A new video has surfaced that gives us an extremely rare look at the iPhone assembly line within a Foxconn factory. Seeing one of these lines in action is a very rare occurrence as Apple is well known for keeping its production processes and products secret. The video is shot in Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant where over seventy percent of Apple’s iPhones are now made.

The video which is provided by iFeng, shows a Chinese reporter with Foxconn CEO Terry Gou taking a tour around the extensive factory. The tour starts in a helicopter to give an idea on the sheer size of this huge factory. It covers 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 Square miles) with more expansion planned and employs around 115,000 workers.

The factory part of the tour starts off in the iPhone 4S production line where you can see the iPhone 4S frame and motherboard. The motherboard line is 148 meters long and rolls out 10,000 units a day. The tour continues into the camera assembly area which is all done in a clean room environment.

You can watch the video below, the dialogue is all in Chinese and we don't have a translation yet.

Source: TNW via MIC Gadget

Apple's Apple's Senior Vice President of Design, Jonathan Ive deservedly became Sir Jonathan Ive on Wednesday when he received a knighthood for services to design and enterprise. The Princess Royal was on hand to perform the ceremony which hit news channels around the world. After the knighthood ceremony Sir Jonathan Ive attended another high profile function, the Royal Academy of the Arts alongside the Queen. Ive gave a short interview before going inside, telling of his delight at receiving the honor.

“I have always felt that I am extremely fortunate to have found what I love to do, and that’s essentially to be able to draw and make stuff.”  “So to actually be able to spend all of my time doing that, just that alone is fantastic but to then get some recognition for that is a wonderful affirmation of the craft and profession of design.”

Source: YouTube

The gTar iPhone powered digital guitar has arrived on Kikstarter and is looking to revolutionize the way you learn to play an electric guitar. The gTar is a fully digital guitar that looks to make playing it easy for anyone. The guitar comes with a place to slot in your iPhone 4 or 4S and works with a companion app which will be available from the App Store. Once loaded, an array of interactive LEDs will illuminate along the fretboard of the guitar showing you where to place your fingers in order to achieve the correct note.

There's nothing like the thrill of playing a real musical instrument. Unfortunately for most, learning can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. That's why we built the gTar. "If you're ever picked up a guitar for the first time and tried to play a favorite song, you know how discouraging it can be. The gTar completely changes that."

The gTar is digital which means it does not rely on the traditional method of amplifying the sound from vibrating strings. Instead, the gTar has sensors that can detect exactly what you’re playing; the sensors then send the information to the iPhone which reproduces the sound.

The gTar is live on Kickstarter now and has already broken through its funding barrier with 34 days left to go. If you fancy being an early adopter you can make a pledge and be one of the first to get hold of one. Pledges start from $350 and should the gTar make it to full retail sale, it is expected to sell for upwards of $449.

Source: Kickstarter

During the annual Webbys award show nearly a dozen high profile celebrities, politicians, and people of note gave a huge tribute to the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. The tribute was shown on a huge video screen and simultaneously streamed over the web.

John Hodmgan and Justin Long introduced the segment, paying homage to their long-running series of Get a Mac ads, with Hodgman pretending he'd never heard of any other ads from Apple. They then introduced Richard Dreyfuss, who'd narrated the famous Think Different ad.

Dreyfuss preceded his tribute with the internet equivalent of a political statement, telling Mark Zukerberg and Eric Brin [sic] that if they want to take our privacy away, they should tell us all the private details of their private lives, and if they want to change the world, they should pay for it because it's "theft". He then told the audience he wasn't kidding. He returned to that theme later, casting Google and Facebook alongside politicians, car companies, home renovators, and other high tech companies as part of a world "drowing in fraud". He contrasted them with Steve Jobs, who Dreyfuss said "go it". In a world of senselessly, dishonesty, denial, and ignorance, where words are shared by the good and the bad, Dreyfuss said, the difference with Steve Jobs is that he meant it and did it. Again and again. He finished with the five words -- "exception that proves the rule".

Hodgman and Long returned to introduce the video tribute, which featured former U.S. President Bill Clinton, George Lucas, Vint Cerf, Arianna Huffington, Bono, Buzz Aldrin, Sarah Silverman, a group of school children, former U.S. Vice President and Apple board member Al Gore, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and U.S. President Barack Obama all expressing their thanks to Steve Jobs.

Jobs was thanked for a hand held internet, for saving lives with Product Red, for spreading American ingenuity world wide, and for exploring beyond our reach. Al Gore called Jobs "insanely great". Jimmy Fallon said Jobs "made turtle necks sexy again". Stephen Colbert said Jobs thanked Jobs for a "meticulous attention to detail". Barak Obama thanks Jobs for "thinking different", and said that when it came to Jobs only one word was needed -- "amazing".

The Webbys tribute to Steve Jobs is the latest of many that have already seen in the past. We have witnessed similar tributes given at the Grammy's in February and at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony. You can see the video below, unfortunately it is Flash only.

Source: CNET

Apple might just be ready to add photo and video sharing and commenting to iCloud, most likely at WWDC 2012 this June. According to The Wall Street Journal:

The new features, expected to be announced at Apple's world-wide developer conference beginning June 11, will allow iCloud users to share sets of photos with other iCloud users and to comment on them, these people said. Currently, users can only store one set of photos in iCloud through a feature called Photo Stream, which is designed to sync those photos to other Apple devices, not share them.

Apple is also working on a new feature that will allow iCloud users to sync their personal videos via iCloud, these people said, as well as allow users to access "Notes" and "Reminders"—two of its apps for jotting down quick thoughts—through iCloud.com. Currently, those items have to be accessed via apps for those features.

iCloud's predecessor, MobileMe, included a gallery feature that provided sharing functionality, but it was not migrated to iCloud. When Apple introduced iCloud, they included Photo Stream, which handles backup but not sharing.

The recent, apparently inadvertent publication of an iCloud beta site also showed Notes and Reminders web apps that seem likely additions to iCloud.

WWDC 2012 is less than a month away. What else should Apple be adding to iCloud?

Touchtype is a new Kickstarter project that looks to integrate Apple's wireless keyboard into a slim fitting case for the iPad.  Inspired by the plethora of sub standard and under sized keyboard cases, the designer set out to integrate a full sized Apple wireless keyboard into the smallest and neatest case he could design.

