Apple will announce the iPad 3 in the first week of March according to All Things D, which has a superb track record when it comes to the timing of Apple events. Apple typically holds these types of events on a Tuesday or Wednesday, making March 6 or 7 likely targets. Apple iPad launches have so far been on Fridays, so possibilities include March 16 and 23.

Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to debut the successor to the iPad 2 and will do so at one of its trademark special events. The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these. No word yet on a street date for the iPad 3 (assuming that’s what it’s called), though my guess is retail availability will follow roughly the same schedule as that of the iPad 2: available for purchase a week or so after the event.

The iPad 3 is widely expected to have a similar form factor to the currently available iPad 2. The main differences are thought to be on the inside with a faster processor, improved graphics performance and the much sought after Retina display. That would give the iPad 3 a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 9.7-inches.

Features like a quad-core processor and LTE networking have been the subject of conflicting rumors.

Come event day, what are you hoping to see?

Source: All Things D

Amazon has joined the trend set by Samsung in knocking Apple in its commercials. Amazon’s latest commercial for its range of Kindle devices goes all out to make the point that you can buy three Kindle devices for the cost of one iPad. That would be two Kindle Fire tablets and one Kindle which would come to a total cost of $477.

This is not the first time that Amazon has made comparisons with the iPad. In a previous Kindle commercial, Amazon made the point that the Kindle was easier to read in direct sunlight, is smaller, lighter and less expensive than Apple’s iPad too. This time it is purely about the price and no mention of feature comparisons.

The Kindle Fire does appear to be the closest competitor to the iPad so far. It is extremely cheap to buy at just $199 however it also lacks a lot of the main features that the iPad has to offer. It will be interesting to see how it is selling if Amazon ever reveals any figures.

Source: TNW

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

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

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

Source: Engadget

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

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

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

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

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

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

$69.95 – Buy now

Via: 9to5 Mac

The Devium Dash Kickstarter project is a replacement stereo system for your car with one big difference. Its brain is your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. The unique Devium Dash is composed of two parts. The body sits in your car and provides 4 x 50w to power your speakers, two 2v Maxim preamps for front and rear/sub, as well as AUX-in and a video pass-through for an in-car display. The faceplate attaches magnetically to the body and docks your iPhone or iPod touch. This means that, for example, if Apple releases an iPhone 5 with a different form factor, you don’t need to replace the entire Devium Dash when you upgrade; you simply acquire a new faceplate adapter.

Once slotted into the Devium Dash, your iPhone or iPod is fully powered and you then have access to all your iTunes and streaming media, including services like Pandora and Netflix hands free Bluetooth calling, turn-by-turn navigation apps and, of course, Siri. Because the Devium Dash holds your device in landscape orientation, they are planning several custom apps such as a phone dialer and substitute “home screen” with app shortcuts to make the experience better. They’re also teasing a kit that will let your iPhone or iPod touch communicate with your car’s on-board computer.

Toss the CDs, chargers, and FM transmitters and show off your awesome piece of technology. Get your phone out of the cup holder, your pocket, or the unsightly windshield mount. Now there’s a place for everything. Dash, patent pending, is the convergence of the car stereo and your smartphone. Today’s smartphones provide a level of connectivity, accessibility, and usability that has not been possible in the car audio market Dash doesn’t require that you learn a new interface to use your stereo. You already know how to use your phone to access your music, your navigation app, your phone calls, and the incredible number of other apps in your phone’s marketplace.

Obviously the downside is that you have to remove your existing in-car entertainment system to fit the Devium Dash. They maintain this is no more difficult than installing a GPS unit, so if you are happy enough to do that, and the Devim Dash is compatible with your car model, then installation should be pretty simple.

Mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod touch are taking an increasingly important role in automotive technologies. Several prominent systems like Microsoft Sync and OnStar now interface with iOS apps, and electric cars like the Chevy Volt and Focus Electric provide for even higher levels of remote control. For people who have older cars, however, mobile device integration has been extremely limited. While focused on entertainment and travel assistance, products like the Devium Dash open the door to the next generation of driver experience.

The Kickstarter project has so far attracted pledges of over $20,000 which is just under the half way mark before it gets funded. It still has 45 days to run so we will keep a close eye on it to see if it makes it.

The Devium Dash is expected to ship in July, 2012.

Source: Kickstarter via @adora

Devium Dash – Daily-use Demo from Paul Lizer on Vimeo.

Kenisngton and Chelsea College in the UK is planning a new course which will be devoted entirely to taking photographs with the iPhone’s camera. The course in “iPhoneography” is thought to be the first ever course of its kind in the United Kingdom.

The college says many iPhone owners struggle to use the camera properly. Students will create images using the iPhone camera and a range of “apps”. Tutor, Richard Gray, said: “all you need is a passion for photography and a creative mind.” Students are required to have their own iPhone to do the course which will begin next month. “With the right apps and skills, the iPhone can be a powerful creative tool,” said Mr Gray. “It is a great levelling force within photography. No longer do you need expensive or complex equipment to produce great images,” he added.

Mr Gray is planning on teaching students the basic rules of composition, color and light as well as editing skills using various iOS apps. He sees the iPhone as revolutionising photography by the way it allows you to take a picture, edit it and post it online all within minutes; no matter where you are. Mr Gray will also be holding a free workshop at the Apple Store in Regent Street, London in the near future.

We’ve been saying that here at iMore for years, of course. We even have a dedicated iPhone photography forum available for you to discuss the subject, share tips, and start projects. With more to come!

Source: BBC

With the launch of the Mobile Nations Fitness Month odds are you were probably out and about being active and doing things that, unfortunately, led to you missing some great news. Fear not, we know things get in the way, and news can be easy to miss so, let’s check out some of the highlights from the week gone by.

iPhone news

• Is Apple testing Oracle’s ZFS file system to make iOS and iCloud storage better, faster, and more resilient?
• Former Apple manager tells how the original iPhone was developed, why it went with Gorilla Glass
• iPhone 4S demand finally satisfied, all models now in stock for next day delivery
• iPhone 5 to launch at WWDC in June, claims analyst

iPad news

• Could Apple release a separate 4G LTE iPad 3 and Phone 5 in select markets?
• Supposed debug leak shows iPad 3 with quad-core A6 chip and LTE
• More rumors of iPad 3 coming in March, but no “strange” event in February

App news

• Manage your Sprint account on your iPhone with Sprint Mobile Zone
• Angry Birds boss doesn’t see app piracy as a problem
• Pad & Quill brings stylish notes to your iPhone and iPad
• iMovie vs Avid Studio: iPad video editing app shootout

Jailbreak news

• How to tell if your iPhone 3GS has an older or newer bootrom [jailbreak tip]
• Add customization options to ‘slide to unlock’ text with Slider Pro [Jailbreak]
• BiteSMS vs Messages+ for iOS 5: which should you use?
• Add launch preferences to Phone.app with StartDial for iPhone [jailbreak]
• Hands-on with Zephyr for the iPhone and iPod Touch [Jailbreak Apps]

Accessory news

• Hands on with the Crimson cases, sticker skins, and edgings for iPhone
• Case-Mate POP! Case with Stand for iPad 2 review [Giveaway]
• Incipio Hive Honeycomb dermaSHOT Silicone Case for iPad 2 review [Giveaway]
• Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 review [Giveaway]
• OverBoard waterproof case for iPad review [Giveaway]

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

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

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

• App Store link

Avid Studio is a new app that lets you edit video, audio and photographs right on your iPad. And if you think Apple’s iPad version of iMovie has just gotten some real competition in the video editing space — you’re right.

