supply of iPad improved dramatically in the quarter. Further improved in July. In balance in some SKUs in some countries. Feels good about progress.
• How to sustain growth? TC: On tariff side, carrier sets that. Better question for them. At very macro level, virtually every carrier is desirous of more customers having smartphones, using data, expanding ARPU. No better device to move to from any phone up to smartphone than iPhone. Ease of use, ecosystem. Good alignment. Key driver emerging and developing markets. Putting more and more energy in these markets. Bit more difficult to do well in.
• How to address markets? TC: Some percentage of post-paid but looked in aggregate, predominantly pre-paid. Convinced in some cases to start pre-paid, better for customer, carrier, Apple. Obviously developing and expanding channels on list. 115,000 down, some experience to play with.
• What lack of Mac growth was cannibalization, what was hold off for Lion? TC: Look more year-over-year on Mac than sequential. Proud of numbers. Doing 5x rate of growth is something to be proud of. Why isn't it higher? Some cannibalization by iPad. 2x iPad shipped over Mac. But more customers chose to buy iPad over Windows PC. Some customers have delayed purchase for Lion. Launching tomorrow. Fantastic product. Worked really hard on it. Revolutionary. 3rd thing, year ago quarter launched new MacBook Pros. This time launched new iMac. Both well received but MBP makes up majority so makes more difficult comparison.
• Growth trajectory for iPad? TC: Don't predict units. Don't want to make a comment. Think iPad will grow significantly year over year.
• Why does iPad have supply problems? TC: (Repeats previous statements).
• Any differences in enterprise strategy? TC: Dual prong on both iPad and iPhone. Work with carriers who have sales forces. Train and provide help with carriers. Do some direct sales or act as overlay to channel. Very happy with numbers, interest, pilot, deployment. Now moving to penetration. To be this far into Enterprise for a product only shipping 15 months is incredible. Enterprise typically much more conservative, takes more time to evaluate. Moving at speed he's never seen. K12 takes very long time as well but last quarter sold more iPads than Macs. Would never have predicted this. Clear it has universal appeal from consumer to business to government and on and on.
• Expectations for iCloud? PO: Cannot wait to get iCloud and iOS 5 into hands of customers. Have done it right. Seamless, integrated experience they're going to love. Didn't go unnoticed in Changewave results that iOS devices are #1 in intent to buy.
• Lead over competitors in ability to mirror content? PO: Good with internet, delivering content. Proved with iTunes, App Store. Have some things to learn but have a lot of skills. Excited.
• China Mobile? Pre-paid? TC: Pre-paid or unlocked phones (off contract) are key in China and a number of emerging market where credit systems are not as well established as US, Japan, Western Europe, Australia, etc. iPhone volume for 1st 3 quarters was up 5x year over year. iPhone is key contributor to greater China revenue. Not saying figured out precisely how to play perfectly in environment. Have more to do, more to learn. Feel good about progress. If told a year ago would do $3.8 billion, very many in Apple wouldn't have believed it. Feel very, very good. Applying those learnings to other markets.
• Recent market data in some countries shows lost share? Is iPhone share strategically important to Apple? TC: Share gain is important. Do offer 3GS as example in lower price point. US is $49 with contract. Varies off-contract. Clearly in distinctly different price than iPhone 4. Philosophy same as always. Will only make products Apple is proud of, best in the world. iPod shuffle was created, now $49. Lot of people love it. Always question, litmus test. Up to Apple to convince Apple to spend more for a material better experience and product. Seen people will do that if product is great, message is appropriate. A lot of experience in both those areas.
• iPad media consumption? TC: Talk to 10 people, 10 different reasons they love it. Reason it's doing so well across demos, geographies.
• Why not more movie titles? PO: Have a very broad library, particularly in US. Adding more internationally each quarter. Look for more later this quarter across the various stores. Have neat stuff coming.
• That's all!

Still have a working original iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G (or an iPod touch 1 or 2) and wondering how to get iOS4 features like Multitasking, Folders or Tethering? If you're willing to Jailbreak with WhiteD00r, you can enable most of these new features with a simple install. We'll show you how after the break!

Steps

1. Head over to whited00r.com and select your device from the “firmware download” page.

2. Extract the .zip file (make sure that your unarchiver/unzip utility doesn’t extract the contents of the .ipsw as well!)

3. Plug your iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, or iPod touch 1 or 2 into iTunes

4. Once detected, hold down the ALT (Mac OS X) or SHIFT (Windows) key, and then browse to unzipped .ipsw on your computer.

5. Be patient! It can take between 10 and 15 minutes for your iPhone or iPod to to activate.

6. That's it! You'll now be able to enjoy such features as Multitasking, Folders, custom wallpapers and more.

Additionally, your phone is now jailbroken, so you can install the vast library of Jailbreak apps.

Unfortunately, there are some things missing in WhiteD00r, like access to Game Center, the auto naming of Folders, your video camera comes in a separate app, and doesn’t save to the camera roll without some minor post-installation tweaks. However, for a unofficial hack, it works very well.

It certainly gave my old iPhone a new lease of life, and if you have any additional suggestions for getting more out of your old devices, let us know!

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. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

When Apple announced that iOS 5 would let you snap pictures with the volume up button, it was only a matter of time before some enterprising developers discovered the ability to use a headset equipped with volume remote control as a camera shutter release.

Using the stock Apple headphones that come with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you simply:

1. Open the Camera app
2. Click the volume up remote to release the shutter
3. Enjoy your long distance picture taking power

So camera enthusiasts, is this a big deal for you or just a nice to have? Will it change the way you take pictures with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad?

[MacRumors]

With the iCloud unveiling yesterday, Apple also announced that a new version of iTunes and a beta version of iCloud would be available now (with the rest rolling out in the Fall). Users have been reporting iTunes 10.3 downloads becoming available over the past 24 hours. Now, it appears to be available for everyone.

Keep in mind only some iCloud services are available now (and they're still considered beta). The rest will be rolled out this Fall. You should already see changes to the App Store on your devices as those were rolled out wireless yesterday.

iTunes 10.3 will let you do the following right now -

• Automatic downloads - Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices

• Download previous purchases - Download your past music purchases again at no additional cost. Your purchases are available in the iTunes Store on your Mac or in the iTunes app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.

The rest of the services will be available this Fall, along with iOS 5.

Did you download it already? Any bugs so far or is it working for you like Apple said it would?

Having problems with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad accessories and wondering how to troubleshoot them? Here are a few basic tips which will help you identify the issue. Stick with us after the break.

Check for defects

If you have another iOS device, or have a family member, friend, or colleague with an iOS device, try the accessory out on their iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. For example, if a earbuds don't plug properly into your 3.5mm headset jack, or a case doesn't fit quite right, see if it plugs in properly or fits better on theirs.

If there's a defect, you can contact the store or manufacturer and arrange for an exchange.

Search our Forums

Head on over to our TiPb Accessory Forums and see if there are any discussions already going on about your accessory. If anyone else has already had and solved the same problem, you'll save yourself a lot of effort by following the same steps yourself. If they haven't solved it, you can help crowd source a solution. If no one else has discussed the problem yet, you can start a new thread and get it going!

We have some of the best readers in the world and they will be able to let you know if there's an issue (or not).

Check for compatibility

First thing you should do is make sure that the item that you are using is fully compatible with your iPhone or iPad. To do this you can head over to our accessory store , or to the website of the accessory maker and double check to see which iOS devices are compatible.

You may find that some devices are only partially compatible with your iPad or iPhone. For example, some older car adapters may allow you to play music through your FM radio but won't charge your iPhone (a very common issue).

Bonus Tip: Our most awesome Managing Editor Rene Ritchie has mentioned that some accessories may also popup an incompatibility warning because they're not officially part of Apple's program (haven't paid the made for iPhone or iPad licensing fee), but still charge you iPhone fine. Either way, find out for sure.

Unplug and Reset

Take out the accessory. If the accessory has a off button turn it off and then restart your iOS device. When your iOS device restarts fully, try to plug the accessory back in. Here's [how to reset iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad].

Some accessories may require additional steps to start fresh. For example, Bluetooth headsets may need you to press certain button combinations to put them back into Pairing Mode. Check the instructions that came with your device, or check the manufacturers website for details.

Restore

If you know the accessory is not defective and that it's supposed to work with your iOS device, try to restore your device. Sometimes that will clean out any glitches and get you back to a fresh, default state.

Not sure? Here's how to restore your iPhone or iPad.

Update iOS

Some accessories may need to have the latest iOS software in order to function properly. For example, iOS 4 added Bluetooth control support that wasn't available in iOS 3. If your accessory isn't doing everything it should, make sure your software is up to date.

If you're not sure, here's how to update your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

(Note: if you are are jailbroken you may lose your jailbreak if you update.)

Hope you found this tip helpful. If you have any accessory trouble-shooting tips of your own please share them into the comments!