The Touchtype case stores the Apple Wireless Keyboard underneath the iPad — not on top (like most other keyboard cases). This means you have direct access to your iPad as soon as you open the cover. To use the keyboard, just move aside the elastic restraining loops and slide it out from the pocket. There when you need it, gone when you don't.

If you want to get in early and secure one of these innovative cases, you have various options starting from just $49.

Source: Kickstarter

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

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

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

Source: Pop Video

A new jailbreak tweak called Quasar will let you have multiple apps open and running at the same time. If you've always yearned for the opportunity to have your iPad work more like a desktop OS like Windows or OS X, Quasar could be just what you've been looking for.

Quasar is (the very first) window manager for iPad! Now you can run apps in windows, on your iPad! Simply open any application and it will be opened in a window, just like in your computer. Quasar is integrated to iOS's default app switcher (double pressing home button). Killing an application in app switcher (or holding the close button) kills its window and the application itself, but if you only click the close button, the window is closed but the application keeps running in background (in the app switcher).

Quasar is a version 1.0 jailbreak app and to be fair you can tell. It crashed the springboard a few times when I was playing with it and froze a couple of times too. There are weird rotations and portrait bugs as seen in the video are quite annoying too. Having said that, this could potentially be a game changer as and when it's quirks have been ironed out.

Quasar is available through Cydia for $9.99 and is for the iPad only running iOS 5 or higher.

UPDATE: The developer has already released an update and fixed some of the bugs that we experienced in the demo video. The orientation and rotation bugs are now fixed along with a few other things too. Good to see such speedy bug fixes!

Samsung and a marketing team working on its behalf were reportly behind a flashmob protest at an Apple Store in Australia. The flashmob took place outside the Apple Store in Sydney; a bus full of protestors all dressed in black left the bus and lined up outside the store's window. They then produced signs that they held up against the windows with the words 'Wake Up’ emblazoned across them. The flashmob then chanted ‘Wake Up’ through the window at Apple’s staff and customers.

An Australian blogger just happened to be in the Sydney Apple Store at the time of the flashmob’s appearance and managed to capture it on video. Maybe a coincidence or maybe not, who knows but he certainly seemed to capture the action from all angles. This is not the first time that Samsung has targeted Apple's customers with its strange marketing tactics. We have already seen a few adverts which blatantly make fun of iPhone users.

Samsung looks like it will be announcing its latest Galaxy S III Android phone in the next few days. This sort of marketing is its attempt at creating some buzz for the launch, but also at hitting Apple in an area where it may really hurt -- the perception that Apple is "cool". It's a risky gamble. Some Apple or would-be Apple users might have second thoughts and consider Samsung. Others might just think Samsung are a collective bunch of jackasses and want nothing to do with their brand.

Samsung initially became the largest Android manufacturer in the world largely by making products as close to Apple's as possible without being made by Apple. If you wanted Apple but either couldn't get it, or were adverse to getting it, Samsung positioned themselves to be there for you. They brilliantly rode the wave of general smartphone awareness and preconceptions Apple established in the modern market.

Now Samsung has become bolder and are striking out with different devices like the Galaxy Note line, and are trying to distance themselves from Apple, aggressively, with their new marketing.

It's more interesting, more exciting, and more offensive. It's also likely transitional. After "we're just like Apple" and "don't be like Apple", the next phase has to be "we're Samsung" and that will be the one to really watch.

UPDATE: Samsung has denied that they were involved with the flashmob... Anyone taking bets on who else would want to do this? Maybe Greenpeace? They've had protests at an Apple store in London following on their iCloud report; maybe this campaign in Australia is a part of the same movement.

Source: The Next Web, SlashGear, YouTube

Jack Lumber made its debut at PAX East 2012, offering a fresh spin on the swipe-and-slash gameplay established by Fruit Ninja. Coming this summer to iPad, iPhone, and eventually Android, Jack Lumber follows a lumberjack whose grandmother was brutally killed by a malicious pine tree. After manifesting telekentic and time-warping superpowers, Jack Lumber has taken it upon himself to uproot entire swathes of forest and earn vengence the only way he knows how: chopping.

The gameplay will seem very familiar the second a bunch of logs come popping up into the air, but it differs from Fruit Ninja in that the movement of your targets slows when you press on the screen. You then have a limited amount of time to trace your finger through the logs, but you have to make sure that it's along the grain - otherwise, the logs drop to the ground, beligerant and unchopped. The game quickly complicates by throwing innocent woodland creatures to avoid, kegs of dynamite, knotted logs that require multiple swipes, and time bonus logs to extend the annihilation of your arboreal foes.

Even among the many console titles at PAX East 2012, Jack Lumber leaped out to me as the one with the most personality. Sure, it's a little derivative of Fruit Ninja, but that's not a bad thing, and they've added enough new mechanics to erase any feeling of oversimilarity. The lumberjack theme is a largely untouched in iOS games, and these guys were tackling it with panache by dishing out buttons at the show bearing a salty domain they snagged: "F-cktrees.com". I'm half-expecting some environmentalists to cause a lot of noise about this one, but Owlchemy Labs is no stranger to controversy; their last title, Smuggle Truck, was about getting Mexican babies across the border. That proved a little too spicy for Apple, so Owlchemy released a game with stuffed animals instead and called it Snuggle Truck.

When Jack Lumber launches this summer, we can expect it to have Game Center support, be universal, and be optimized for the new iPad's Retina display resolution. They have full intentions of launching the game on any platform with a touchscreen, so sit tight Android users.

If you want to see how an iPad is assembled at a Foxconn factory, a new video reveals some of the processes involved. The video shows an iPad assembly line and focuses on the installation of the motherboard into the iPad casing, the installation of the battery, a visual inspection of the rear panel for scratches, the fitment of the LCD panel and then tests of the gyroscope and the display. The iPad is then packaged and ready for despatch.

The video is part of a series of reports by Rob Schmitz; who is only the second ever reporter given permission to access the factory floor at Apple’s iPad assembly line.

Source: Marketplace via TNW

Stride is a new jailbreak tweak which is available now,  it allows you to passcode protect your device but without the need for a boring old passcode. Instead of a series of numbers or letters, the Stride jailbreak tweak lets you set up an on screen gesture to do the job for you.