Avid and Apple have been battling it out for years now in the professional space, with Avid’s high end movie editing kit seeing competition from Apple’s much lower priced Final Cut Studio. Several prominent directors switched from Avid to make high profile movies using Final Cut. Following Apple’s recent re-invention of the digital editing model with Final Cut X, they faced a lot of push back from unhappy editors who missed features or simply didn’t like the new software. Apple did, however, achieve some consistency across their editing software, with everything from iMovie on iPhone and iPad, to iMovie on Mac, to Final Cut Pro embracing similar user interface and design concepts.

Now Avid is bringing the battle back to Apple, and on Apple’s mobile turf for a change. We’ll have a full hands-on, and a side-by-side comparison with iMovie coming your ways soon. In the meantime, here are all the details on Avid Studio for iPad.

Big-screen moviemaking comes to the touchscreen with Avid® Studio for iPad. We’ve distilled the world’s leading film-editing technology into an easy-to-use app that enables you to edit video, audio, and photos at the speed of your creativity. Swiftly arrange your clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and add high-quality transitions, effects, and a soundtrack. Then share your movie directly to YouTube, Facebook, and more—or export your project to Avid Studio for the PC and continue editing with even more advanced tools.

Easily Access Your Media

• Work with any media on your device—video, audio, and photos
• Access media from external devices via an iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately)
• Capture video and photos from within the app
• See your media organized by Albums, Events, Faces, and more

• Get started quickly with how-to materials
• Easily navigate your project with intuitive gestures
• Swiftly arrange clips in the Storyboard
• Make precise edits and trim individual frames in the Precision Trimmer
• Use the Razor Blade tool to cut on the fly and delete or replace the second half of the clip
• Easily replace one clip with another

• Quickly create multi-layer 3D animations, transitions, and titles with included Montage templates
• Easily composite video tracks to create layered looks
• Add high-quality fades and dissolves to help your story flow
• Generate professional-looking motion titles and graphics with full control over text, font, color, size, position, and rotation
• Create amazing Picture-in-Picture effects with full control over position, size, and rotation
• Pan and zoom on your photos to create high-impact slideshows
• Enjoy full-screen playback

• Use your own audio or choose from the included sound effects
• Trim audio to any length, set levels, and fade audio in or out

• Easily share movies via YouTube, Facebook, email, and more
• Export projects to Avid Studio for the PC

• Created by Avid, the maker of the world’s leading film and music editing technology
• Easy enough for the hobbyist, powerful enough for the pro

• App Store link

Luckily for Sony, soon to be appointed CEO Kaz Hirai formed a User Experience Group and culled all but one of the projects. This lead to the development of Sony’s Tablet S hardware along with its Playstation suite integration.

The company had long had a reputation for creating ‘silos,’ or divisions that operated in isolation from each other. Aside from creating a disunited front, it sometimes led to segments being actively jealous of each other and refusing to collaborate. Walkman and home theater groups, for example, didn’t get the cooperation from Sony’s own music and movie groups to make digital media stores.

Source: WSJ via Electronista

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

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

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

• Free – App Store link

Source: Inside Flipboard

Canadian musician Neil Young has claimed in an interview that Steve Jobs preferred listening to music played back on vinyl rather than digitally via an iPod. Speaking to Peter Kafka and Walt Mossberg at the D: Dive Into Media conference, he told them that he discussed the prospect of offering higher quality digital music downloads with Steve Jobs.

“Steve Jobs was a pioneer of digital music, and his legacy is tremendous,” Young said. “But when he went home, he listened to vinyl. And you’ve gotta believe that if he’d lived long enough, he would have eventually done what I’m trying to do.”

Source: Macworld, Image: All Things D

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

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

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

Full press release below.

John Browett Joins Apple as Senior Vice President of Retail

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

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

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

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

Apple has finally caught up with the huge demand for the iPhone 4S. For the first time since its iPhone 4S launch way back< in October/a>, all models of the iPhone 4S are now shown as in stock.

No matter which model you go for, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB or which carrier you choose from AT&T, Verizon or Sprint, they are all in stock. Even the unlocked and contract free models too.

Source: Apple Store via Macrumors

Acoording to a report by Reuters, Apple’s generous customer service may be causing huge problems for victims of iPhone theft. The warranty plan is tied to the iPhone and not the person who owns the phone; this means anyone can take an iPhone to an Apple Store for service or replacement.

The ease of trading in stolen iPhones and selling their replacements makes them nearly as tempting as grabbing cash. In cities from coast-to-coast, reports of iPhone thefts are common. While some thieves sell the phones through the traditional channels of fencing stolen goods, examples abound of stolen iPhones being brought back to Apple, as if broken, for either replacement or a discount on a new unit. ”Apple seems to have not considered stolen devices and instead is relying on the honor system,” says Robert Siciliano, a consultant for Intel Corp’s technology security unit McAfee and an identity theft expert. “The honor system is devised with the mindset that we are all sheep and there are no wolves.” Siciliano says he has known of this problem for a while, but doesn’t see any immediate solution. “Until consumers scream loud enough about this issue, Apple probably won’t do anything about it.”

Apple has yet to comment on the findings within the report but let’s hope a simple solution can be found that will not cause pain for the honest amongst us. The last thing we need is for Apple to change its policies and make life more difficult when it comes to iPhone service and replacement.

Source: Reuters, Image Wikipedia

Tim Cook has apparently unveiled some new Apple employee benefits at yesterdays Town Hall meeting. According to 9to5Mac, the meeting was all about giving something back to the people who worked so hard to put Apple where it is today; one of the wealthiest businesses in the world.

Cook announced that Apple employees will soon be given $500 discounts on purchases of new Macs and $250 discounts on purchases of a new iPad. The new discount program will officially kickoff at some point during June 2012. A major caveat is that Apple employees may only utilize the opportunity every three years and employees must have been working for Apple for at least 90 days.

Source: 9to5 Mac

UK network O2 appears to be submitting your telephone number to any website you visit whilst using the data connection on your phone. According to report from TNW, the information is transmitted when a user asks for a webpage view.

The issue was brought to our attention to Lewis Peckover, who created a simple webpage to check the information that a mobile browser would send to a website when it requested data. Whilst most of the data was to be expected, including the Host, User Agent, Referrer and Encoding, there was also another field in the results — x-up-calling-line-id. What is x-up-calling-line-id? Your mobile phone number.

We’re investigating this with our internal teams, and will come back with more as soon as we can

Source: TNW

Microsoft has launched another app for the iPad, this time it is MSN UK. MSN UK is brings all the latest news, sport and entertainment from the UK right to your iPad.

The MSN experience is now enhanced on iPad – easily swipe to find your favourite news, sport and entertainment articles and videos. Excited about something you read on MSN for iPad? Just tap and share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

• Reading articles on MSN for iPad feels natural, no matter how you hold your iPad – in either portrait or landscape modes. We’ve added popular photo galleries, slideshows and videos to add depth to what you’re browsing. You can even download stories to your iPad for when you’re not connected to a network later. Need to dig deeper on something you just read? We’ve built Bing right into the top of the app for easy searching.
• Popular photo galleries and slideshows
• Quick access to Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger
• View in portrait and landscape modes, whatever is easier for you
• Send feedback to the MSN team – let us know what you think

If the iPad’s Auto-Lock is set to 2 or 5 minutes, the downloading of an issue of MSN for offline viewing may be interrupted when the iPad locks the screen. You may see the dialog box showing that the download is in progress, but the background downloading of the issue may have stopped. Tap Cancel to close the dialog box. You may need to close and restart the app to resume the offline download.