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 news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

ipswDownloader is a shining example of a great utility that allows jailbreakers to download firmware (.ipsw) files easily and quickly. On top of that, it also tells you what jailbreak utility you should use in order to jailbreak (and/or unlock) your device. This is especially convenient if you're using something like PwnageTool that requires you to have an ipsw file in order to create a custom firmware bundle. This is highly common among unlockers.

This can be great for beginner jailbreakers that may feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of jailbreak tools available. "What jailbreak utility do I need to use?" is probably the number one question we get asked here at TiPb. I really think this tool will come in handy for anyone from beginners to advanced users that really just want an easy and convenient way to download firmware files. Hit the jump for a download link and a quick walk-through.

Download ipswDownloader

ipswDownloader (Mac only as of now) - Download Link

Choose your device and firmware

Simply choose your device and your current firmware version. ipswDownloader will quickly tell you if you can jailbreak, what tool you can use, and whether or not you can unlock. You'll also see a download button in the bottom right hand corner. Click that if you'd like to download a copy of your firmware file to your computer. Choose your save location and you're good to go!

Let us know in the comments if any of you plan on using ipswDownloader!

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 news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

iOS 4.3.2 untethered jailbreak for iPhone, iPod touch, and original iPad is now live... and it's pretty much the same as the iOS 4.3.1 Jailbreak so we're updating this post to get you going faster! The Dev-Team has used their hax0r magic to bring us yet another gift in the form of an untethered jailbreak! This jailbreak will require you to use redsn0w, which is available for both Windows and Mac OS X.

Important: iPad 2 is still not supported and unlockers need to steer clear until ultrasn0w is updated. If you've got a Verizon iPhone you'll want to check out our greenpois0n jailbreak guide for iOS 4.2.6 instead.

Hit the jump for a complete how-to!

What you need

• iTunes 10.2.2 or higher
• redsn0w for Windows or Mac
• iOS 4.3.2

1. First, you will need to download redsn0w via the link above

2. Next, you will need to go grab the appropriate iOS firmware for your device. (If you updated via iTunes, it'll be in your iTunes directory)
3. Once you have downloaded the correct firmware and redsn0w, you are now ready to jailbreak.

4. After you launch redsn0w, you will be asked to browse and choose the custom firmware you downloaded in the previous step.

5. Next you'll choose to install Cydia and redsn0w will walk you through how to place your device in DFU mode. Just make sure you start this process with your device OFF.

6. Let your device do its thing and you're done!

In our experience, we've noticed this jailbreak seemed a bit buggy on the original iPad.

For a complete walk-through, check out the video tutorial above. If you aren't sure whether or not you want to take a jump to the dark side, check out our complete jailbreak basics guide first!

Questions? Concerns? Did you encounter any problems during your jailbreak? Let us know in the comments or check out the TiPb jailbreak forum!

Jailbreakers have been patiently waiting for an easier jailbreak option on iOS 4.3. We are already aware there are working exploits but no easy process has been released. Now it appears iOS developer Stefan Esser is showing off a working iOS 4.3.1 untethered jailbreak on video. For the demo, he used an iPod Touch fourth gen.

Don't get your hopes up too high as he doesn't plan to release it any time soon, if at all. He has stated before he has no intention of releasing a jailbreak tool but that he would offer up an untether solution. This may even be possible via a Cydia package. Hit the jump for a video of the jailbreak in action!

Redmond Pie

YouTube Link

Greenpois0n RC5, the latest Jailbreak for iOS 4.2.1 iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, has been updated to version 2, which should fix some of the issues users have been experiencing. Mainly the issue where your jailbreak will just sit at "Greenpois0n Initialized". Hopefully this version will take care of that bug. I know a few people have been having issues even loading Greenpois0n.com. There are also several mirrors available, so keep checking the comments for the latest on those.

Also, some users have been noting that their Cydia icon is completely missing or they can't get Cydia to install. You can alternately use redsn0w RC8 to install Cydia. Basically use Greenpois0n to jailbreak untethered and then run redsn0w just to install Cydia.

Let us know in the comments if the second version of Greenpois0n is working any better for you! If you need instructions on jailbreaking under iOS 4.2.1, check out our how to jailbreak via Greenpois0n walkthrough and if you need more help, our Jailbreak Forum.

[greenpois0n.com via (iPhone Download Blog - they also have a list of mirrors]

Greenpois0n RC5 now allows you to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 untethered on most devices including iPhone 4 and iPad. The best part? You won't need any SHSH blobs saved. redsn0w beta required you to have 4.2b3 blobs saved (and it was pretty unstable). Hopefully greenpois0n is going to be a much smoother experience for you guys. Hit the jump for a walkthrough on how to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 with greenpois0n and for the answers to some commonly asked questions.

What devices will greenpois0n RC5 jailbreak?

• iPhone 4/3GS
• iPad
• iPod Touch 2G/3G/4G
• AppleTV second generation

You'll need to be running iOS 4.2.1 in order for this version of greenpois0n to work (4.1.1 for AppleTV second generation users).

Should I do a full stock restore first?

In short, most likely. If you're already stock and haven't been jailbroken, you're fine. Still back up your phone first in case anything goes wrong.

If you are currently jailbroken on 4.1, yes. Do a full stock restore to 4.2.1 and restore as a new iPhone. After jailbreaking, I still don't recommend restoring from a backup. Old jailbreak pieces can come with your backup and cause issues for you. Just my personal recommendation.

If you are currently tethered on 4.2.1 via redsn0w, you should be able to just run greepois0n right over your current jailbreak to untether. Some of the devs are saying if you have issues installing Cydia via greenpois0n after running it, simply run redsn0w again and let it re-install Cydia. Basically, as long as you aren't running a Monte version jailbreak on 4.2.1, you should be able to run greenpois0n to untether.

Will this jailbreak iOS 4.3 beta?

No. You'll have to wait a bit longer on a tested jailbreak for 4.3.

Jailbreaking iOS 4.2.1 via Greenpois0n

1. Download greenpois0n onto your Mac. (Some users have been reporting the servers being down. If you can't get it to download right away, just be patient. Their servers are probably just lagging from all the traffic. There are a few mirrors out there so be sure to check the comments for the latest updates on those.
2. Plug your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or AppleTV in via USB (make sure the power is off) and follow the on-screen instructions to enter DFU mode.

3. Greenpois0n will recognize when your phone is properly in DFU mode and start to do its thing. After it's done, you'll see a Loader icon on your homescreen. Tap it and install Cydia. (Note: This only differs for AppleTV jailbreakers. You'll be done but need to continue accessing and installing apps via Terminal and SSH.)

4. You're done! Restore all your stuff (if you choose to or were stock before) and enjoy being jailbroken!

Note: Some users in the comments have been reporting sometimes the initializing error is a result of not holding the home button long enough when entering DFU mode. Even when the text is not greyed out anymore, continue holding the home button if you're getting the Initializing error even after trying Greenpois0n RC5 version 2.

If you guys have already used this version of greenpois0n, let us know how it's going in the comments! Have other questions? Check our our Jailbreak Starters Guide and jailbreak forums!

If you purchase your iPhones or iPads from Best Buy, you may be interested in checking out their new Buy Back program. In a letter sent out to current Best Buy Reward Zone customers, they'll be announcing the new program during the Super Bowl this coming Sunday (third quarter to be exact).

It appears Best Buy will tell you exactly how much they'll give you for your gadget when you purchase it. When you are ready to trade in your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (or any other gadget for that matter), you'll get a Best Buy gift card instantly for the fixed buy back amount. It's a nice little gesture to loyal customers. Here is part of the e-mail sent to customers:

Buy Back is essentially "future-proofing" your technology. You purchase the technology you want today, and we'll buy it back at a set price when you're ready to upgrade to something new. You'll know upfront what your gear will be worth, and you can conveniently redeem your Buy Back at our stores and immediately receive a Best Buy Gift Card.

It remains to be seen how much they'll offer you for certain gadgets. My guess is whatever it is, you'll still make out better selling your previous generation gadgets on eBay or Craigslist. It's still a nice option for customers who don't want to deal with the hassle of selling off old gadgets themselves.

Is this something you guys would utilize or do you think they'll offer amounts that won't really be worth it?

Irritated by lyrics and podcast information appearing over the album art on your iPhone or iPod touch and want to know how to make it go away? Well you're in luck, you can disable this annoying overlay in 3 easy steps. We'll show you how after the break!

You may have lyrics to some songs in your iTunes Library, or you may download a podcast that has some show episode information, but when you tap the screen for the "scrubber", the lyrics or information, sits right on top of your gorgeous album artwork.

To disable the lyrics and podcast overlay in iOS 4:

1. Tap Settings
2. Tap iPod
3. Turn "Lyrics and Podcast Info" Off

Its that simple!

If you have any questions or any other favorite iPod/music tips, let us know in the comments!