Unlocking your iOS Device just got a whole lot cooler. Never again do you need to worry about entering some lengthy password, or are limited to 9 points on a grid. With Stride, you unlock with gestures! Simply draw your password. That's it.

Source: YouTube

Crunchy Logistics has demonstrated its latest innovation designed for the iPad, the Padzilla Too Interactive Case which lets you use your new iPad together with a Microsoft Kinect and a huge high definition display.

This is the largest interactive reproduction of an iPad in the world spanning 24 feet wide and 12 feet tall. The giant iPad display is constructed through the newest 3.5mm LED wall matrix display technology. 3.5mm is the thinnest LED separation currently possible for this type of LED matrix display which increases pixel density to possible “Retina” display quality at typical viewing distances. Padzilla now enables the user to interact on a large scale from a multitouch reproduction platform and is now multi-input gesture capable. This gives a great deal of flexibility on an already popular platform with thousands of apps for entertainment and business presentation purposes.

However, it would be a very impressive presentation tool or interactive advertising billboard. Of course if moneys no object, it could also be a way to impress all of your friends when you fire up a game of Fruit Ninja on that huge screen!

Source: Crunchy Logistics

Khan Academy is well known in the education world as being a fantastic resource for students to watch videos to learn more about topics covered in class. It's also great for non-students who are just thirsty for knowledge and want to study a subject on their own time. And for free. The Khan Academy iPad app is the best way to put learning in your own hands.

Khan Academy covers a massive number of topics, including K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even the humanities with playlists on finance and history.

Each video can be streamed to your iPad or downloaded for offline viewing. If you wish, you can even download all the videos in a topic at once so that you don't have to click each one individually.

Most, but not all, videos include subtitles with each video. This is extremely helpful for those times that you can't understand what the instructor was saying, or if you don't know how to spell some term that the instructor said but didn't write down. These subtitles are shown underneath the video and can be scrolled through.

If you log into Khan Academy, you can keep track of your progress and earn achievements for watching videos and completing topics.

As of now, there are not any practice exercises available in the Khan Academy app, but they promise to bring them soon.

I've always been a fan of Khan Academy and recommend it to all my students as a fabulous resource. The instructors are very qualified for the subjects they are teaching and do a great job at explaining and making the topics interesting to learn about.

The Good

• Over 2700 videos
• Covers a lot of topics
• Most videos include subtitles
• Share to Facebook and Twitter
• Free

The Bad

• Not all videos include subtitles
• Exercises are not yet available

The Conclusion

Khan Academy is a fantastic app for any one who wants to learn. It doesn't matter if you're a small child, college student, or a seasoned adult who hasn't been in a classroom in 30 years, Khan Academy is for everyone. And best of all -- it's free!

Free - Download Now

A two year old boy has been rescued after falling down a narrow well thanks to an iPhone and some quick thinking rescue workers. The boy was playing with some friends when he fell down a 40 feet deep well, became stuck, and needed emergency assistance to get out.

The incident happened in Yunnan Province near Mengzi City, China. Local villagers tried in vain to get the boy out of the well while they waited for rescue teams to arrive. Once the fire-fighters arrived an hour later, they fed oxygen down the narrow shaft to enable the boy to breathe. They tried to lower a harness down the well but as it was an adult harness the boy kept slipping out of it and proved too dangerous to use.

In a move of brilliance, one fire-fighter attached his iPhone to a rope with the video camera enabled and lowered it down the well. The video was then played back and this let the rescue team to see exactly how the boy was positioned in the shaft and guide rope into the correct position and complete the rescue.

The boy escaped with only minor bruising; so was extremely lucky that the recuse team had such great vision and of course an iPhone. As they say, all’s well that ends well…….

Source: App Advice

The iPad has led to a renaissance of apps for handwritten note-taking, but with top contenders like Noteshelf, Remarks, and Notability to choose from, which one is best for you?

Steve Jobs might not have been a fan of the stylus, but for many iPad users it's become an indispensable tool for note-taking, thanks to excellent handwriting apps like Noteshelf, Remarks, and Notability. At their core they all offer a big piece of digital paper for you to scribble, draw, scrawl, annotate, mock up, sketch out, or just plain write down your thoughts, ideas, and projects. Whether you're in a corporate brainstorming session, a student/teacher conference, or family meeting, they're your virtual whiteboard, sheet of lined or graph paper, scrapbook, and art pad all rolled into one. Yet each has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, and each excels in different aspects of the same, broad purpose. So the question becomes, which one is best for you?

Design

Of the three, Noteshelf has the nicest design.

When it comes to looks, Noteshelf's beautiful design blows both Remarks and Notability out of the water. The main screen displays each of your notes like a notebook and displays them nicely on a bookshelf similar to iBooks. Noteshelf also has the greatest selection of paper and pen color and sizes. There is also a Noteshelf store where you can buy more paper and book cover designs. Making Noteshelf visually appealing was clearly a priority on the developers' list.

Organization

A comparison of folder organization in Notability, Noteshelf, and Remarks.

All three apps allow you to organize your notes into folders, but do so differently. Noteshelf has separate bookshelves for groups of notes, Remarks displays each folder like it's own notebook, and Notability has more of a file system take on grouping notes. All of them are equally functional, but Noteshelf's is the most visually appealing.

With Notability, you can also add categories as a way to further organize your folders.

PDF Annotation

Notability and Remarks allow PDF annotation.

One feature that Noteshelf does not offer is importing and annotating PDFs. Both Remarks and Notability do, however. To import a PDF, you must browse to the PDF from somewhere else -- like Dropbox or email -- activate the "open in" option and select Remarks or Notability from the list of choices. Once opened, the PDF works like any other note that you have in the app.

With Notability, you can also import from Dropbox, iDisk, or WebDave directly from the app.

Audio Notes

Notability allows you to record audio notes.

A unique feature to Notability is the ability add audio recordings to your notes. Neither Remarks or Noteshelf offer this functionality. Unfortunately, you can't indicate which area of the notes your recording is applicable to, but this feature will still be welcomed by many.

Sharing

Sharing with Notability, Noteshelf, and Remarks.

Remarks and Notability have the "open in" feature enabled, allowing you to quickly open your notes in another other application. It is a little buried in Notability and Noteshelf does not offer this functionality at all.