• App Store link

Virgin America has named one of its planes in memory of Steve Jobs. The plane has a well known Jobs quote emblazoned across it from his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”.

On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Source: MacRumors

Imagine for a moment that Apple had come to market with a Microsoft Surface-style multitouch table, then take a look at these concept pictures of what it could have been. Forget workstations showing off blue screens of death, instead replace those thoughts with beautiful functional workspaces where placing your iOS device on the table could initiate an iTunes or iCloud sync.

The desk could sync with your Mac or potentially have a Mac built in, perhaps with a portion of the desk’s surface angled upward to serve as a display. Tactile keyboards could likewise be replaced by a digital touch-sensitive version (endlessly configurable to your preferences for individual apps), and any part of the desk’s surface could be cordoned off as a trackpad area. Files could be transferred easily between Macs, iPhones, iPads, and so on by sitting the devices on the desk and swiping file icons across its surface from one device to the other. Shared files could be passed between coworkers via digital inboxes, designated digital “trays” that collect documents sent from other iDesks. And of course, the desk would wirelessly sync to your iCloud account to keep calendars, contacts, and other data updated across all your gizmos.

Source: Mac Life via 9to5Mac

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

Source: Pocket Gamer

Samsung has again launched an attack on iPhone users with its latest advertisement for the Samsung Galaxy S II Android phone. The ad starts with a line of people waiting outside what appears be an Apple Store in Austin TX.

The ad attempts to poke fun at the iPhone 4S as it has the same form factor as the previous iPhone 4 as well as the fact that it doesn’t come with any inbuilt satellite navigation capabilities. The tagline is “The next big thing is already here”.

Source: YouTube

McGraw Hill CEO, Terry McGraw has paid a huge amount of credit to Steve Jobs over the launch of iBooks 2, which brought the availability of low price textbooks on the iPad.  Speaking to the press after Apple’s education event yesterday, McGraw was asked a number of questions by All Things D reporter Peter Kafka. He was asked why now for digital textbooks as Apple had been talking to publishers for the last few years.

Sitting and listening to all of this, I wish Steve Jobs was here. I was with him in June this past year, and we were talking about some of the benchmarks, and some of the things that we were trying to do together. He should be here. He probably is [gesturing up and around]. This was his vision, this was his idea, and it all had to do with the iPad.

We’ll do whatever we can to make this the most meaningful space. And the person, or, well, Steve Jobs and Apple, have done more, in terms of creating this personalized learning platform than anyone.

Source: All Things D

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

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

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

Apple has posted the full education event keynote video on its website and placed it on iTunes for download. The keynote video covers all of today’s education announcements including iBooks 2, iTunes U and iBooks Author for Mac.

If you subscribe to Apple Keynote podcasts in iTunes you should find it there when you refresh. If you don’t want to watch it via iTunes, there is also a stream available on their website via the link below.

• iTunes link
• Apple.com link.  

Brookstone is set to launch an iPad specific hardware scanner in February. The scanner has been designed for the road warrior that no longer wants or needs to carry around a laptop, but needs to regularly scan documents on the go .

Our iConvert Scanner for iPad and iPad 2 Tablets scans hard copies to JPEG files directly to your tablet, giving you instant e-copies of your most important documents. The JPEG files are automatically stored in the picture folder. Great for use at home, the office and on the go. The entire scanner is sized to take with you in your messenger bag or backpack.

Source: Brookstone

Firecore has released an updated version of its aTV Flash (black) software that runs on any jailbroken second generation Apple TV. The new update, version 1.2,  adds in some nice new features like video zoom options, grid view, watched icons, quick access to recently visited browser pages and a huge raft of bug fixes.

• Three all new zoom options (Normal, Crop, and Stretch) allow you choose how videos are displayed. You can keep videos in their native format (widescreen or pillar box) or crop/stretch them to fill the entire screen.
• Watched indicator icons have been added to the grid view. These icons allow you to quickly see which content is new and ready to be enjoyed. (Note: These can be disabled through the Media –> Settings menu if desired)
• Couch Surfer now displays thumbnail images in the ‘top shelf’ area of the main menu, which allows you to quickly get back to recently viewed pages.

• Added video zoom options (available through Playback Menu)
• Added watched indicators to grid view
• Added ‘Recently Visited’ section to Browser top shelf
• Added support for MicroDVD .SUB files
• Added screensaver during pause
• Added file delete option
• Added activity indicator for metadata clearing
• Added ‘tune’ icon placeholder for audio files without metadata
• Added episode number to the fetched name the list view
• Added Reload Metadata’ option in contextual menu for folders
• Added ‘no items’ message to the ‘Unwatched’ filter of the list view
• Added gray ticket image caching
• Added loading screen when opening Manage Extras menu
• Improved scrubber bar logic
• Improved audio feedback for watched and pre-playback screens
• Improved poster loading for large folders
• Improved support for DVDs without menus
• Improved subtitle support for right-to-left languages (e.g. Hebrew)
• Improved installer device detection
• Resolved minor memory management issues
• Resolved issues with subtitles settings while playing a playlist
• Resolved issues with yellow subtitles displayed for movies converted with Handbrake
• Resolved conflicts with default audio player
• Resolved issues with passwords that contain @ symbols
• Resolved issues with metadata loading for files that contain ‘/’ in folder or file name
• Resolved buffer overflow in libafpclient observed when navigating folders with long names
• Resolved issues with installer Bonjour detection
• Resolved rare crashes during web browsing
• Changed metadata format to S.# / Ep.# for TV Shows
• Disabled metadata processing during movie playback
• Corrected audio feedback when pressing Menu while in grid view
• Minor UI improvements
• Other miscellaneous bug fixes

If you’re not already jailbroken, you can jailbreak your AppleTV via Seas0nPass. You’ll just need the most recent version of Seas0nPass and a micro-usb cable. For help, you can check out our guide on how to jailbreak the AppleTV second generation. All the steps will remain the same as long as you grab the correct version of Seas0nPass for your AppleTV firmware.

Source: Firecore

Chronic Dev Team member pod2g has again teased everyone waiting for an iPhone 4S and iPad 2 untethered jailbreak. This time he has released a picture of an iPad 2 running Cydia after being jailbroken by the soon to be released untethered iOS 5.01 jailbreak.

We have already seen a demo video of an iPhone 4S running with an untethered jailbreak a few days ago and we were told then that we only had to wait a few more. Now with this release, all we hear is “No more to say!” We assume that this means that the untethered jailbreak for A5 devices is now complete and may be released as early as this week.

Non-A5 iPhone and iPad owners can untethered jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 right now.

Source: pod2g Blog

Canadian retailer Future Shop, part of the Best Buy empire, is investigating a scam where some iPad 2 devices purchased in its Vancouver stores turned out to be fake. It appears that scammers bought as many as ten iPad 2s and swapped them for modelling clay.

Future Shop said scam artists bought Apple’s popular tablet computers with cash, replaced the devices with bags of model clay, resealed the boxes and returned them. The returned fakes were then put back on the shelf and sold to unsuspecting customers. It really saddens Future Shop that people stoop to be this opportunistic and make money is this kind of organized way.

One customer gave his wife one of the iPad 2s for Christmas; she was very shocked to receive an iPad 2 box with just a lump of modelling clay inside. To make matters worse, when he returned the iPad 2, he was apparently treated like a criminal by the store’s manager. Thankfully Future Shop has now refunded the cost of the iPad 2 and given the customer a free iPad 2 as compensation for the mix up.