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. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Ever been listening to a podcast on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad an wondered how to easily scrub forward or back? Or maybe you were watching one of your favorite shows but wanted to skip through a boring ad and quickly get back to the content?

When Apple introduced iOS 3 last year, they included a much needed addition to the iPod (Music/Video) app called audio scrubbing. In this tip we're going to quickly show you how to use this awesome feature and have better control over what you're listening to, plus a few other nice iPod tips you may have overlooked. Find out how after the break!

All you need to do is tap and hold the seek-slider at the top of the 'Now Playing' screen once you're in the iPod app. From here you can slide your finger left or right to adjust where you are in playback. Something people often overlook when scrubbing through audio is that you can move your finger down to get to different levels of scrubbing (Hi-Speed, Half Speed, Quarter Speed and Fine Scrubbing), giving you much more precise control. And that's that!

Bonus tip: You can also jump back 30 seconds by hitting the '30' button below the seek bar (see above picture). If you'd like to go back a full two minutes for example, simply tap the button 4 times and you're good to go! In addition to jumping back, you can speed up or slow down your audio by tapping the button on the far-right below the seek bar. This is great for users who need to get through long speeches or lengthy audiobooks more quickly. This feature isn't available while listening to music, however, and is replaced with the Genius feature.

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. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Developer and hacker, James Whelton has managed to "Jailbreak" the iPod nano, getting past its cache comparison and installing a rather simple tweak that can remove default apps and replace them with 'blank spaces' on the nano's springboard. This can open up the iPod Nano to more hacks and mods from other hackers, including the ability to potentially view Movies or TV Shows, set Calendar Events and set a passcode lock.

Whelton pointed out some hidden strings that he discovered in the iPod nano OS as well.

Next is the discovery in some of the device’s plists of reference to support of Movies, TV Shows, Apps, Games, vCards, Calender events and so on, with a few other cool things like a passcode lock. With the bypass I figured out, I hope to enable these pretty soon. It seems like the OS is a rehashed version of the previous nano’s OS.

Details on how to jailbreak the iPod nano are said to be released in a few days. It'll be interesting to see what Team Jailbreak will do with the newly hacked Nano. Would you want Movies and TV Shows on such a small screen? Are there any particular mods you would like on the sixth-gen nano?

Check below for a video of the hack in action.

[MacStories] [Nanohack.me]

Based on a recent patent filing, it looks as if Apple may be looking at even more ways to buy and share apps. This approach would be a bit more social as it would allow your friends to share applications with you that they think you may enjoy. This could work through the network, through a cloud service, or through IR.

The patent explains a way in which you could have a list of applications that are able to be shared. When sharing, the person receiving the recommendation would have access to either the full apps with a trial period limit, a demo, or a restricted (lite) version. I'm assuming this would probably depend on each developer's preference. The user would see a list of applications to share and they could drag them to a specified location in order to share them with others.

There is also talk of this being a way for Apple to offer incentives to people who refer applications to others. Whether those incentives would include App Store credit, promotional material, discounts or something else isn't clear. Regardless what it is, it's definitely something I could see as a good model to boost App Store sales even further.

The patent also shows that this model could be used across several devices including iPhones, iPod Touches, iPads, and Mac computer platforms. This makes sense considering Mac will now offer an App Store as well. We can only assume a lot of apps will offer compatibility with Macs in the future.

Is this a feature you think you'd use? I frequently get family and friends asking for app recommendations and this could potentially make my life a bit easier when it comes to sending them a list of apps I recommend. I could simply send them straight to their device. And if Apple wants to give me some perks for doing so, even better!

Patently Apple

If you've just updated to iOS 4.2 on your iPhone only to discover all your favorite music has mysteriously gone missing, don't worry, you're not alone. Our tip line has exploded with users complaining about the very same thing. It's a scare for sure but luckily the fix is quite simple. Check it out after the break.

First take a deep breath. The songs aren't really gone from your iPhone the bug is just stopping them from being displayed properly. All you have to do is encourage your iPhone to get its act together:

• Grab your cable and plug your iPhone into iTunes on your Windows or Mac PC
• When your iPhone shows up in the sidebar, make sure you can see the content listings beneath it (click on the triangle to the left if not)
• Click on music
• Pick a song
• Play it in iTunes
• Sync your iPhone

Voila! Go back to your iPod app on your iPhone and you'll find all your precious songs just the way you left them pre-update. (Unfortunately you can't send Apple the bill for pain and suffering...)

Thanks to everyone who sent this in! Did this bug fix work for you? Let us know your results in the comments below!

If you guys hadn't already heard about our wallpaper contest we have going in our forums, mosey on over and check it out! I've been picking one person every week or so (depending on the amount of entries we get) to win $20 from TiPb. You'll also get some TiPb main page glory with your wallpaper on it for everyone to see.

This week's winner is iPheuria with his awesome wallpaper you see above. Congrats, we'll be contacting you about claiming your $20 prize!

Remember guys, we're looking for original works, not just photos. Something that's really going to looks awesome as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch background. So head on over to our Official TiPb Wallpaper contest thread in our forums and post it up!

A source told BGR that Apple has changed the screening process they utilize to determine if an iPod has been damage due to water intrusion. Apple utilizes what is known as Liquid Contact Indicators in their mobile devices. In the event moisture comes into contact with these LCIs they become activated which will in turn let an Apple representative know that there was been water damage.

In the past Apple store employees would merely look inside the headphone jack and check on the LCI to see if it had been activated by water. At that point they were able to say the water was the cause of the issues and you would basically be out of luck. Now with the new policy not only will they check for the LCI but they are also being told to check for other signs of water damage before making a decision on what could have caused the device to malfunction.

Whether or not this change is due to false positives from incidental moisture contact or simply a change of heart within Apple is unknow. However, this could definately been a huge plus for the consumers who have had issues prior and were told that merely having an activated LCI that their warranty was null and void.

Our question is, will Apple apply the same new policy to iPhones and iPads?

[ BGR ]

Curious how to restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it's acting funny and nothing else will work?  Need to install a beta or custom firmware?  Whether you're experiencing freezes, crashes, or your iPhone or iPad is just doing other crazy things - a restore will fix most of your woes.  Restores are also something developers need to know about to test beta firmware, and jailbreakers should become very familiar with, as sometimes it can make your phone a little less stable than it is stock.

To restore, whether on a Mac or PC:

• plug your iPhone, iPod, or iPad into your computer. 
• If iTunes doesn't automatically launch, go ahead and launch it. 
• To the left, you'll see a sidebar, click on your device.
• You'll see a restore option. 
• (Make sure you backup your phone first. A sync can do this, or you can right click on your device name in the sidebar and select backup.)
• Then simply click that and let iTunes do it's thing for a few minutes. 

When the restore has finished you'll be asked to either set up as a new iPhone or restore from a backup.  If you choose to restore from a backup and your device still acts funny afterwards (i.e. the problem returned with the backup), I'd recommend doing the restore again and this time setting up as a new device. Then re-sync your content. 

To install different or custom firmware (say you need to test iOS 4.2 GM or say you're on 4.0.2 and you don't want 4.1 for some reason), hold down Option (Mac) or CTRL (Windows) while you click restore, then navigate to your then navigate to the firmware you want.

This is a pretty basic function of iTunes but one anyone that owns an iOS device should learn how to do.  Always make frequent backups and sync your phone regularly to ensure you won't lose your content if something should go wrong with your device.

Let us know how it works for you and if you have any questions, ask in the comments!

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 news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Melinda Gates has once again re-affirmed that no Apple product, no iPod, iPhone, or iPad, is welcome in her and husband Bill Gates' house. Last time she said she wouldn't mind an iPhone, of course, but this time she stuck to sterner stuff:

Do you own an iPod, which is made by Apple?

No, I have a Zune.

What if one of your children says, “Mom, I have to have an iPod?”

I have gotten that argument — “You may have a Zune.”

Do you have an iPad?

Of course not.

Is it true that Bill works on an Apple laptop?

False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep.

Isn’t there room in this world for both Apple and Microsoft?

Microsoft certainly makes products for the Macintosh. Go talk to Bill.

And fair enough. How many Microsoft products do you think make it into Steve Jobs' house?

[NYT Magazine via Fortune]

For one week only, Toys R Us is taking trade-ins on old iPods for credit of up to $100. Customers can take up to 3 (functioning) older generation iPods to their local Toys R Us service desk, and receive credit worth up to the value of your device. The value will vary on the age and condition your iPod is in.

You will receive an iPod “trade-up” card, loaded with the total amount of all your trade-ins, which can be used towards a new iPod, just in time for the holiday season.

Toys R Us are currently offering:

• iPod Touch 8GB, 32GB, 64GB
• iPod Nano 8GB
• iPod Shuffle 2GB or 4GB

The offer is not available online and is only available at selected stores, in the US, so it's probably best to call before you cart that old G1 in.

Will you be trading in your old iPod for a new one?