For Notability, the destination options are Dropbox, email, "Open in", WebDAV, iDisk, iTunes, and print.

With Remarks, you can email, print, or "open in" another application (including Dropbox).

Noteshelf allows you to export to email, iTunes, Dropbox, Evernote, your iPad album, or printer. Noteshelf is also the only app of the three that lets you share just individual pages from a note. You can also choose to quickly share the page you are editing to email, Twitter, or Facebook.

Handwriting quality

Comparison of the handwriting quality of Notability, Noteshelf, and Remarks.

Just like different pens and writing utensils can make your handwriting look better or worse, different handwriting apps can have different impacts on the look of your handwriting. Of the three, Noteshelf is my favorite.

Noteshelf and Notability actually have a way of improving the look of your handwriting with smooth, natural looking strokes. The beginning and end of each stroke gets slightly thicker and mimics the way a nice pen would write. How thin your stokes appear is dependent on how fast you write, slower strokes are thicker and faster strokes are thinner. Notability uses this technique more drastically than Noteshelf. In my opinion, Noteshelf's implementation is better and more natural.

Remarks doesn't have bad handwriting, it's just not as good as Noteshelf and Notability. The strokes have a fixed width regardless of how quickly you write. The strokes are nice and smooth, though, so your handwriting does look nice, just not as nice as it does with Noteshelf and Notability.

Conclusion

When it comes to design and features such as colors, highlighters, and pen sizes, Noteshelf is the clear winner. If you're looking for PDF annotation, however, you'll probably want to scratch Noteshelf off your list.

Between Remarks and Notability, I think Notability is the better option primarily because of the handwriting. But Notability's UI isn't anything to brag about, and I'm a sucker for well designed, beautiful UI's. Remarks has a nicer, more intuitive design, but is lacking in other features like pen sizes and highlighters.

If audio notes is something you need, Notability is the way to go. The other big thing that Notability has going for it is the price. At just $0.99, Notability is a lot more affordable then both Noteshelf and Remarks.

Personally, I use Noteshelf and go back and forth between Remarks and Notability. As a teacher, I like to provide my students with solutions to quizzes and exams and use Notability or Remarks to get that done. I can't decide which of the two I prefer. Even though Remarks is doesn't have all the features (yet?), Notability's clunky UI gets on my nerves. For all my other note-taking needs, I use Noteshelf because of the larger selection of papers, notebooks, and pen colors.

If you have a preference between Noteshelf, Remarks, and Notability, let me know which and why.

Noteshelf - $5.99 - Download Now

Notability - $0.99 - Download Now

Remarks - $4.99 - Download Now

One of the features of the new iPad that Apple brags about is the new camera. The FaceTime front-facing camera is still a poor quality VGA camera, but the rear camera has been upgraded to a 5 megapixel iSight camera with a f/2.4 lens and 1080p video-recording capabilities. Although it's not as good as the iPhone 4S' 8 megapixel camera, it's still a huge improvement from the poor camera featured on the iPad 2.

The new iPad features a much improved 5 megapixel f/2.4 aperture, 5 element lens and hybrid IR-fliter

The first thing I found interesting is that even though both the new iPad and the iPad 2 have a VGA front facing camera, it was clear that the new iPad has a better sensor because the image looked a lot brighter. What didn't come as surprise was how much better the rear facing camera was on the new iPad.

I recommend watching the above video in full screen so that you can really see the difference between the two video cameras. One thing I noticed is that when recording video, the new iPad has a tighter (closer) crop than the iPad 2, but when taking still photos, the new iPad has wider crop than the iPad 2.

Speaking of images, the iPad's new lens blow's the iPad 2's VGA lens out of the water. The iPad 2 produces dull, grainy images and the new iPad actually takes some pretty nice photos. No, they aren't quite as good as the iPhone 4S, but I'd venture to say that they're better than the iPhone 4 -- although, I haven't officially done any head-to-head tests.

Here's a couple examples that show just how much better the new iPad is at taking taking photos. In each pair, the photo on the right is taken with the new iPad and the photo on the left is with the iPad 2. (Click the images to see larger versions).

The first photo really shows how much more detail the new iPad picks of up in its images. Look at the trees and grass -- the iPad 2's version look blurry and pixelated.

This next one demonstrates that the new iPad produces much better bokeh (out of focus area), and has a shallower depth of field. This is why in the new iPad's version, the flowers really seem to pop.

No words are needed to describe this next pair. Just look at how dull and boring the iPad 2's image looks. Gross.

So I think the video and images speak for themselves -- the new iPad's camera is a huge improvement over its predecessor. But the real question is -- will the improved camera actually give you the confidence to walk around taking photos with a big ol' iPad?

iPhoto is a fantastic photo editing tool, in some ways better than it is on the Mac, but suffers from an inexplicable lack of useful sync.

Apple has brought iPhoto to iOS. Announced alongside the new iPad, but available as a universal app for the iPhone as well, iPhoto completes Apple's mobile iLife suite and once again challenges the misconception that multitouch is better geared for content consumption than creation. iPhoto took the longest to arrive on iOS, despite being the most popular of the iLife apps. So... was it worth the wait?

Photo Editing

I'm am very impressed with the editing power of iPhoto. It's better then iPhoto for the Mac, that's for sure. It's jam packed with options, so it's nice that Apple included an info button that pops up a bunch of helpful notes about what each button does and what each filter or brush is named. (Not as nice as if they'd made the user interface more intuitive, but nicer than having to poke around and get frustrated.) If you tap the arrow on one of these tabs, a help screen will pop up with more info on the specific feature.

Color adjustments

The basic editing tools include cropping, auto enhance, and exposure. Included in the color adjustments tab is options to adjust saturation, white balance, and skin tones as well as smarter adjustments for blue skies and greenery. Be careful with these two, though. If you don't have greenery or blue skies in your photo, it produces horrific results.

This is the perfect time to mention that iPhoto does not support layers or masking, so you cannot exclude a portion of your photo from an effect or adjustment taking place. There is an option to preserve skin tones when making color adjustments, but it's mediocre at best.