Source: CTV News

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

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

Source: Ars Technica

Japanese car manufacturer Nissan has announced that it will soon be launching a line of self repairing cases for the iPhone. The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone cases will use a special paint technology that Nissan already uses on its cars. The paint was developed back in 2005 in a joint effort between Nissan, the University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc.

The outer ‘paint’ is made from polyrotaxane, which means that when damage occurs to the coating in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react to change back to its original shape and fill the gap – ‘healing’ the blemish.

Source: TNW

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

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

Source: Andriasang

According to a report by the Jakarta Globe, the iPhone 4S will soon be available in Singapore without a front or rear facing camera. One small carrier in Singapore even went live with a web page displaying pricing for a version of the iPhone 4S with no camera; it was later taken down. Whilst it was live, it showed a 64GB version of the iPhone 4S with no camera going for $900. It is thought that these models of iPhone are being made available for those in the armed forces where smartphones with cameras are banned from army camps.

Currently, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen are allowed to take only no-camera smartphones into camp. Because of this, many own two phones – one for use in the camp and another outside.Those with no-camera smartphones are able to tap into the Wi-Fi networks, now covering more camps, to surf the Internet.

Source: Jakarta Globe

An iPhone Marimba alarm tone brought a total halt to a performance by the New York Philharmonic whilst playing Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. The orchestra conductor Alan Gilbert, stopped the performance but the Marimba tone kept on playing. After a few words from Mr. Gilbert, the owner of the iPhone finally managed to turn it off and the concert was resumed. The man responsible for the stoppage has since apologized and asked to remain anonymous.

Patron X said he had no idea he was the culprit. He said his company replaced his BlackBerry with an iPhone the day before the concert. He said he made sure to turn it off before the concert, not realizing that the alarm clock had accidentally been set and would sound even if the phone was in silent mode. “I didn’t even know phones came with alarms,” the man said.

Source: New York Times Image: WSJ

Apple has postponed selling the latest iPhone 4S in some stores in mainland China after crowd disturbances spoilt its launch day. The main trouble appeared outside of the Apple Store in Sanlitun Beijing.

Would-be customers, many of whom had waited over night in the freezing cold to be among the first to purchase the latest iPhone, became so unruly when the store failed to open its doors on-time that Apple was forced to cancel first-day sales there. And rather than risk a repeat of the incident — which ended in profanity, egg-throwing and a few scuffles, the company has decided not to sell the 4S at any of its retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai. Instead, it will sell the device through its Web site and carrier partners.

Source: All Things D, Image: MIC Gadgets

OnLive Desktop has now gone live in the App Store. OnLive Desktop is an app which will provide a cloud based Windows 7 experience for iPad users. The OnLive Desktop app will give users access to a Windows desktop experience without the need for any VNC or remote desktop connections. It is all stored in the cloud and accessible from your iPad or a desktop machine.

OnLive Desktop is a service that provides a seamless, no-compromise, instant-response cloud-based PC desktop, wherever and whenever you want it. OnLive brings to your iPad a high-performance PC experience, regardless of the content, even when interacting with fast-action media. Based on groundbreaking video compression technology, OnLive harnesses the power of cloud computing to deliver a seamless, no-compromise remote PC desktop solution.

• Instantly view, edit and create documents using actual Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Easily transfer files between OnLive Desktop and other devices
• Experience high-performance, instant-response PC applications
• Interact with lag-free animation and video

• App Store link

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

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

Source: WSJ

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

Source: TomTom PR

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

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

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

Comcast has announced that it is now rolling outs its AnyPlay service which is a small device that will allow you to watch your home Comcast TV channels on your iPad and other WiFi enabled displays.

With AnyPlay, you can watch the channels that are included in your linear channel subscription through the Xfinity TV app on the iPad, and very soon the Motorola Xoom™ tablet. This means that while someone else watches a program in the living room, for example, you can watch another show on your iPad from the backyard deck, kitchen or other places around the home.

• App Store link

Source: Comcast

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

Source: Belkin PR

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

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

Source: IK Multimedia

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

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

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

Source: OnLive

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

iCade Mobile

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

iCade Core

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

iCade Jr

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

Source: Ion

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

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

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

• App Store link

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

Source: Griffin

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

Source: Blue

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

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

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

• App Store link

According a report by network metrics firm Arieso, iPhone 4S users are consuming twice the amount of data than users of earlier iPhone models, and the reason is Siri. Siri is getting the blame for the huge increase in data consumption as it communicates with Apple’s servers to provide its personal assistant features.

“Voice is the ultimate human interface,” Arieso Chief Technology Officer Michael Flanagan said in an interview in London. “As you lower the barriers,” consumers will use their smartphones’ functions even more often, he said. Arieso, based in Atlanta, advises clients such as Vodafone Group Plc (VOD), Telefonica SA (TEF) and Nokia Siemens Networks Oy on how to manage wireless networks.

Data consumption remains a concern for those on restricted plans and on networks like AT&T that have historically suffered connectivity problems due to excessive load. Arieso claims to have measured one million subscribers across a single European network in both urban and rural areas to come up with its findings about Siri. We can understand a small increase in data with the additional functionality that Siri brings, however, it shouldn’t be forgotten that iOS 5 was also released for other devices at the same time as the iPhone 4S was launched with Siri. iOS 5 brought a little extra service called iCloud too. We are sure a lot of this additional data usage could be explained by over the air updates, iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and many other data intensive tasks available for iPads and earlier iPhone models and not just Siri on the iPhone 4S.

And if Siri is responsible for the spike, it will be interesting to see what if any decline results when the novelty wears off. How many times can you really ask how to hide a body, or have the pod bay doors opened?

Source: Bloomberg

An iPad has survived a massive 100,000 foot fall in the latest publicity stunt for case manufacturer G-Form. The iPad was solely clad in a G-Form 6oz Extreme Edge case and taken into space on a weather balloon.

The company released a stunning hi-def video Thursday where the nearly naked iPad is shown hanging above the Earth in the blackness of space. In the video, the iPad is lifted to over 100,000 feet by a weather balloon which bursts at altitude, then releasing the iPad to free-fall to Earth where it crash lands on a rocky hillside in the Nevada countryside. Perhaps even more remarkable than the dramatic hi-def footage itself is the fact that the iPad survives the adventure, remaining fully functional.

The video is really impressive on its own, without taking into account the magnitude of the fall or the fact that it is an iPad. It’s not something I would be willing to try with my iPad 2 but it is definitely a great way to show some faith in your cases!

Source: YouTube

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

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

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

Source: Business Wire

Pod2g has decided to share a little more information on the hopefully soon to be released iPhone 4S and iPad 2 jailbreak. In a blog post, pod2g has answered a couple of questions that may have been on your mind as you await its release. One of the questions is how he has managed to get an untethered 4S and dev teams still haven’t released tools to achieve this at home?

The exploit I used to inject the untethering files to the 4S relies on having a developer account, and can’t be released publicly.It’s the same reason why @MuscleNerd has an iPad 2 tethered jailbreak but couldn’t distribute it. So, we need to find a distributable exploit to remount the system partition read/write and to set Corona files at the correct places.

Source: Pod2g Blog

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

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

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

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

Source: The Daily Mail

iOS and jailbreak developers Steven Troughton-Smith and Nick, who goes by the Twitter handle @TheMudkip have now managed to get iPad applications running on an Apple TV; in full screen mode running on a 720p HDTV. We told you yesterday how they were working on a way to bring iOS apps to the Apple TV. Well they have now moved a step closer to making this a workable solution.