[CNN]

by George Lim

After over three years of the iPhone being on the market, there's still not a great "have to have it" gaming controller accessory. The iPhone, iPod touch, and now the iPad have become serious competitors in the gaming arena and while touch gesture games are awesome in their own right, there's several games that would benefit from having an actual controller.

Apple loathes buttons, we already know this, but hardcore gamers don't. If Apple wants gamers to consider iOS devices as competitive gaming platforms, there needs to be a market for it. That's where Controller or Bust comes in. They're setting out to develop the perfect gaming controller for the iPhone (and I'd assume other iOS devices as well). They're looking for input from the iCommunity and going through the motions of what it will take to get one into production and eventually, to the market.

Benjamin Morisse, who's heading the blog and project is already working towards the biggest challenge - getting into the "Made for iPhone/iPod" program. For those of you unfamiliar, all peripherals that will physically connect to an iDevice have to be approved before going to market. That's why you see the "Made for iPhone/iPod" sticker on some products that you buy. Apple approves of it and doesn't foresee it causing any compatibility issues (or damaging your device when it comes to cases and battery packs).

I remember playing Ravensword quite a bit when it first came out. One thing I really would have liked was an external peripheral that allowed me to utilize the whole screen instead of using the corners of the screen to control my character.

Any of you desperately waiting for an awesome gaming controller? What games do you guys use that you think would be a much better experience with a physical controller? Head over to Controller or Bust and give your input!

Yeah, crediting the iPod, iPhone, and iPad for why Apple is so much more successful than Google or Microsoft is a loaded headline, or would be if Mark Sigal from O'Reilly didn't point it out in so succinct a fashion:

The following inconvenient facts must be an affront to the horizontal, commoditized, open, market share zealots. Apple has launched three major new product lines since 2001: the iPod (October, 2001); the iPhone (July, 2007); and the iPad (April, 2010).

The company's stock is up 3,000 percent since the launch of iPod, 125 percent since the launch of iPhone, and 20 percent since the launch of iPad.

In that same time period, the major devotees of the loosely coupled model -- Microsoft, Google, Intel and Dell -- have been, at best, outpaced by Apple 6X (in the case of Google dating back to the launch of iPod) and at worst, either been wiped out (in the case of Dell) or treaded water (in the cases of Microsoft and Intel) in every comparison period.

ChangeWave's Paul Carton says consumer interest in Android is rising at the expense of iPhone, but at the same time Horace Dediu from asymco points out that counting non-Google approved Android devices, and Android devices like Verizon's Fascinate where Google is torn out, Google actually makes far more money from iPhone where they're the default search engine, map provider, etc.

Now, just like Stephen Colbert isn't truthful but "truthy", and dime store popsicles aren't chocolate but "chocolatey", Google isn't really open but "openy", and neither is Microsoft, but it doesshow that just who won -- or will win -- what PC or smartphone war against Apple depends entirely on how you frame the terms of victory.

[Daring Fireball]

iPod nano (2010), the sixth generation iPod nano, is a complete redesign from form factor to interface. Gone is the click-wheel, gone is the camera, gone is the video. What's left is a beautiful, polished square running something that looks like iOS, complete with multitouch, gestures, and little nano apps. How does that compare to an iPod touch or iPhone? Read on after the break for our review.

Hardware

The 2010 iPod nano is cooler and sleeker, and definitely smaller than last year's model -- 46 percent smaller to be exact and 42 percent lighter. That works out to a tiny 1.48 inches (37.5 mm) high, 1.61 inches (40.9 mm) wide, 0.35 inch (8.78 mm) deep with the clip, and a weight of just 0.74 ounce (21.1 grams). That makes it extremely portable.

The nano also picks up the iPod shuffle's clip. Located on the it's easy to use and can be worn almost anywhere -- believe me, I've tried!

You may have heard that it's hip to be square and the nano proves it. The anodized aluminum outer shell comes in 7 different colors, silver, grey, yellow, green, blue, pink and red.

As for ports, the new nano has the same old 30 pin connector so you can use it with your computer, car, and any other iPod accessories that you may already have, and the standard 3.5mm headset jack.

There are also buttons, which are round and metal and similar to iPhone 4, including volume up and down and sleep/wake. Unfortunately there's no home button like iPhone, something I'll gripe about later.

The bright 1.54-inch display packs 240-by-240 pixel, 220ppi resolution. The multi touch screen allows you to tap to launch apps or make selections, drag apps around to re-arrange them, put two fingers down and twist to rotate the display, double tap (Zombieland ftw), and press-hold an icon to star/stop jiggly mode, or in the middle of the screen to go back to the main home page.

Apple rates the battery life at 24-hours for music with a fast change time of an hour and half to get to 80% and 3 hours to get to full.

And yes, no more video camera. The iPod touch stole it.

Software

Music is where the iPod nano is at. You can select your music from a multitude of different icons (I can't really call them apps, they just launch different views of the iPod app). Songs, albums, artists, playlists, genres, and composers are all here.

The Genius app will take music you already like and choose other songs which you may find appealing. You use the genius application in iTunes and then just sync over any songs you want.

The FM radio works very well on the iPod nano, just plug in your earphones (they double as the antenna) and let the tuner do the rest. You also have the ability to live pause your music, this way you can listen to a song on the radio and then pause the song and come back to the song just where you left off.

If you like to run with your iPod Nano then the pedometer is perfect. It will track how many steps you have taken, how many calories you have burned, and any when you have reached your target goal. If you use Nike+, it's there and waiting for you as well.

One of my favorite applications is the clock, which looks like a snazzy watch. You can choose to have the black or white watch background, I think the black looks nicer.

Apple continues to lead the pack when it comes to accessibility and he new nano is no different. You can turn on the VoiceOver feature which will then give you a description of what is under your finger.

There's a photo app so you can swipe through any photographs you've synced over, but there's no video player any more. I synced over a few video podcasts just to see what would happen and all I got was the audio. Maybe Apple doesn't think people want to watch video on a 1.5-inch square, or maybe Apple just wants them to buy an iPod touch instead.

Conclusion

The 2010 iPod nano is small and lightweight and offers great battery life. The clip also makes it wearable for athletes, hipsters, and pretty much anyone on the go.

It's easy to use and immediately familiar to anyone coming from an iOS device like iPod touch or iPhone. That said, the "tap and hold center" as home button is not very intuitive and sometimes conflicts with other interface actions. Could they have fit in a real, physical home button, or somehow added the functionality to the sleep/wake button? As it is, it's a klutzy deviation from iOS and not for the better.

It's also an iPod in the more traditional sense, not in the iPod touch sense. You're limited to music, music, music, and a few nano apps (napps?). There's no more video playback, and there's not even a contact book or calculator. (Sure it would have been hard at that size, but if anyone could do it it's Apple).

Taken as a whole, which is how Apple products simply must be taken, the iPod nano (2010) won't appeal to those who can afford a iPhone or a iPod touch but might just be the best nano yet for those who want to bring something lightweight with them on the go.

iPod nano fashion? I was more than excited when Steve Jobs announced the new iPod nano. Not because I am a huge music lover but because of the multitude of different ways that I could use it. This new iPod nano is a tech geek girls fashion dream come true.

Follow along after the break to see just some of the ways I've been accessorizing with the new iPod nano, and how well it's been working out.

iPod nano hair clip

This may be more of a dream than a reality. I found that if you use the iPod nano all alone in your hair it is prone to slipping out. If you are going to put it in your hair it is much more secure if you attach it to a hair elastic. It was already slipping out before I even began to walk around. I think if Apple has added a bit of rubber to the edges of the clip it would be much more secure. Steve why did you let me down!

iPod nano pony tail clip

Wearing the iPod nano in your hair is quite cute but lacks the functionality of being able to actually see the new 1.5-inch screen. If you already have a playlist playing and are comfortable using the headset remote buttons to play, pause, and change, its ok but still not ideal. It was quite secure though. You could even go jogging and have them stay in place.

iPod nano watch

The iPod nano is just screaming to be used as a watch. It is the perfect size and with a multitude of different functions it may be the first in a new smart watch generation. Get real iOS and and App Store onto this bad boy and there'd be no stopping us. For the band I use a tight fitting bracelet which is not too thick. This way the clasp on the iPod Nano is able to fully close. I also really liked attaching the iPod nano to my hair elastic. It was quite secure and comfortable.

iPod nano earring

Yes the new iPod nano are very capable of being used as earrings. It is easy to use some two part epoxy and attach a loop and then a regular fishhook earring holder. It is a bit heavy for an earring (though I have worn heavier). It would also present the same issue of not being able to easily change your application or music. For the picture I just clipped the nano right onto my ear, this was not the most comfortable of ways to wear it, however, nor was it very secure.

iPod nano necklace

This is one of my favourite ways to wear the iPod nano. It makes a beautiful show piece and is very user friendly. It is also very beautiful and when I go around people just think it is another piece of jewelry. Then I turn it on and everyone is left in awe.

And more...?