To make color adjustments, you can move sliders provided at the bottom of the editing screen, or you can just drag your finger directly on the parts of the photo that correspond wit the color type. For example, holding your finger on the sky will pop up the Blue Skies tool and sliding your finger left or right will adjust the slider. Doing the same thing anywhere on your photo, but vertically, will adjust the saturation.

You can also adjust white balance with the typical presets that come with most apps and cameras: sun, cloudy, flash, shade, incandescent, and fluorescent. There is also a Face Balance tool that lets you choose a person's face and iPhoto will automatically choose a good white balance for the skin tone. Lastly, you can make select a white point on your photo with the custom white balance tool.

Brushes

The best editing feature of iPhoto is the brushes. There are 8 of them: Repair, Red Eye, Saturate, Desaturate, Lighten, Darken, Sharpen, and Soften. The Repair brush will removes things like blemishes, dust marks, and scratches. The other Brushes are self explanatory.

To use a brush, you simply use your finger to "paint" the areas of your photo you the affect applied to. My biggest complaint is that iPhoto doesn't use a circle to show where you're touching -- the only visual cue is to see the results of the brush. But if you're making subtle changes, it's very hard to notice. However, the alternative that's available is the option to show your strokes. Turning this on displays all your strokes in red. When you're done applying the brush, just turn the strokes off to see the results.

My other gripe with brushes is that you cannot adjust the brush size - well, not directly anyway. The brush size is always the size of your fingertip, so to adjust it, you need to zoom in and out of the photo. This is just terrible. It's hard to be precise.

Now, I started out by saying that the brushes are the best editing feature of iPhoto, but have done nothing but complain about it. That's because, despite these two flaws, brushes are actually very powerful tools. The opacity of the brushes are fairly light, so you have control over how drastic you want the change to be -- just paint multiple strokes over one spot to create a thicker layer, so to speak. Showing your strokes is very helpful in this regard.

Effects

iPhoto has a set of filters that Apple calls Effects. The categories are Artistic, Vintage, Aura, Black & White, Duotone, and Warm & Cool. Honestly, there isn't really anything special about them in comparison to other apps, they're filters that change the look of your photos. End of story. Well, I guess the fact that you can adjust the vignetting intensity makes it a little bit more interesting?

Example of final edit

Here's the before and after comparison of a photo that I edited fairly quickly. I think it's a great example of a nice edit job that isn't overdone. I cropped and rotated, used the Face Balance tool, increased the Greenery slider, applied the repair, sharpen, and soften brushes, and added the Saturated Film filter from the Vintage category.

You can see a larger version here.

Sharing , Beaming, and syncing (or lack thereof)

You can share you photo from iPhoto directly to your Camera Roll, iTunes, email, Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, and an AirPrint compatible printer. There is also a new feature called Beam that lets you share photos from one device running iPhoto to another device on the same Wifi network also running iPhoto. It's really easy to use and a great way to share photos between devices. Unfortunately, it's also the easiest way to share photos between even your own devices.

I was really hoping that with the introduction of iPhoto on the iPhone and iPad that my iPhoto libraries would stay in sync between iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but this is not the case. It's not even the case within iOS. Each devices has their own library. Having photos and the non-destructive edits that go with them seamlessly sync between all devices would have been the single most useful feature a platform owner like Apple could implement. I expected more from the maker's of iCloud. Maybe in a future update.

Journals

iPhoto has this fun new way to display your photos called Journals. It's basically a collage of your photos with the ability of adding captions, blocks of text, notes, map, weather widgets to your collage. You can resize your photos and drag and drop them to place them exactly how you wish. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust the size of the widgets, so even if your sticky note only has one small phrase, it must still take up just as much space as four small photos.

Journals are pretty fun to play with and can be shared online through iCloud. This will give your Journal its own web address that can be shared with whoever you want. All your photos are also downloadable from your online journal - a "feature" that cannot be disabled.

I was very disappointed to learn that this was the only real way to share a Journal. I was really hoping for an export that would allow me to then share my Journal to my personal blog.

You can see an example of a journal that I shared through iCloud here.

The good

• Very powerful editing tools
• Journals are pretty cool
• Easy to use
• Integrated user manual is awesome
• Beam is a great and easy way to share to other iOS devices

The bad

• iPhoto libraries don't sync
• Brushes don't have visual indication of brush size
• Must zoom in and out of photo to adjust brush size, which isn't very precise
• No support for layers
• Can't adjust size of inserted widgets in a Journal
• Can only share Journals online through iCloud

The conclusion

iPhoto is a fantastic addition to the iLife family on iOS with very powerful editing tools. Sure, there are some things that could be changed to make it better, but at just $4.99, it's quite a steal. Minus the creation of books, cards, and calendars, it's better than iPhoto on the Mac.

$4.99 - Download Now

Apple has wasted very little time posting the video stream from today’s new iPad event as it is now live on Apple’s events page. You can now see for yourself how Apple introduced the upgraded Apple TV as well as the next generation iPad wtih a stunning 2048 x 1536 Retina display.

You can watch the complete keynote right now on Apple.com. It hasn’t arrived in iTunes as a podcast as of yet; we will keep an eye out for it and let you know as soon as it does.

Source : Apple Events

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

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

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

Source: New York Post

If you are feeling nostalgic or just have some time to kill, you can now re-live every single advert that Apple has made for its iPhone device.  The iPhone was first introduced back in 2007 and the first advert to hit our screens was called “Hello”. It made its first appearance during the night of the  Oscars and featured scenes with famous actors all on the phone. Apple has continued to produce some great ads for the iPhone and that number has now reached a staggering 84 to date.

The iPhone campaign is now entering its sixth year, and is up to 84 spots and counting. "Get a Mac" was beloved for its characters and wry humor. And while the iPhone work may lack that same level of charm—it is, at its heart, merely a series of product demonstrations—it is just as exquisitely produced and in many ways more varied. It's hard to think of a product that's had a greater impact on the culture in the past five years than the iPhone.

Source: Adweek

NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) lampooned Verizon Wireless' confused, complicated, almost chaotic 4G LTE smartphone marketing last night. While Verizon has done a good, restrained job with their iPhone commercials to date, their non-Apple marketing has ranged from "Tell your wife it has a Tegra 2 processor" to tablet names that look more like 1980s Jean Claude van Damme movies, to a dizzying array of overlapping phones with very little in the way of clear segmentation or differentiation.