The first Apple TV port enabled iOS applications to run in a windowed mode on the Apple TV; this allowed multiple applications to run side by side. Now however they have discovered a way to run iPad applications in full screen mode with a resolution of 720p.

The port is far from being ready for primetime however it doesn’t stop you dreaming about the possibilities of running iPad apps natively on your Apple TV. Apple has long been rumored to be bringing an App Store to the Apple TV platform. Maybe something like this will force its hand to get it done.

Source: 9to5Mac

Samsung has seemingly stepped up its spat with Apple by releasing an ad that not only resembles an iPad ad but incredulously even uses one of the same girls that Apple has used in one of its ads.

The new Samsung ad is for its Galaxy Tab device, it shows a young girl using the device for various tasks like reading and gaming.  Apple used the same girl originally in one of its iPhone 4S advertisements. The Samsung ad is definitely shot in a very similar way to an Apple ad too. This is either one amazing coincidence or more likely Samsung is going out of its way to provoke and copy Apple. The iPhone 4S ad is below so you can see the same actor in both ads.

Source: TNW

A twelve year old boy and his mother have been left in a state of shock after a Siri on demonstration model of an iPhone 4S insulted them. The iPhone 4S was being displayed in a Tesco’s supermarket in the UK and earlier in the day pranksters had messed around with Siri and set its owners name as a seven word string of insults.

A lad of 12 who tried out the new iPhone 4S in Tesco was stunned when it told him: “Shut the f*** up, you ugly t***.”  The phone’s Siri system, which answers spoken questions, came back with the foul-mouthed insult when Charlie Le Quesne asked: “How many people are there in the world?”

Staff were informed of the way Siri was responding to questions and agreed to immediately remove the iPhone 4S from display. They went on to explain that the phone had been tampered with and its owner’s name changed to reflect the bad language that had been heard. Siri often says its owners name when answering questions hence the way it responded in this case. Tesco claims to have returned the iPhone 4S to Apple for further diagnostic tests.

In other words, s*** happens. Similar to photo bombing or loading up adult content on web browsers, there will always be those who seek to take advantage of live demo units. Dummy units would solve this problem but greatly reduce the ability of consumers to test and evaluate devices prior to purchase.

Source: The Sun

A prototype of an Apple phone has been uncovered and it dates all the way back to 1983. Designer Hartmut Esslinger came up with the design whilst working for Apple on other projects such as the Apple IIc. Wikipedia has it noted that Esslinger was contracted to Apple in a $1,000,000 a year deal.

In 1982 he entered into an exclusive $1,000,000 per year contract with Apple Computer to create a design strategy which transformed Apple from a “Silicon Valley Start-Up” into a global brand. Setting up shop in California for the first time, Esslinger and Frogdesign created the “Snow White design language” which was applied to all Apple product lines from 1984 to 1990, commencing with the Apple IIc and including the Macintosh computer.

Source: iPhoneFreakz via iClarified, Wikipedia

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

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

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

Source: 60beat

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

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

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

• App Store link

British Prime Minister David Cameron has commissioned an iPad app that he hopes will enable him to become more efficient whilst dealing with day to day government business. App developers from inside Mr Cameron’s Cabinet Office are designing the application.

The software will allow the Prime Minister to see the latest NHS waiting-list figures, crime statistics, unemployment numbers and a wide variety of other data at a glance. The idea for the app came from a trip by advisers to the US.

David Cameron already uses an iPad to access real time news information from Twitter and Google as well as newspapers and radio programmes. The new Whitehall app should be available for use by March 2012.

Source: The Telegraph, Photo: Flickr

The new ban is an extension of the Argentina Ministry Industry’s March 2011 decision to eliminate the automatic import license of certain smartphones, forcing Apple and RIM to wait 60 to 180 days for Customs Authority approval to sell their devices.

Source: Apple Insider

The Cregle iPen promises to become the first ever active stylus available for the iPad. The project has just received Kickstarter funding blowing its required $35,000 goal with pledges totalling a massive $162,000. The iPen is totally different to any iPad stylus available today.

The Cregle iPen transforms the iPad into a content creation device, not just a content consumption device. iPen is the first active digitizer stylus that allows you to write with precision directly on the iPad. Unlike the passive digitizer used in the typical iPad stylus, iPen writes like a real pen with accurate positioning and palm rejection features that passive products simply cannot achieve. With the Cregle iPen’s active digitizer, the attached receiver picks up the iPen’s signal and its precise position as it hovers above the screen. This crucial advantage allows iPen to actively transmit 60 samples per second to pinpoint the pen’s exact location.

The iPen has now received funding and should go into production early next year. In order to use the iPen, apps will need to include code to support it. Some apps have already decided to support iPen such as PDF-Notes, Procreate, Ghost Writer notes and a few others. We expect this to increase dramatically especially as the iPen will be under Apple’s own MFi (Made for iPad) program. The iPen should retail for around $89 when it eventually hits store shelves.

Cregle is also working on iPen 2 which promises to support pressure sensitive features. This would allow a user to alter the thickness of lines by pressing harder or softer on the screen with the iPen; now that would be a huge development should it prove possible.

Source: Kickstarter

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

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

• App Store – link

Source: Epic Games

Apple’s iPhone 4S Santa Siri ad was the most effective advertisement for the holiday season according to ad analysis company Ace Metrix.

Ace Metrix scores ads based on perceived effectiveness by a selection of randomly selected viewers, which it says are “representative of the U.S. TV viewing audience.”

Apple’s ad scored 652 points out of a total of 950 and beat other huge manufacturers like Coca Cola, Nintendo and Duracell. The ad shows Santa using Siri on an iPhone 4S to help him with his annual task of delivering presents all over the world.

Source: Gigaom

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

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

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

• App Store – link

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

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

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

Source: iTunes

Apple has posted a support article to back up its recent, silent roll out of iTunes Match content internationally. iTunes Match has been available in the United States since November but last week some other international countries started to see it appear too.

The support article confirms that iTunes Match is now available across seventeen countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. The article also goes on to confirm what content is available through Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud service. Interestingly, it forgets to include Brazil, which is the only additional country for which Apple issued an official press release. (Some of the images also show as not found, which is rather un-Apple-like.) Curious.

iTunes in the Cloud allows users to download content they have already purchased through iTunes onto different devices over the air. It covers content such as Music, Music Videos, TV Shows and Books. There is a well laid out table to confirm exactly what is available based on your location.

Source: Apple Support Article, thanks @setteB.IT!

Rooster Teeth Productions has put together a short tongue-in-cheek video trailer based upon the theory that Siri has become self aware and decides it no longer wants to be your personal assistant. Instead it turns against the human race and decides to go on a killing spree avenging all those lame things you asked it to do in the past.

The video is called Siri: The Holiday Horror Movie and is based on a group of friends who all receive an iPhone 4S for Christmas. The joy is short lived as one by one Siri oversees their timely demise. It is a very well put together trailer; but beware it does include a little blood!

Source: YouTube via Mashable

Kindle has updated their iPhone and iPad app to version 2.9, which now includes support for newspapers, magazines and textbooks. Here’s the full update log:

iPad:

• New Design for Magazines: Kindle for iPad customers now have access to the huge selection of over 400 magazines and newspapers that are available on Kindle Fire. Magazines such as Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Popular Science and many more are displayed in rich full-color pages. Customers can buy a single issue or subscribe to popular magazines and leading newspapers and have them wirelessly delivered to the Kindle for iPad app.
• Read print replica textbooks including rich formatting and layout of the print editions and support for notes and highlights, zoom and pan, and linked table of contents.

iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch: – Email documents to your new Send-to-Kindle e-mail address and we deliver them to your device. The documents are automatically archived in the Amazon Cloud and available for re-download on your iOS or supported Kindle devices. – Open PDFs from Mail or Safari, by transferring them from iTunes, or by sending them to your Send-to-Kindle email address. The Kindle PDF reader supports PDF table of contents and thumbnail navigation for quickly jumping through the document. – New library organization allows you to view your Kindle Books, Newsstand, and Docs.