I am sure that I have just covered the tip of the iceberg with some cool new ways to wear your iPod Nano. If you have any other cool new ideas, comment away!

He may be little, but the 2010 iPod nano 6 still looks like iOS and still acts like iOS so I'm going to show him off like he's iOS -- up against the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4.

I'll be working on the review this weekend, so if you have any questions, leave them in the comments.

Follow along after the break for the gallery!

If you've ever wanted to plug in your friend's iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into your computer to listen to their music, 9to5 Mac points out that today is your lucky day. Doing so will grant you access to all of the music on that iOS device to play via iTunes 10 without having to enable manually manage music mode.

Just don't expect to be able to export the music files to your computer...

[9to5Mac]

What didn't we get from Apple during their 2010 special music event? The iPod touch line got an extremely decent refresh, as well as the Nano.   iPhone is getting iOS 4.1 next week with some newly added features and some much needed bug fixes. The iPad will be getting iOS 4.2 - in November, but I'm sure some of us would have liked to see it sooner. And we got an overhauled iTunes. I personally wasn't expecting a whole new iTunes, so that was the surprise of the day for me. AppleTV was pretty underwhelming in my book (as well as Rene's).  Click through to see what us here at TiPb would have liked to see and let us know in the comments what you would have liked that just didn't make the cut this time.

iPhone

iPhone will be getting iOS 4.1 next week. Along with general bug fixes (proximity issues anyone?), you'll get Game Center and some welcome additions to the camera. I know I wasn't the only staff member excited by the edition of HDR to the camera, but I would have liked to see maybe some contrast and saturation settings added. I've especially noticed it on the iPhone 4, but sometimes pictures in low light settings come out a little too warm (yellow-ish) in my opinion. It would be nice to be able to tweak some settings. Game Center is a welcome addition, but I'm not crazy about the whole carnival-esque layout. I much preferred the original layout from the original 4.0 betas.  I wasn't expecting too much in the way of iPhone.  There were rumors flying around of a new iPhone, but I think we all know better than that around these parts.  Apple is predictable.  As long as their current business model works, I don't see them changing that pattern.

iPad

The iPad will have to wait for November for iOS 4.2 - next week would have been nice. Why the hold up? El Jobso really didn't have a lot to say about the iPad at the event. He seemed a bit rushed. Deep down, I was really hoping to hear about a potential iPad refresh, but I figured that wouldn't happen until January or so. Did you guys expect anything iPad wise that you didn't get?

iPods

As far as iPods go, I really have nothing to complain about. I think the shuffle combines the best of both previous generations now. The Nano now has a touchscreen! It contains everything the previous generations had, but aligns better with its sibling product lines. Chad noticed the absence of video on the Nano. I don't really know if that would both me personally, as I wouldn't want to watch movies or video on that tiny little screen. To me, this is simply Apple positioning themselves in the market. If you want an iPod with video, you'll have to step up to the iPod touch now. Makes good business sense to me. Only peeve I have with the new iPod line at the current moment is the back material on the Touch. For the love of everything Jobs, PLEASE pick a better finish that doesn't scratch when you set it on a pillow? That chrome is just screaming "Scratch me!" How about a frosted material next time guys?

iTunes

iTunes 10! This was the one thing I was somewhat excited about today. I don't get too excited about iPods since I have an iPhone, so I really have no need for one. Ping sounds like a good concept, but we'll see if it will catch on. I also like the idea of top 10 lists created by your friends, but you'll also have to be selective about what friends you have on there. I have friends who listen to death metal, and I don't want that in my top 10 suggestions lists. To me, that doesn't sound very intuitive. Some people would have liked to see cloud-based syncing or some version of iTunes in the cloud. We previously speculated that this was why Apple acquired LaLa. Maybe not?  I would have liked to see some more intuitive ways to organize content.  I love coverflow and sometimes even if you group albums the same, you see duplicates in different views.  More than anything, I wanted to see more fine tuned controls.  If anyone sees anything new in iTunes 10 as far as organization I haven't found yet, let us know in the comments.

Apple TV

I pretty much have the same feeling's Rene does on this one, so we'll let him take it from there. But if you'd like to rant or tell us your thoughts, let us know in the comments. Needless to say, I'll probably be getting one. That may sound odd, but I didn't have the first generation, or any generation AppleTV. At $99, I can stream all my movies from my iMac to the TV and stop fiddling with burning DVDs or hooking up an output device. And iTunes rentals are cheaper than rentals from Comcast. I've been waiting to pull the trigger on a new media device for our living room as we've been putting it off forever. I'd still have liked to see a LOT more features than what we got. Anyone else picking one up?

I also would have liked to see an update to MobileMe or something along the lines of adding new features.  Streaming would have been nice or the ability to store books or music wirelessly to your MobileMe iDisk.  Other than that, I didn't expect that many "One more things".

That about wraps it up, let us know all your thoughts in the comments!

As part of their special music event today, Steve Jobs announced iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod touch would be coming next week, and iOS 4.2 for iPad would be coming in November.

iOS 4.1 includes everything we've seen so far, including bug fixes for the proximity sensor, Bluetooth, iPhone 3G performance. It also adds HDR photos, HD YouTube uploads, TV rentals, and Game Center.

iOS 4.2 includes all of iOS 4.1 along with wireless printing and AirPlay, which replaces airtunes and adds streaming video and pictures.

Both will be free updates.

Apple will be streaming this year's special music event live (here's the link), and we'll be here to provide all the color and commentary you've grown to love... or to love to hate. So if you're watching, come watch with us. Party starts now!

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already head on over and register now!

• Are you having any issues using your Bluetooth headset with you iPhone 4? Some of our forum members are reporting poor sound quality at times. Poor headsets or iOS 4.0.2 software issue? You be the judge.

• There are so many hot topics being discussed in our iPhone Jailbreak and Unlock forum, be sure to check them out.

• We know it's pretty far off but what would you like to see added, hardware wise, in the next generation of the iPhone?

• iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Accessories: Any accessory is fair game in this forum.

See you in the forums!

Back in July we saw an Apple labeled 1.5" touchscreen and wondered if it would be for a tiny, multitouch nano. Now some new cases, purportedly for the same device, makes us wonder much the same again.

Would it run iOS? Could it, with a screen that small? You could fit, what, 2x2 icons for a grid of 4 apps total? Web browsing probably wouldn't be included, but could it have ports of all the usual nano music, photos, video, and other assorted functionality?

Apple has scaled up iOS on the iPad, and is rumored to be doing that again with Apple TV/iTV but would it work as well scaled down for the iPod nano?

We'll find out in a few days.

[iLounge]

Apple has just started sending out invitations for a special event -- it's annual special music event typically involving iTunes and iPads -- on September 1, 2010.

A new iPod touch 4 (with FaceTime and Retina Display?) is a given, as is iOS 4.1 -- perhaps with some new, previously unseen features? -- and maybe new versions of Apple TV/iTV (for $99 running iOS and TV rentals?), iTunes (with some cloud streaming services?), and iLife (with an HTML5 content creation app?)? What about iOS 4.x for iPad and news on white iPhones?!

What does the Apple-fied guitar above say to you? Start the predictions below!

[Engadget]

Apple generally holds an iPod and iTunes event, where they announce the new iPod family, every September. However, the rumors are pointing towards a mid-August event this year instead.

The MacMagazine today received information from a reliable source within Apple about a new event to the press that the company was planning to soon. Although the schedule cite the source as somewhere around 14 and 16, we bet our chips on a Monday or Tuesday - that is, 16 or August 17.

We've already seen evidence of a new iPod touch with a front facing camera for FaceTime and a new rear camera with flash. In addition to these expectations, the source claims that Apple will deliver information about iOS 4 for the iPad as well as release iLife '11.

Apple has never discussed iLife during their fall iPod event, so why would they this year? Perhaps they will introduce a new music application to the suite that integrates with the iPod and iOS 4.

What do you think? Will we actually see an event in just a matter of weeks and what will be discussed? Sound off in the comments below!

[MacRumors]

Could Apple be getting ready to release a 7" iPad nano and re-designed iPhone 5 as early as January? Could the iPod shuffle or nano with a 1.7" screen be around the corner in September? Are bumpers going all-silicone?

Our gut says crazy talk, but iLounge has a pretty good track record on leaks so take these for what they're worth, even if it's with an ocean-sized grain of salt.

Here are some details:

1. New iPods. Apple apparently has three new iPods ready to go as early as this month, or as late as September. One is the new iPod nano, one is the new iPod touch, and the third one is a question mark, but may be a small (1.7”) touchscreen replacement for the iPod shuffle.

2. New iPad. A seven-inch-screened version of the iPad is substantially finished and will be ready for announcement either later this year or early in 2011.

3. New iPhone. According to our source—and we have to say that we find this part hard to believe—Apple is pushing up the release date of the fifth-generation iPhone to early 2011 (as soon as January) because of the antenna issues with the iPhone 4.