Right now, if my mom wanted a not-iPhone on Verizon, rolling dice and picking at random would likely be as effective a strategy as walking into the store. (Lucky for her, and for Verizon, there's Android Central)

Verizon would do well to draw up one of the Steve Jobs product grids, but instead of consumer and pro, portable and desktop, stick with consumer and prosumer, keyboard and no keyboard. Then build out slowly from there. A few great devices that get phenomenal, long term support would be far more memorable and marketable.

Source: PhoneArena via The Verge, Android Central

Get custom signatures, notifications, and highlights for iPhone Mail with Mail Enhancer for jailbreak

Mail Enhancer adds a great deal of extra functionality to your jailbroken iPhone, including the ability to set custom signatures for different accounts, tailored notifications, advanced mail sorting options, and account highlighting. If the stock version of iOS simply doesn't meet your needs, and you're looking for more and better functionality, give Mail Enhancer a try.

iOS lacks the ability to have more than one e-mail signature. (That's why we all see "Sent from my iPhone" so often.) If you have a different account for home and office, for example, you're forced to include the contact information for both and delete the inappropriate one each time, or neither, and enter it in manually on a case by case basis. If you remember. Mail Enhancer allows you to add as many mail signatures as you'd like. Not only can you set them per account, but you can take it one step further and also have separate signatures for composing, replying, and forwarding.

Set quiet hours and account priority

Mail Enhancer also has advanced notification controls built-in. You can set mail accounts as high priority and low priority and adjust notifications accordingly. For example, you can set up high priority email to use popup notifications but have them turned off for low priority email.

Set different colors for mail accounts with message highlighting

If you're the type of person that likes to view all of your e-mails in one thread, Mail Enhancer makes it easy to set highlight colors for each account. That way, even when you're viewing the unified inbox, you can still easily identify which account each email was sent to, without having to tap into each one individually. You can also add a bar to the top of your Mail app that allows you to easily toggle between all your messages and just unread messages.

Mail Enhancer is already available in Cydia, the jailbreak app store.

$4.99 - Cydia Search Link

Additional jailbreak resources:

• Jailbreak news, guides, and how to's
• Jailbreak apps, hacks, and tweaks forum
• General jailbreak discussion forums

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

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

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

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

BiteSMS for iOS 5

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

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

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

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

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

Messages+ for iOS 5

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

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

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

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

BiteSMS vs Messages+ - which is better?

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

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

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

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

Apple has just released an update to Final Cut Pro X, their executive video editing software suite, which adds multi-camera syncing and broadcast monitoring suport. Final Cut Pro X 10.0.3 also includes enhanced XML, so it can talk with third-party plug-ins more easily. As always, there's a bunch of great audio, animation, and color correction tools in there which professionals have come to rely on.

So, okay, okay, maybe Final Cut Pro X is a little overkill for something shot on your iPhone 4S, especially with iMovie available right on the device, but if you're knee-deep in the Apple lifestyle, maybe you like adding an extra layer of polish to your mobile videos. Or if you just shot your new music video with a four iPhone setup and need that new multi-cam sync. (Hey, it happens!)

Even though Final Cut Pro X is clearly built for, well, pros, it's still interesting to see some people kit out their iPhones with all manner of video-enhancing accessories. While I can't speak much to the quality of those videos versus something done with a "real" camera, I still admire folks who try to close the gap. A full-blown version of Final Cut Pro X on iPad -- even the iPad 3 is still the stuff of legend, but I'd love to see a bunch of mobile companion apps to enhance desktop publishing. Adobe's done a lot of stuff like this, and I think a similar strategy for Apple would be a great way to keep an iPad in the workflow. Even if Apple doesn't take up the call, maybe the enhanced XML support will enable third parties to make some cool iPad companion apps for Final Cut Pro X. There are just so many separate panes and menus to keep in order when editing video, that it would be nice to shunt a few of the less vital ones to a separate display. Full press release after the jump.

• Free trial - Apple.com link.
• $299 - Mac App Store link,

CUPERTINO, California—January 31, 2012—Apple® today released Final Cut Pro® X v10.0.3, a significant update to its revolutionary professional video editing application, which introduces multicam editing that automatically syncs up to 64 angles of video and photos; advanced chroma keying for handling complex adjustments right in the app; and enhanced XML for a richer interchange with third party apps and plug-ins that support the fast growing Final Cut Pro X ecosystem. Available today as a free update from the Mac® App Store™, Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 also includes a beta of broadcast monitoring that supports Thunderbolt devices as well as PCIe cards.

Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 includes a collection of groundbreaking new tools for editing multicam projects. Final Cut Pro X automatically syncs clips from your shoot using audio waveforms, time and date, or timecode to create a Multicam Clip with up to 64 angles of video, which can include mixed formats, frame sizes and frame rates. The powerful Angle Editor allows you to dive into your Multicam Clip to make precise adjustments, and the Angle Viewer lets you play back multiple angles at the same time and seamlessly cut between them.

Final Cut Pro X builds upon its robust, one-step chroma key with the addition of advanced controls including color sampling, edge adjustment and light wrap. You can tackle complex keying challenges right in Final Cut Pro X, without having to export to a motion graphics application, and view your results instantly with realtime playback.

In the seven months since launch, the third party ecosystem around Final Cut Pro X has expanded dramatically. XML-compatible software like DaVinci Resolve and CatDV provide tight integration for tasks such as color correction and media management. The new 7toX app from Intelligent Assistance uses XML to import Final Cut Pro 7 projects into Final Cut Pro X. In addition, some of the industry’s largest visual effects developers, including GenArts and Red Giant, have developed motion graphics plug-ins that take advantage of the speed and real-time preview capabilities of Final Cut Pro X.

Broadcast monitoring in Final Cut Pro X is currently in beta and allows you to connect to waveform displays, vectorscopes, and calibrated, high-quality monitors to ensure that your project meets broadcast specifications. Final Cut Pro X supports monitoring of video and audio through Thunderbolt I/O devices, as well as through third party PCIe cards.

Pricing & Availability Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 is available from the Mac App Store for $299.99 (US) to new users, or as a free update for existing Final Cut Pro X customers. A 30-day free trial of Final Cut Pro X is available at www.apple.com/finalcutpro/trial. Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Pro X can be found at www.apple.com/finalcutpro.