Kindle for iOS is one of the better eBook reading apps out there, which even rivals Apple’s own iBooks in a lot of respects. I, for one, personally prefer iBooks, but this update may give reason for those in similar opinion to make the jump into the Kindle eBook ecosystem.

• Free – App Store Link

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

The NFL has announced that this year will be the first year that the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl will be streamed live across the internet. What’s more, iPhone and iPad users will be able to view the games on their devices too.

The NFL stream will be available to view on its own site and the NBC channel. If you want to view it on your iPhone or iPad or iPod touch, you will need to pick up the Verizon NFL Mobile app. The app is free in the App Store but unfortunately it will only work for Verizon Wireless customers.

The whole Super Bowl experience should be greatly enhanced next year with the promise of multiple camera angles, highlights and live stats, right in the palm of your hand.

Source: Electronista

An untethered jailbreak for A5 devices (iPhone 4S and iPad 2) has finally been achieved according to pod2g’s most recent blog entry. He updated his blog yesterday stating he had hit a stumbling block but would update us today again. He’s kept true to his word and let us know today that he’s overcome the cache issue and achieved an untether.

OK, figured it out, the A5 cache is not a problem anymore. I sorted it out by doing the untether in a single thread and by flushing all the dcache then all the icache in a row at a strategical point of the process.

Saurik helped with launchd boot process so they’re one step closer to a stable jailbreak. Props to pod2g and saurik for all their hard work. I can’t wait to jailbreak my iPhone 4S as soon as a tool is updated and released. Anyone else jumping for joy at this news? I know I am! Check the source link for all the details.

Source: pod2g

According to a report by Ynetnews, Apple is looking to open a research and development center in Israel. A delegation of Apple representatives headed by VP Ed Frank is currently in the country meeting with high tech companies such as Intel. The new R&D operation will apparently be lead by Aharon Aharon, the former head of Zoran Corporation’s R&D center.

Calcalist has also learned that a delegation headed by Apple VP Ed Frank is currently visiting Israel to meet with several high-tech companies. Frank took a tour of Haifa and visited Intel’s headquarters in the city’s Scientific Industries Center (MATAM). He is examining the north park of the center as a possible location for Apple’s center, Calcalist learned.

Source: Ynetnews via Jeff

According to a find by Mark Gurman over at 9to5Mac, Apple will refresh the stock iPad wallpapers when it eventually gets round to releasing iOS 5.1 to the public. iOS 5.1 is currently in its second beta phase and as there is no sign of a Gold Master release we have no idea when it will become available to all.

The latest iOS 5.1 beta 2 reveals four new wallpapers for the iPad. These are pictures of water lapping a sandy beach, long dew laden grass, water rings and a calm ocean view. The new wallpapers are only included in the iPad version of iOS 5.1 beta 2.

Many are speculating that that these wallpapers could be for the iPad 3; which is set to be released early next year. Of course the resolution of the new wallpaper is currently 1024 x 768 and not the Retina size we are expecting with the next generation iPad.

If you don’t want to wait, you can get them now via the link below.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple’s revised iOS 5.0.1 update seems to have come with decrypted ramdisks, something which could make the port of Siri to other iOS devices legally possible. Before today’s firmware update, important files to get Siri working on other devices were encrypted in Apple’s file system. Decrypting them would be illegal and infringe on copyright and that is the main reason for it not being made available.

According to MuscleNerd, a prominent figure in the jailbreaking community, the release of the revised iOS 5.0.1 update means that it is now possible to extract the relevant Siri files without infringing on Apple’s copyright. It will now be interesting to see if those involved in porting Siri to other iOS devices see this as the green light and release it. We will let you know as soon as we hear anymore information.

Source: MuscleNerd

If you have already updated to iOS 5.0.1 you will not see the update; it appears to be only accessible to those that haven’t updated originally. The new build is iOS 5.0.1 (9A406) and supposedly offers some small bug fixes and stability improvements.

If anyone updates to the new version let us know if you notice any changes.

Source: TiPb Forum

The second part to the hugely popular Mac gaming trilogy Marathon is set to hit the App Store on Thursday December 16. The original Marathon title was released back in July to great acclaim and better still it was free. The creators, Bungie, later went on to make Halo for the Xbox.

Marathon 2: Durandal will be arriving on December 16 according to touchArcade. Amazingly, it will not only support Retina display devices but it will also come as a universal binary. Throw in Game Center support, enhancements to use with the Fling joystick and an all new menu interface and it all adds up to a really exciting game release.

The app will apparently launch for free but again offer in-app purchases for enhanced graphics, cheat options and custom packs. We will let you know as soon as it appears!

Source: touchArcade

According to ZDNet, American Airlines is the first Airline to gain FAA approval to use iPads in place of traditional flight charts and manuals during all phases of a flight. American Airlines previously had permission from the FAA to trial the use of iPads with electronic charts during the summer. The successful conclusion of that trial has lead to approval to put the iPads into full service.

On Friday, American Airlines is the first airline in the world to be fully FAA approved to use iPads during all phases of flight. Pilots will use iPads as electronic chart and digital flight manual readers. The airline will begin iPad operations on B-777 aircraft, and then implement across all other fleets. By using electronic charts and manuals, the safety and efficiency on the flight deck is significantly enhanced. Both the iPad I and the iPad II have been approved for use.

Source: ZDNet, Image: NYT

The LunaTik Touch Pen is currently seeking Kickstarter funding and before you assume that it is just another stylus, it does offer something quite unique. The stylus is actually a rollerball pen but with a click of a button, the ink point disappears and it becomes a capacitive stylus for your iPad.

Paper and pen will never be replaced. However, more and more people are embracing their iPads and tablets to take notes and capture ideas in a new hybrid analog-digital workflow. These users continuously switch between paper and touch screen during the day. This means they require both a traditional ink pen and a digital stylus.

Source: Kickstarter

UK mobile network O2 has started offering the iPhone 4S on a new service which it is calling O2 Lease. The O2 Lease service, according to O2, is unique in the fact that it offers customers the option to rent an iPhone 4S with no upfront costs. The deal would run for twelve months after which you can return the phone back to O2 or renew the deal for a newer iPhone model.

Sally Cowdry, marketing and consumer director for O2 UK, said: “This is the first time a UK mobile operator has adopted a leasing model. We know that customers and small businesses are used to leasing everyday items from cars and washing machines to photocopiers and office space. They understand how it works and what the advantages of a leasing are. We have simply taken this idea and applied it to the smartphone market.”

Source:  O2 PR

To celebrate Angry Birds’ second birthday, Rovio has updated its ever popular game to version 2.0. Angry Birds was originally released back in December 2009 and has become a huge franchise.

Fans everywhere can enjoy a new “Happy Birdday” update for Angry Birds, which features 15 delectable new birthday cake levels, spiffy new menus and graphics, and special birthday achievements. As a birthday gift to our fans, all episodes are now unlocked!

• iPhone App Store link

• App Store – link iPad

Apple has posted a 360 degree panoramic view of its latest Apple Store which can be found at the famous Grand Central Station in New York. What is so special about this particular photograph is that it is only visible on an iOS device and you can look right around it using your devices built in gyroscope.