4. iPhone 4 Bumpers, Generations 0 and 2. To reduce the cost of the current iPhone 4 Case Program, the company is currently working on a less expensive all-silicone version of the Bumper to give away after September.

Would Apple fragment the iPad market so quickly by introducing a smaller device? They haven't done that with iPhone or iPod touch going on 4 years now. Could a January iPhone be an iPhone 4 variant for Verizon instead?

If you have any insight, shoot us an email. If you have a guess, drop it in the comments!

[iLounge]

Update: The Hulu Plus application [iTunes Link - Free] is now available within the App Store. We viewed some of the free content on a iPhone 4 over AT&T's 3G network and it streamed flawlessly.

Today that rumor of Hulu introducing a premium paid service has come true as they have officially announced Hulu Plus. It will run you a cool $9.99/month and that will give you streaming access - via Wi-Fi or 3G - to entire seasons of shows that are already available on the free web service along with other programming that is not available on Hulu's website. And the good news is it's just not for iPads but rather every device in the iOS family - iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. There will also be future support for a countless number of other devices such as the Playstation 3 (July) and Xbox 360 (2011). If this sounds like your cup of tea be sure to sign up for the preview invite here.

How many of you are getting ready to do away with your cable or satellite TV service?

Video after the break!

[Thanks to all of you who sent this in!]

Today's top 5 is directed towards iPhone users who travel for work, for fun, or for a little bit of both. From booking to preparing, finding your way to finding your food, and keeping yourself entertained while go, the iPhone really does have plenty of apps for all of that. Just like our other top 5 must-have iPhone app posts, all of these applications are available in the App Store. For the full run down, follow us after the break!

TripIt

Tripit [free - iTunes link] is an iPhone front-end to the free TripIt.com online service. With TripIt, once you book your online hotel and flight information, you just forward them the email and they automagically create a itinerary for you include flight times, airport maps, hotel maps, etc. Basically, all you travel has belong to them -- but they'll package and present it to you in a hyper convenient and consolidated manner.

If you're a hardcore traveler, TripIt.com also provides a pro version with added functionality.

Alternative: WorldMate [free - iTunes link] or [$14.99 - iTunes link], recommended by Alli.

Appigo Todo

Making a list and checking it twice isn't just for Santa's once-a-year trip, it's for everyone who needs to keep track of what to pack, where they want to go, and what they want to see. Appigo's Todo Lite [free - iTunes link] is a great starting point for task and list manager, and if you need more, there's a full version of Todo [$9.99 - iTunes] with a feature set that syncs with just about everything.

Alternatives: If you prefer to keep your lists in note-taking apps, check out our top 5 iPhone note apps roundup!

AT&T Navigator or NAVIGON MobileNavigator

If you're driving rather than flying, turn-by-turn navigation and your sense of direction is anything other than perfect, turn-by-turn navigation is a must and there are two major types for you to choose from -- online vs. on-device and subscription vs. paid outright.

AT&T Navigator [subscription - iTunes link] provides online maps and if you only need them for a summer road-trip through areas with good AT&T coverage, you can pay $9.99 grab it and go. (Powered by TeleNav, you can find other carrier-branded versions, like Rogers Navigator in Canada, in international App Store).

If you're going off-grid, however, you'll have to go offline and NAVIGON provides everything from the 1.5GB North America [$79.00 - iTunes link] to (for example) just the US East Coast ($29.00 - iTunes link]. They have a variety of international versions as well.

Alternative: whmurray recommends the built-in Maps app, which isn't turn-by-turn but is GPS-enabled and powered by Google.

ZAGAT To Go

Yes, it's complete overkill and yes, there are a numerous free/cheap ways to find restaurants with your iPhone but once in a while when you're traveling you just want to do it in style and that's ZAGAT To Go [$9.99 a year - iTunes link]. You get ratings and reviews from ZAGAT's famous guide, and an offline mode so you can download it all to your iPhone, iPod touch (or iPad -- it's a universal binary!).

Alternative: Yelp [free - iTunes link] was suggested by Jamesus.

iPod

It's built right into your iPhone and iPod touch (separated as Music and Video) and can keep you entertained with music, audio books, TV shows, movies, and podcasts everywhere from the airport to the airplane, hotel to restaurant. You can either transfer your own media from home before you leave or use the iTunes Store app to buy and rent the latest from Hollywood or download the best free content on the go. When Apple said the iPhone was the best iPod they'd ever made, they weren't exaggerating. (Sure, the iPad gets 10 hours of video out of its battery, but it's still not easy to pocket as the iPhone!)

Alternative: If you've got a SlingBox at home and want to keep up with your local sports teams or favorite shows while you're out of town, SlingPlayer Mobile [$29.99 - iTunes link] will transport your TV to your iPhone anywhere you have a Wi-Fi or 3G signal.

Conclusion

Well there you have them, our top 5 iPhone travel apps. Did we many any of your favorites? Be sure to check out our iPhone App and Games Forum for more of our members' recommendations, and leave yours in the thread -- or in the comments below!

Rene talks to Marc Edwards of Bjango about iStat [$0.99 on sale - iTunes link] for iPhone, iPod touch, and... iPad!

iStat lets you monitor the resources on your iPhone, including voice and data usage, RAM, storage, networking, up time, processes, and more, and remotely monitor resources for your Mac, Linux, or Solaris server. Additional tools include ping and traceroute. If you want to sit on the sofa and watch your octocore's CPU's to see when that big transcode or render is done, or if you want to try and narrow down a problem on your server floor from the coffee shop, give iStat a shot and let us know what you think.

Note: If you're a fan of iStat Menus on the Mac, they're running a poll [Google Spreadsheet link] on future versions so head on over and let them know what you think about price points and features.

Watch along after the break!

YouTube link

Apple's claim to the letter "i" has come to a screeching halt as a trademarks tribunal has rejected the company's bid to stop a small company from using their favorite letter of the alphabet.

This particular company wanted to name it's cases for Apple products DOPi, which is iPod spelled backwards. Apple's argument was that the DOPi name resembled their own products too closely and that it had potential to confuse consumers that they were purchasing a Apple product.

Now if you stop and think about it there are currently other products on the market that use the letter "i" that Apple has not gone after - iSkin or iSoft anyone? So that must mean Apple is protecting the name iPod simply spelled backwards but intellectual property lawyer Trevor Choy has a explanation for that.

"A competitor can sometimes get away with registering the reverse spelling of a registered trade mark - iPOD and DOPi. Here, they said that DOPi stands for 'Digital Options and Personalised Items',"

We will let our readers decide this case. Should Apple have a case or is this another case of the company simply trying to throw it's weight around? Sound off in the comments below!

[Thanks for the tip robert! Via smh.com.au]

iPod + iTunes is dead on the Apple.com menu, long live iPod | iPhone | iPad | iTunes. (And yes, Mac is still there too).

The all new iPad section coincides with the launch of pre-orders and pickups today, and links to all the content previously available at apple.com/ipad via the homepage. The broken out iPod and iTunes section lets Apple focus on the devices (with the iPod touch front and center) on the former, and the iTunes software and store on the latter.

So what do you think of the new navigation, cheers or jeers? And is iPhone, iPad, iPod, and iTunes taking the place over?

A high school student had her iPod explode on her desk yesterday and luckily not a single student was injured. This is not the first time we've heard of exploding iPods or iPhones but this particular case seems to be a little different so don't be so quick to blame Apple. Gizmodo points out that another student has told the true story.

"The iPod did not just explode. It was broken so a kid took the entire thing apart and was rubbing wires against the battery, which became very hot, then exploded. This is not a faulty product that caused a danger to people. This was bored kids, in a classroom with a substitute all week, who found a dangerous way to entertain themselves."

Moral of the story, if you don't know what you are doing and it can be dangerous... don't do it!

[Via Gizmodo via Newburyport Daily News]

Music Skins make premium vinyl adhesive skins for iPhone and iPod that protect from scuffs and scrapes without being all bulky about it, and while they features tons of artists, their big release right now is the Beatles. That's right, your iPhone can get the Fab Four on the outside before the iTunes Store offers them inside!

We'll take a look -- and start our give-away -- after the break!

If you haven't used a vinyl skin before, the process is simple and stress free. You peel them off, just like a sticker, align them on your iPhone or iPod touch, and then firmly press them down working your way from the center towards the edges. I typically use the camera on the iPhone as a guide but on the iPod touch I just eyeballed it and it worked out fine as well. I don't know (and no one will tell me) what roll NASA or Massive Dynamics played in coming up with the material, but it looks like a grid of tiny air pockets that make readjusting it in case of misalignment, and removing it if your tastes change, a relatively easy and hassle free process.

Now, it's important to remember that while a vinyl skin will sacrifice itself to protect your device from nicks, it won't protect it from a fall. On the other hand, there's almost zero added bulk and you won't notice any difference in the pocket. Also, because of the extremely low profile, most of the hard cases I tried out fit over it no problem (the softer, leather cases were a bit tight, especially with the added friction from the vinyl).