MacPhun, the makers of FX Photo Studio, are working on a selective-coloring photography for iPhone called Color Splash Studio. Unlike similar apps already available in the App Store, FX Photo Studio comes with a slew of tools that allows you to further customize your photos including contrast, brightness, saturation, and hue. You can focus these edits to just the background or just the colored portion of your photo. You can also apply various filters (like sepia) to your background, making it more interesting than the traditional black and white backgrounds.

FX Photo Studio is already available in the Mac App Store [$2.99 - Mac App Store link] and will be available on the iPhone in mid-February.

We got a sneak peak of Color Splash Studio for iPhone while at Macworld 2012.

Taglists is an iPhone and iPad app that lets you create and share playlists made up of music, videos, and photos that can be streamed for free by you and your friends. Just tag all the media with the same hashtag label and Taglists will generate the playlists for you. Want to enjoy these playlists via a different medium? No problem; Taglists lets you use Airplay or DLNA to play them on connected TV, A/V receivers, iPod docks, stereos, Apple TV and more.

We took a closer look at Taglists at Macworld 2012.

• Free - App Store link

Taglists lets you create and share playlists that mix free music, videos, and photos from multiple places, including Facebook, YouTube, Picasa, and SoundCloud.

• Create a Taglist by tagging songs, videos, and photos with the same hash-tag, like #inthedark (See #inthedark here: http://eye-c.tv/twv)
• Share Taglists on Twitter and Facebook automatically, and let friends add to your playlist to build your own shared channel that others can watch on any computer
• Play Taglists on your iPhone or iPod touch or iPad or use Airplay or DLNA to play them on connected TV, A/V receivers, iPod docks, stereos, Apple TV and more.

Taglists is available on the iPhone and iPad for free.

• App Store link

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

Rene and I are at Macworld 2012 and had the pleasure of talking to Penultimate developer Ben Zotto. You, the iMore nation, asked us to ask Ben his thoughts on styli for the iPad, so we did! Check out the video above for Ben's insights on the personal decision of choosing a stylus.

Here's a list of the ones he mentioned:

• Pogo Sketch Pro - $24.95 - Amazon link
• Pogo Sketch Plus - $14.95 - Ten One Design link
• Wacom Bamboo - $25.43 - Amazon link
• Cosmonaut - $25 - Studio Neat link

What's your favorite stylus to use with Penultimate?

TwitkaFly allows you to tweet from virtually anywhere with a quick swipe or tap on your jailbroken iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. It will add a Twitter shortcut to your notification center pull down and allow you to program a quick gesture for composing straight through Activator. The interface is clean and very iOS 5 like. It isn't bogged down with too many buttons or cheesy graphics either.

The utility supports the following features -

• Tweet right from anywhere using Activator
• QuickReply to Twitter, Tweetbot, and Tweetings push notifications
• Retweet tweets
• Tweet Photo
• Open links from tweets
• Custom animations/transitions
• Amazing notification UI
• Tweet #NowPlayingTrack
• Landscape mode in iPad
• 100% retina display support
• Blacklist users and more

Twitkafly ties into your existing Twitter app so you can handle notifications through it once you choose your client through Settings. Currently TwitkaFly supports the official Twitter app, Tweetbot, and Tweetings. I'm assuming more clients will eventually be added. It's compatible with any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 4 or higher. The only issue I've had so far is when I link it with Tweetbot. Whenever I click a notification it re-springs my device. If I link it with Twitter or Tweetings, it works fine. Hopefully that's just a bug that'll be hammered out pretty quickly.

If you're using LockInfo or IntelliscreenX you shouldn't have any compatibility issues and it should just tie straight into your existing notification program. You'll just notice the addition of a QuickTweet button in the bottom left or right hand corner of notification center.

TwitkaFly is already available for purchase in Cydia. They've got a lite version available for free and a paid version for $1.99. Hit the link below to check it out and then let us know what you think! You can also check out more jailbreak apps and utilities in our apps, hacks, and themes forum.

Twitkafly - $1.99 - Cydia Search Link

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

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

What you need for a DIY GSM iPhone 4 screen replacement

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

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

Power off your iPhone 4

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

Remove the back

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

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

Remove your SIM card

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

Remove the battery

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

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

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

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

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

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

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

Remove the top logic board shield

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

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

Disconnect the 6 cables from the top of the logic board

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

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

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

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

Remove the logic board

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

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

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

Remove the speaker assembly

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

Remove the vibrator assembly

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

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

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

Remove the 4 screws in each corner

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

Loosen the remaining 6 screws

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

Remove the broken LCD & digitizer assembly from your iPhone

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

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

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

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

Remove any left over glass or debris from the frame

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

Reassemble your iPhone

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

And... done!

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

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

When I was asked to compile a list of my most used accessories of 2011, I looked around and discovered -- I don't use that many accessories. That made my list much easier to compile. So here is a list of the accessories that I actually do use.

Glif

As a YouTuber, I make videos on a regular basis. Following the old saying 'The best camera is the one you have on you', this is mostly my iPhone 4. The problem with iPhone is that you can't mount it on to a tripod. The Glif is a moulded piece of rubber that fits tightly around the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, and screws into any standard tripod, making it ideal for shooting those still shots. It also doubles as a stand in both portrait and landscape modes.

• $19.50 - Amazon link

Smart Cover for iPad 2

I love my Smart Cover. It's got a gorgeous design, its simple to attach and detach from the iPad and, for a thin cover, its surprisingly functional. I usually have my iPad stood up in "writing" mode, for editing articles, and scripts on the fly, but when I just want to sit back, relax and enjoy some TV or a film, Its literally a small flip away.

It's simple, it's sleek and it comes in colors.

• $39.99 to $69.99 - Amazon link

Apple iPhone 4 Dock

If the iPhone 4 isn't in my pocket, or in my hand, then its sat in its dock on my desk or bedside table where it'll charge and connect to iTunes via Wifi, to ensure that that all my music, apps and podcasts are up to date.

• $23.99 - Amazon link

Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting the OtterBox headquarters in Fort Collins, CO and it was bigger and nicer and more fun than I ever imagined. There are very few right angles in the building and the architecture and interior design is just gorgeous. As if the multiple mini-kitchens, work-out gym, bike room, and pinball machine wasn't enough, OtterBox headquarters also features a slide. Yes, a giant, awesome, circular indoor slide. iMore and Mobile Nations better watch out, because if OtterBox offers me a job, I'm there!