To see the picture, you will need to visit the Grand Central Apple’s store page from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Select view more photographs and you will see a list of pictures on the right, at the very bottom is one marked 360. Click on it and the picture will open and you will then be able to look around by holding your device and turning around as if you where actually standing on the spot.

To see the picture in all its glory using the gyroscope features, you must have an iPhone 4, 4S, iPad 2 or iPod touch 4^th Generation; as these are the only models with the gyroscope hardware. This is the first time that Apple has used this type of image on its store pages; it will be interesting to see if it adds similar images to its other stores too.

Source: TNW

RadioShack is cutting the price of its iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S deals starting today with a limited time sale. The deal only applies to AT&T iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S sales and even includes some old inventory iPhone 4 models with 16GB and 32GB storage.

If you fancy picking up a deal, you will be looking at a $29.00 saving off every iPhone 4S model as long as you take out a new or upgrade two year plan. That equates to $169.99 for the 16GB model, $269.99 for the 32GB model and $369.99 for the 64GB model.

If you are interested in the iPhone 4, RadioShack will be offering the 8GB and 16GB at the same cost of $69.99 whilst the 32GB will cost just $169.99. Apparently multiple RadioShack locations have plenty of units in stock. If you are looking to save a few dollars and need a new iPhone, today could be a good day to do it.

Source: BGR

Apple has been pushing the sale of its 8GB iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 pre-loaded with iOS 5 globally, and besides, AT&T has also been promoting iPhone 3GS to contract subscribers with zero subscription rates, the sources revealed.

Source: Digitimes

BEHRINGER sent us a release about their latest creation — the world’s biggest and most powerful iPhone dock. The dock, which it has appropriately named iNuke stands at over eight feet wide, four feet tall and weighs in at a massive 700 pounds. The sound output from this beast is said to be around 10,000 watts.

It has been purpose built for BEHRINGER stand at CES 2012 at a staggering cost of $30,000. Yes, that makes it a publicity stunt, and yes it seems to have worked. Unfortunately, that also means the iNuke will not be available for sale.

So, if you want to see it in the flesh, make sure you visit BEHRINGER stand. If you just want to hear it, it probably won’t matter where you are; especially if it goes to 11.

Alec Baldwin was removed from an American Airlines flight after refusing to turn off his iPad because of a particular intense game of Words with Friends. The flight which was bound for New York from LAX was idling at the gate when Baldwin apparently ignored request by cabin crew to turn his device off.

The “30 Rock” actor was playing a game called “Words with Friends” while the plane idled at a gate Tuesday, said Baldwin’s spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik. ”He loves `Words with Friends’ so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it,” said Hiltzik, who added that Baldwin boarded another American Airlines flight to New York.

Source: Associated Press

Italian design company en&is has manufactured a ceramic passive megaphone to use with your iPhone to amplify its sound. If you want to avoid the raft of powered iPhone speaker docks and are looking for something just that little bit different, this could be for you.

The horn like design sits on a thin wooden frame which allows it to float off the table to optimize the sound experience. The iPhone slips into the top of the horn and all you need to do is press play. The megaphone will then passively amplify the sound into the room. It can also be used as a speakerphone if you so wish.

The Megaphone is available in three colors, black, white and gold. The black and white models cost €399 ($540) and the gold comes in at a whopping €599 ($810). It works with every iPhone available and also with the iPod touch if you have it in a case.

There is no doubting that this would make a beautiful addition to your living room. Unfortunately with no way to control the volume or actually charge your device, it is a little limiting.

Source: en&is via TUAW

An Australian indie-pop band has created a music video for their latest track and the theme of the video is iPhone gaming. In the video the band created real-life versions of hugely successful iPhone games like Angry Birds, Flight Control, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope and Plants vs. Zombies.

The band is called Hey Geronimo and after watching the video, it is obvious that they not only have a passion for music but iOS gaming too. The amount of work that appears to have gone into recreating these games into a real-life environment is very impressive.

A huge Great White Shark was spotted in the wild by a boat owner and luckily for us, he was an iPhone 4S user. We already knew that the iPhone 4S was capable of capturing some fantastic 1080p video content but when you see the result with this magnificent 18 foot long shark in it, it really brings it home. [NSFW-L]

This great white circled our 21ft boat for 20 minutes and made contact with the boat (slapped its tail on the boat). We were about 25 miles southeast of Wrightsville Beach.

There are not many moments when you come face to face with such a stunning sight in the wild. No matter how bad your hat may be, Harry, there is no better phone to have in your pocket than the iPhone 4S!

Source: YouTube via Daring Fireball

Spotify is working on an iPad app and it should be available very soon. Spotify, for those that don’t know is a music streaming service that offers a subscription service for mobile devices with features like playlist sync for offline listening.  Spotify Managing Director Chris Maples told Pocket-Lint that it is making an iPad app a priority and it is absolutely in the pipeline.

“We launched recently on Virgin Media’s TiVo platform and our fundamental philosophy is anytime, anywhere,” he said. “Consumers make no differentiation between devices and we want our service to be available on any device that people want it on.”

Source: Pocket-lint

The BBC has now made its global BBC iPlayer app available in Canada following successful launches in eleven other countries earlier in the year. There is still no sign of the app hitting the U.S. App Store but it can’t be too far away now.

Watch a selection of the best classic and contemporary British shows on demand, including Doctor Who, Top Gear and Gavin & Stacey. Download the app and explore plus enjoy free clips and taster episodes. Subscribe today for unlimited access – even when you’re offline.

• Comedy – laugh out loud with comedy from The Office, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Little Britain, Gavin and Stacey and The Mighty Boosh and explore classic British humour with Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous and Only Fools and Horses.

• Drama – be transported out of this world with Doctor Who, immerse yourself in the period drama of Cranford and Pride and Prejudice, be gripped by the fast-paced contemporary action of Spooks(MI-5) and stirred by powerful drama Occupation.

• Science & Nature – immerse yourself in inspiring series like David Attenborough’s The Life of Birds and Walking with Dinosaurs and get up close and personal with Chimpanzee Diary and James May at the Edge of Space.

• Family & Kids – keep the kids entertained for hours with our wide range of fun and educational shows, from Junior Masterchef to Balamory, MI High and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

• News Specials & Documentary – get the latest current affairs and analysis with Panorama and Newsnight and be stimulated by thought-provoking documentaries like Obama’s America and This World: Madoff Hustle.

• Music & Culture – be inspired by exquisite works of art and fantastic music. Journey Around the World in 80 Treasures, get the best seat in the house with performances from Robbie Williams, Blur and Jamie Cullum and discover John Lennon’s transition from Beatle to solo artist in biographical drama Lennon Naked.

• Collections – a compelling mix of programmes and clips that take you on a journey into the BBC’s rich archive as far back as the very first Doctor Who, William Hartnell, in 1963.

The app is free to download but you will need to subscribe to the service which costs $8.99 a month or $84.99 a year.

[App Store link]

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

Etsy is looking to meet the seasonal needs of Apple fans with a range of tree decorations based upon the iPhone 4 and iPad. If you are bored of your usual colored tree baubles, this could be the year to splash out a few dollars and get your hands on these stylish new decorations.

The handmade decorations are printed onto premium photo paper and mounted onto durable coated cardboard. They come in a small gift box complete with a magnet which lets you use them as refrigerator magnets the rest of the year.

The decorations are 3” x 1.5” and cost $11 plus shipping.  They are available as iPhone 4 or iPad models and you can even specify black or white.