As to the quality of the skins themselves, the printing was colorfully retro, the edges clean and precise, and the fit was well finished. They also provide matching wall paper for your lock screen.

TiPb met up with Music Skins at CES 2010 where they showed us their latest, greatest Beatles Limited Edition Collector's Set for iPod and iPhone (only 250 available world wide!) and sent one on for us to show you. And like we mentioned in the title, now that we're done showing it they're letting us give it away, and that's not all. Here's the complete rundown:

• One (1) grand give-away, Beatles Limited Edition Collector's Set for iPod and iPhone!
• Five (5) runner-up giveaways: Music Skin, style and device of your choosing!

Want? Here's all you have to do:

• Head on over to the TiPb Forums and tell us your favorite Beatles song (and if you don't have one, tell us your favorite non-Beatles song!)
• Contest starts now and ends Saturday, Feb. 6 at 12pm PST
• We'll randomly pick the winners and let you know via PM.

Could Apple be ending the old-school clickwheel iPod games? Perhaps, according to a comment by developer Square Enix:

the iPhone Song Summoner contains both Song Summoner and Song Summoner 2, which was never released due to Apple ending support for click wheel games.

No doubt iPhone and iPod touch gaming has become a juggernaut, and the traditional iPod nano and iPod classic are slowly winding down in popularity. But is this the first portent of Apple going all-in with the iPhone OS platform?

[Joystiq via 9to5mac]

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they're iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they're fair game.

So who's on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad's Pick: Reeder

I love Google Reader. The web interface is nice, but I desperately want an app to sync it with. I have found the perfect app; Reeder. Why? It looks great, has the fastest sync there is and the interface is fast and clean. At only $1.99, this app is a steal! [$1.99 - iTunes link]

James' Pick: iPod

One of the reasons that I purchased my first iPhone is that I have always been looking to converge all of my devices into one. I travel every week for work and carrying around an iPod, a digital camera, a cell phone and a portable DVD player can be a real pain while trying to go through the security line at the airport. With all of my cords, etc. I almost always get stopped and searched. Now while it seems I am picking the iPhone in general, I most use the iPod function. While being stuck on the runway, delayed at O'Hare, or long cross country flights, I need my music to help me get through the flight. If music isn't what I want to do, I can always catch up on my latest TV shows and movies. [Built-in]

Justin's Pick: Maps

I know everyone frowns on picking built in apps, but I haven't tried any new apps worth talking about so my pick is the Map app. In the past few weeks it's helped me, more than once, navigate new roads after getting fed up with traffic and turning off the highway onto some random street. Plus, I've used the traffic feature to avoid some routes in the first place. Besides TweetDeck, Weather, and Facebook it's probably my most used app. [Built in]

Matt's Pick: Notifications

I've never regularly used an RSS reader, because I would add a lot of feeds, then when I'd open it, I had all these things to read and that little number badge would be in the hundreds staring at me from my springboard. I happen to be one of those people that if there's a number badge on an app, then it needs to be resolved immediately. So I deleted the app. Resolved, right?!? The resolution to my issue was using the Notifications app. This allowed me to set up certain RSS feeds to be checked and Push notifications to be sent to me. Notifications doesn't only do push for RSS, but Twitter, Gmail & more, This allows me to pick and choose which RSS articles (or whatever) to view when they pop up instead of putting them off for later. [$2.99 - iTunes link]

Leanna's Pick: Bejeweled 2

PopCap Games sure knows how to feed into my addiction of puzzle games. A few months back they successfully took over my life with Peggle and now I'm addicted to Bejeweled 2, more specifically, Blitz mode. Bejeweled Blitz is a one minute speed version of the classic game that is also available on Facebook. With Facebook Connect, Bejeweled Blitz is now with me everywhere I go! Not only is this game terribly addicting, but it looks and sounds amazing as well. [$2.99 - iTunes link]

Rene's Pick: Instapaper (Pro/Free)

I learned a while ago that I had time to either read, or write -- not both. Luckily, technological advances like RSS and Instapaper have let me squeeze in some honest-for-pleasure reading again, if only newsy/opiniony web matter. Still, with drop-dead simple bookmarklet integration on the desktop (find an article, hit the bookmarklet, it's saved), and transparent syncing between desktop and dedicated iPhone client, no longer is my day filled with "boy I wish I had time to read that non-iPhone-related post" but rather a single tap on Instapaper and it's now "boy I hope I have time to read this non-iPhone-related post later!" (I purchased the Pro version to support the developer, but there's also a free version if you want to try before you support) [$4.99 - iTunes link] or [Free - iTunes link]

Crackberry Kevin's Pick: BlackBerry Bold 9700

[Er, thanks Kevin. We think. Check it out on CrackBerry.com if you must... - Rene]

Your Pick?

You're part of team TiPb too, so what's your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us -- and everyone -- know in the comments!

Welcome to From the Forums. If you are curious as to what all of the hot topics are on the TiPb forums, this is the place to be. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

Our first thread of the day includes a poll and comes to us from cobra302 - Glass up or down? Are you one of the brave few who actually set their iPhone face down?

Like c0mpguru mentions in the following thread, MMS is finally coming to your iPhone on September 25th. Most of you should be excited judging from the anger and outrage from this long delay but we want to know have your feelings changed what so ever toward AT&T?

So you are having an issue with your iPhone and need some help? Perhaps you have some time to kill and feel like helping others with their iPhone issues? If you answered yes to either of these questions then please stop by and visit our dedicated iPhone Help forum.

See you on the forums!

Could the long-rumored cameras being added to the iPod touch, iPod nano, and even iPod classic have hit a snag, leading to a delay that might affect Apple's "It's only rock and roll but we like it" special music event planned for Wednesday?

AppleInsider, citing a "person with a strong track record in predicting Apple's upcoming product launches" (PWASTRIPAUPL), is rumoring just that:

the iPod maker experienced technical problems with the cameras months ago. The person said that it was uncertain whether the new hardware, which has been widely expected to debut at Wednesday's "Only rock and roll" media-centric event, would make the cut for early September.

Since the iPod touch is so similar to the iPhone, unless Apple is trying to cram the cam into too thin an enclosure, we have a hard time seeing the problem in that SKU. Whether or not the rumor is accurate, whether or not it effects all the of the iPods or just iPod nano and iPod classic, and whether or not Apple delays announcing the new iPods or simply announces them as "shipping in the future" are all, of course, unknown.

With so much of the music events -- and holiday shopping season -- relying on the iPod lineup, however, it's hard to imagine them letting things slip much, if at all.

What say you?

Apple has finished their investigation in the case of the exploding iPhones/Pods and the results are not shocking - the battery malfunction theory has been rejected. It was first rumored that defective batteries were more than likely the cause of the devices going boom but as it turns out, excess force was the reason - according to Apple.

"The iPhones with broken glass that we have analysed to date show that in all cases the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone."

With 26 million iPhones and 200 million iPods sold to date, Apple claims there are zero confirmed battery overheating incidents for iPhone 3GS and the number of reports of overheating they have investigated are in the single digits.

So are you buying what Apple is selling? Could these isolated incidents actually be due to excessive force in every case or could there still be something up with those batteries? What do you think?

[Via Mac Daily News}

Numerous press reports are claiming that iPhones and iPods are "exploding" -- well, three isolated devices, at least so far. Apple is said to be investigating these reports and have no answers as of now.

"These are isolated incidents and... there is not a general problem, For the cases which have been reported in the media, Apple [is] trying to get more information on the details of the incidents and will do tests as necessary to investigate the possible cause."

It was last August that we reported on the iPod fires that were taking place. Three recent claims in the past few months have sparked this new investigation:

• we had a teenager in France who claims his girlfriend's iPhone blew up and sent glass flying
• an 11 year old girl who claimed her iPod "made a hissing noise and went pop"
• and on August 2, a Dutch man who claimed his iPhone 3G went up in flames and burned his car seat.

Thankfully no one was injured in any of the above incidents. With the millions of iPods and iPhones sold to date and only a very few being proven "faulty" this is nothing you should be too concerned about. In fact US Consumer Product Safety Commission claims that a total of 15 Apple devices since 2001 have been recorded as faulty, while none included any serious injury.

[Via Ars Technica]

Looks like Wednesday, September 9 might just be this year's date for Apple's annual iPod and iTunes event, where it's widely expected we'll see the third generation iPod touch (with video camera?), iTunes 9 (with Blu-Ray and "social" integration?), as well as other refreshes to Apple's music-themed lineup.

Now, TiPb thought it would be September 8, because Apple almost always drops product on Tuesdays, like last year's Let's Rock event (and it still might this year, the above is only a rumor from a source), but we're not going to read anything into it if it is a Wednesday this time around either.

All Things Digital also says, however, there's one big ticked item we won't be seeing:

The event will be held in San Francisco–most likely at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where it has occurred in years past–and is expected to showcase upgrades to the iPod line and an update to iTunes that may involve some sort of social element. Our sources insist it will not involve any discussion whatsoever of the tablet Apple is reportedly developing.

Still remaining, however, is the other great unknown -- will Steve Jobs take the stage once again, or leave things to the Tim Cook/Phil Schiller/Greg Jozwiak team that filled in during his leave of absence earlier in the year?

MediaMemo reports that multiple music industry sources have been informed that Apple's annual Special Music Event, typically involving iPod and iTunes, will take place the second week of September -- and since Apple usually holds these events on Tuesdays, that would make September 8 the day to watch.

Widely expected to be seen at the event is Apple's third generation iPod touch, rumored to be getting a camera like it's big iPhone brother, and perhaps the same "S stands for Speed" performance chipset. Chatter has also spread about the iPod nano getting a camera, as well as iTunes 9 speculation involving app organizing, Blu-Ray support, and social network integration. And let's not forgot iPhone 3.1 we saw iPhone 2.1 last year, after all).

The two biggest mysteries will, of course, be whether or not Apple chooses to debut their near-deafeningly rumored iTablet at the event, or hold off for another event (annual MacBook event perhaps?) or next year, and whether or not a newly returned Steve Jobs takes once again to the keynote stage.

TiPb will, as always, provide ongoing coverage leading up to, during, and post event. (We can't wait either!)

So much iPhone news came today that it's tough to keep track of it all. One thing we wanted to make sure didn't get lost in the shuffle was the iPod Touch news that came out today. Specifically, the iPhone 3.0 software will come to the iPod Touch for a $10 upgrade fee and will include an "unlock" to give the iPod Touch the Bluetooth functionality that's being added in iPhone 3.0.

Wait, what? Yes, the iPod Touch (at least the 2nd gen version) does indeed have a Bluetooth chip in it. We don't know exactly where or how the thing is hidden away inside, but Apple came clean today and said they could 'unlock' it. Longtime readers may remember that back in September this very issue raised its head and the verdict was that, well, we didn't think it was there. The deal is that modern devices like Smartphone and the iPod Touch often cram multiple radios and other functionality into a single chip. Back in September it looked as though the chip on the iPod Touch could support Bluetooth but that, well, it was more likely that it was there for Nike+'s "proprietary 802.11 protocol." So rumor smashed -- incorrectly.

Apple Store goes down, Apple Store comes up with just what we expected: a new revision of the iPod Shuffle. It's got 4 gigs of storage, comes in silver and black, and an all new feature: VoiceOver.

The new Shuffle is half the size of the previous -- a feat achieved by removing nearly all of the controls off the device itself and onto the headphone cable. Only the Off/Repeat/Shuffle switch stays on device. In other words -- don't plan on using your own headphones with the Shuffle. While that's a bit of a downer, the upside is that the headphone controls are very thoughtfully laid-out and easy to hit without looking.

VoiceOver and how the controls work -- after the break!

VoiceOver is pretty darn clever. It actually gets created on your PC or Mac and then synced over to the Shuffle with your music. The upshot is that Apple has managed to add the feature without having to ask too much of the little device. The voice you hear will therefore depend on what type of computer you sync to.

Back to controls: the are three buttons. Volume up and down is pretty obvious, then there's the middle button. A single click starts and stops music, a double click advances tracks. Holding down the middle button activates VoiceOver, which reads title and artist. Holding it down even longer activates a beep and then the Shuffle reads through your playlists, you can click to select the one you want.

In all, it's a pretty neat little iPod, available now (ships within a week), for $79. Unclear is whether or not the feature is going to be made available to other iPods or the iPhone. Given that the heavy lifting of creating VoiceOver happens on the computer instead of the iPod, it seems like a no-brainer. It might be a little more dicey with the iPhone and iPod Touch, though, since you're able to download music directly.

Any iPhone owners out there thinking of supplementing their Apple music phone with an Apple music gadget?

So Macworld 2009 has come and gone. Sad, yes we all know. Although, that does not mean all of the special deals that were going on at the show are gone! One of discounts still floating around comes to us from RichardSolo.

Are you someone who has issues with your iPhone not having enough battery life to last you a full day? Well here is a option that you may be interested in. Enter the RichardSolo 1800, battery back up. From now until January 30th, enter coupon code 'Macworld' at checkout and you will get $20 off your very own RichardSolo 1800 which retails for a cool $69.99.

Now we're introducing our newest backup battery, using Apple's proprietary connector: the rechargeable RichardSolo 1800 Battery — just snap it on and it begins to charge instantly. It is certified both "Works with iPhone" and "Made for iPod", and for both the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G.

For full details of this handy device be sure to keep an eye out for Rene's review coming soon!

For those of you waiting for Apple's new headphones, the patience you have displayed for the past 3 months has paid off. The day is finally here and you can now place your order.

Hear every detail of your music every time you tune in with the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. They offer pro audio performance and impressive sound isolation, and convenient buttons let you adjust the volume and control music and video playback.

The Apple store is claiming the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic will begin shipping within 7-10 business days and will run you $79. The earphones with remote and mic carry a 3-4 week wait and have a price tag of $29. And with that 3-4 week wait, don't expect these before the holidays.

Place your order today!

We always see (almost entirely incorrect) 'outlines' of keynotes in the runup to any Apple event, now we're getting them before the runup starts. It's a pretty safe be that Apple will be doing something in late September or October, they always try to have new iPod announcements before the holiday season. So go grab your salt shaker, pour out a few grains (actually, you might want to use them all), and take a gander at what Anonymous has told to expect in a "late September event," after the break.

Our take on the list you're about to read: real iPhone file access would be a godsend and it's a natural next step for the platform. iTunes Unlimited Music Subscriptions have been oft-rumored but given how strident Jobs has been about people wanting to own music instead of subscribe to it, we're still doubters. Then again, he did say the same thing about mobile video right before the iPod got video support. Basically, there's nothing there that we really think is a lock.

Here's a better question: what do you think Apple has in store for us this coming holiday season?

The outline from Anonymous:

New iPhone / Mobile Me Enhancements

• Enable disk use on the iPhone
• When enabled for disk use, iDisk folder accessible on the iPhone
• iDisk app on the iPhone
• Viewable formats can be opened, other formats grayed out
• Button to sync with MobileMe
• Photo syncing support via MobileMe
• October launch

iTunes Unlimited Music Subscription

• iTunes Unlimited
• 256 Kbps music; highest quality digital music subscription service ever
• 50% of U.S. store available for iTunes Unlimited at launch, U.S.-only launch
• Available through iTunes or retail box a la MobileMe, funds applied through iTunes gift cards cannot be used towards subscription purchase
• $129.99 stand-alone or $179.99 with MobileMe, current MobileMe subscribers can add iTunes Unlimited for $99.99
• One-year subscription period
• Current a la carte options unchanged
• When signed in to subscription account, “Buy” is “Get”
• “Download and Play throughout iTunes Unlimited Subscription” or “Buy and Keep”
• “Buy and Keep” option available for downloaded subscription songs, purchased version replaces subscription version
• Late October launch with iTunes 7.8

The iPhone might be the best iPod ever, but as Steve Jobs keeps saying, if no one else can compete with Apple, Apple will compete with itself. Witness a number of new iPod rumors that have just surfaced.

First up, iPhone Atlas brings word of a new iPod Touch. Seems the latest developer deep diving in the upcoming iPhone 2.0 code, in addition to cut and paste, has discovered strings for what looks like iPod Touch 2,1. To give perspective, the original iPhone and iPod Touch were 1,1, while the iPhone 3G is 1,2. A jump to 2,1 then looks to be an upgrade quite a bit more significant than what the iPhone just enjoyed. A replacement? An additional model? A twice-sized iTablet? And what will this mean for the similarly Mobile OS X powered iPhone?

Next up, iLounge says the next iPod Nano will shed its "phat" and grow tall again to accommodate an iPhone/iPod Touch wider-screen aspect ratio of 1.5:1 (bumped from the current 1.33:1). iLounge -- and almost everyone else who picked up the story -- headlined the form factor as "Zune-like", for obvious link... er... attraction purposes. Well played!

Also, while rumors have swirled over multi-colored iPods being introduced in the next generation, which harken back to marketing mishaps like the Flower Power iMac of yore, MacObserver reveals a new Apple patent application for "computing device with dynamic ornamental [i.e. color changing] appearance". Though supremely awesome in concept (Predator-like chameleon camo class awesome), iLounge claims any rumors of multi-colored iPods coming this year are inaccurate. Instead, each model will sport its own anodized aluminum skin, much like the old iPod Nano.

Lastly, Apple Insider says Apple is advising resellers to stock up soon, as iPod shortages this way come. Clearing out stock in preparation for another Special Event this autumn? The last one not only debuted the iPod Touch, but a new iPhone Firmware which included the WiFi Music Store, so we certainly hope so!