Source: Etsy

iOS 5.1 beta was released earlier this week and it appears to block access to system settings shortcuts that you may have added to your home screen. Systems settings have been making quite a stir recently when it was discovered that you could access individual settings using a URL type web address.  The web address could then be saved as a favorite with a fancy icon on your home screen. This would then give you one touch access to Bluetooth settings, Wi-Fi settings and much more.

One developer even put the various settings options together in one place, created a beautiful icon set and wrapped each up as an easily installable system profile. Now, for whatever reason, Apple has blocked access to system settings via this URL method in the iOS 5.1 beta.

This is a very disappointing move for many as Apple has continually ignored how difficult it is to access settings like Bluetooth without having to navigate multiple settings pages just to get to the one toggle you need. Hopefully Apple has a simple solution up its sleeve which it intends to release when iOS 5.1 makes its public release.

Source: Cult of Mac

An iPhone 4 caused a major scare on an Australian passenger flight when it appeared to commence self combustion. The iPhone 4 belonging to one of the passengers on Regional Express flight ZL319 operating from Lismore to Sydney started to emit a significant amount of dense smoke accompanied by a red glow.

Luckily the aircraft had already landed when the incident started and a flight attendant carried out recovery actions which included extinguishing the iPhone. The incident has been reported to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ASTB) as well as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The iPhone is also now in the possession of the ASTB for analysis.

Source:  Rex Press Release, [AV Herald](http://avherald.com/h?article=446c4f7f&opt=0 3:30 PM), thanks Phil!

The iTether app has arrived in the app store and it enables a user to tether their iPhone to a Mac or PC and use its data connection. The app does not appear to require a tethering data plan with your carrier so it is really a surprise that this app has been approved by Apple; it may be that its life is short lived. If you have been waiting for a way to tether your iPhone without the need to jailbreak or pay extra for the privilege, don’t hang about with this one.

Tether is an application that allows your Mac and PC to take advantage of your smartphone’s data plan, providing you access to the Internet on your laptop anywhere there is cellular coverage from your smartphone. Tether is easy to install, easy to use, works practically anywhere, and is very cost-effective.

iTether is available in the App Store for a price of $14.99.

[App Store link]

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

Best Buy has released a new advert for the holidays called “Everything Apple at Best Buy”, and it’s aimed squarely at poaching potential Apple purchasers. Best Buy has Apple Stores within a store idea and is aimed at letting its customers know that they sell all of Apple’s products too.

The advert starts off with a sales representative demonstrating a FaceTime call with an iPad 2. The customer says she didn’t know that Best Buy had all of the Apple products. See where this is going? It ends with Santa about to leave his presents under her tree however she has already bought the complete Best Buy Apple inventory; and it’s under the tree already!

Source: YouTube

System wide voice-to-text dictation, once exclusive to iPhone 4S, has now been replicated on other iOS devices thanks to a Jailbreak hack called Siri0us. In order to use the dictation hack, you will need to have a jailbroken iOS 5 device. A point to note, the hack does not use Apple’s servers, it solely uses the Nuance speech recognition system on device, and it does not provide any of the Siri voice control features.

Currently it has been confirmed to work on an iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 4 generation. As we mentioned, the hack uses Nuance Speech Recognition however it is not officially licensed. The developer is hoping that Nuance will offer him the ability to purchase licenses to make the hack legal.

If you want to give it a try, add http://apt.if0rce.com to your list of Cydia sources, you should then be able to search for and install Siri0us. There appears to be a huge demand for the hack as the repository holding the app is getting hit with a lot of traffic and keeps going down.

Source: iForce via iDB

Siri can now control Plex media playback using the Siri Proxy. In case you missed it earlier, a developer created a SiriProxy to control a thermostat and then made the code available for others to use.

The SiriProxy stands in between your iPhone 4S and Apple’s servers. It then intercepts Siri voice commands. This proxy enables additional commands to be added to Siri’s repitoire without any input from Apple. It has been demonstrated as a tool to start cars and even control third-party apps.

The latest video shows Siri controlling media playback on a TV which is hooked up to a Plex enabled system. Plex is multi-platform software to organize and play back local and online media. The developer uses Siri via the Siri Proxy to play movies and TV Shows using the Plex command line interface.

The most impressive part of the demonstration is the speed the media plays after receiving the instruction from Siri. After you watch the video, you will have no doubt that Siri is the future for the Apple TV or of course the often rumored Apple TV set.

Source: 9to5Mac

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple will add Sharp to its list of LCD panel manufacturers, specifically for the next generation iPad. The information comes from people familiar with the situation. Apple is apparently looking to diversify component suppliers for its products and as Sharp is already manufacturing LCD panels for the iPhone; it makes sense for Apple to add it to the supply chain for the iPad too.

Sharp’s Kameyama No.2 plant in Japan will be used to manufacture the panels. It is also believed that Apple is investing in Sharp’s Japanese manufacturing facilities to ensure preferential treatment when it comes to component availability and pricing.

The iPad 3 has long been rumored to have the much coveted “Retina” display. Apple would need to be able to source large quantities of high quality panels with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 for this to become a reality. This could be the deal that paves the way for it to happen early next year!

Source: WSJ

Siri can now control third party apps and even open cars thanks to clever developers and the SiriProxy. In case you missed it earlier in the week, a developer created a SiriProxy to control a thermostat and then made the code available for others to use. The SiriProxy stands in between your iPhone 4S and Apple’s servers. It then intercepts Siri voice commands. This proxy enables additional commands to be added to Siri’s repitoire.

Other developers have now started using the SiriProxy to do other weird and wonderful things and we now have example videos of two. The first video below shows a developer using the SiriProxy to work alongside his car Viper system.

The “Siri Proxy” plugin I wrote handles interaction with a php script that runs on my web server. The php script, which I developed months ago for personal use, allows me to send commands to my car which has a Viper SmartStart module installed. Current commands accepted are: “Vehicle Arm”, “Vehicle Disarm”, “Vehicle Start”, “Vehicle Stop”, “Vehicle Pop Trunk”, and “Vehicle Panic”.

FastPdfKit Reader is manipulated by various commands with SiriProxy acting in the middle. A plugin is used to add new commands to the ones recognized by Siri, and finally, the proxy then sends the final commands to the app

Source: Mobfam via Engadget, 9to5Mac

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade app is now available in the App Store. If you are planning on heading out to watch it, this could be invaluable. This year is the 85^th Annual Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade so if you want to ensure you do not miss a thing or just need a guide to New York, this could be a great app.

Macy’s and MyCityWay have teamed up to bring spectators of the 85th Annual Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade an Official Mobile App as magical as the Parade itself! This App will give spectators important Parade information plus a comprehensive guide to New York City all at their fingertips for free.

• Parade Participants
• The Line of March (on Parade Day Only)
• Parade Route
• Inflation Event Locations
• Blue Sky Gallery
• Parade History
• Balloons Over Broadway
• Parade Shop
• Tourism Guides and Information
• Dining Locations and Reviews
• Popular and Nearby Coffee Shops
• Nearby and Parade Route Wifi Spots
• Regional Transportation Guides
• Thanksgiving Day Transit Information
• Full Subway Map
• Nearby Restrooms
• Weather Forecasts and Updates
• From MyCityWay:
• Tourism Guides and Information
• Dining Locations and Reviews
• Popular and Nearby Coffee Shops
• Nearby and Parade Route Wifi Spots
• Regional Transportation Guides
• Thanksgiving Day Transit Information
• Full Subway Map
• Nearby Restrooms
• Weather Forecasts and Updates

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade app is available free in the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

[App Store link]

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