After watching the video, head over to Otterbox's website for videos about the headquarter's design and photo gallery. You'll be nothing short of impressed.

Oh, and if you missed part 1 of our look inside Otterbox, go check it out now and enter our big Otterbox case giveaway!

One of the big announcements at Apple's Education event was iBooks Author, a Mac application for creating books and textbooks for iBooks. I could that say I spent a better part of the day experimenting and learning how to use iBooks Author, but that'd be a lie. I spent more time typing out content then I did learning how to use the app.

After creating your book, it is incredibly easy to see how it looks on your iPad. Simply plug in your iPad, open iBooks, then click Preview in iBooks Author. The app immediately starts exporting your book and, boom, appears on your iPad. When you close everything down and unplug your iPad, your book will still be accessible in iBooks so that you can take a closer look at it from the comfort of your couch.

I never imagined that creating this type of content would be so easy - and free.

• Mac App Store link

One of the big announcements at Apple's Education event was iTunes U for the iPhone and iPad. I've done some poking around the iPad version and have been very impressed.

The Catalogue is laid out exactly like the App Store and iBookstore, so everyone is already familiar with how to browse it and subscribe to courses. The iTunes U library is where you'll find all the courses you are subscribed to and it looks similar to the bookshelf in iBooks.

Inside a course, you'll find all the info an instructor chooses to share about the class, including catalogue information and the course outline, structure, and syllabus. Instructors can also make posts to the course with more information about lectures as well as documents and videos. Additionally, students can take notes in a designated area of the course page and quickly access all course materials.

As a college instructor, I look forward to using iTunes U as a way to supplement content and materials for my classes.

Immediately following Apple's Education Event, I downloaded a couple textbooks from the iBookstore, namely, Geometry and Chemistry. I've done some browsing and am very impressed with what Apple and the publishers have done with these textbooks.

On the surface, the books look like typical textbooks, but a simple touch brings the pages to life. You can enlarge images, flip through slideshows, watch videos and examples, take sample quizzes, and more. One of my favorites features is that there are flashcards pre-created with all the terms and definitions from each chapter. You can also create your own cards from highlighted text and user-created notes.

This is just the beginning of textbooks in the iBookstore and I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

Following up on the education event in New York, Apple has posted an instructional video for the new iBooks Author app available in the Mac App Store.

The video goes over some of the default templates Apple has included, as well as some of the more fluid user-interface elements like drag-and-drop, widgets and deep customization options. One thing I noticed was the built-in accessibility options Apple has included, which makes creating books that people with disabilities can read and experience much easier. You can also preview your book on the iPad to make sure it looks just the way you want it to look.

All in all, the video is very educational and details most of the functionality included in iBooks Author. Check it out!

Source: Apple

Fresh from the Apple Education event, Apple has posted the video they showed off highlighting iBooks 2 and their new Textbooks initiative. It starts off with teachers and educators railing against everything wrong about traditional textbooks -- they're expensive, heavy, immediately outdated. Then they go into full iPad sell mode. Fast and fluid navigation, beautiful graphics, and better, easier note taking.

PercyFX is an iPhone and iPad app that lets you take popular movie clips and personalize them with your own messages. The folks at Percy 3DMedia created the video above from King Kong for us with a personal message targeted at iMore. To see another video they made with an even better message from Despicable Me, follow along, below!

PercyFX allows you to create personalized videos from popular movie clips and share them with your friends! They download right onto your phone and you can email them to your friends, post them on YouTube, share them on Facebook – there are tons of ways to use these fun, customized video clips!

There are lots of movie clips to personalize - movies like…

• The Fast & The Furious
• Despicable Me
• Hop
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

and classics like

• The Big Lebowski
• Back to the Future
• American Pie
• King Kong
• Sixteen Candles

PercyFX is available on the iPhone and iPad for free.

• App Store link

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

Giveaway: Watch the video then leave a comment letting us know which of the Otterbox cases you'd love to win!

Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting the OtterBox headquarters in Fort Collins, CO and talk with Jordan about the history of the OtterBox name, the design and testing process, and get a closer look and description for each case series for the iPhone and iPad.

In addition to the interview, Jordan also passed on one of each case series to give away to our readers! Specifically, we have the following:

• Gunmetal Grey / Envy Green Defender Series
• Victory Commuter Series
• Gunmetal Reflex Series
• Black Impact Series

For a chance to win, just let us know which of these cases you would like to win in the comments below!

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

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

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

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

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

Power off your iPhone 4

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

Remove the back

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

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

Remove your SIM card

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

Remove the battery

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

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

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

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

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

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

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

Remove the top logic board shield

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

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

Disconnect the 6 cables from the top of the logic board

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

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

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

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

Remove the logic board

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

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

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

Remove the speaker assembly

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

Remove the vibrator assembly

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

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

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

Remove the 4 screws in each corner

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

Loosen the remaining 6 screws

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

Remove the LCD/Digitizer assembly from your iPhone

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

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

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

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

Remove the old home button and cable

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

Put in the new home button and cable

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

Reassembly

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

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

And... done!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At CES 2012, we had the opportunity to check out an olloclip, an accessory for the iPhone that converts the lens to either wide angle, fisheye, or macro. It simply slides onto the corner of your iPhone and is small enough to carry around in your pocket.

After the demonstration, I picked one up for myself, and Rene and I used it for filming during the remainder of our time at CES - it made a huge difference.

The olloclip is available now for $69.99.

Source: Olloclip.

Lauren from Case-Mate gave us a look at all their brand new, shiny and stylish iPhone cases at CES 2012. We all know how much Georgia loves her metallic cases and we don't think she'll be disappointed with Case-Mate's new offerings.

If sparkles and glitter aren't for you, they've still got you covered whether your main concern is fashion, protection, or discretion. Besides brand new designs, some old favorites have been updated with new colors and slightly changed form factors as well.

Griffin is here at CES 2012 demonstrating their new Studio Connect peripheral. If you're a musician looking to take recording on the go, the studio connect aims to bring you this with Midi control. The iPad dock adds extra audio inputs and adds Midi connections.

Once you're done you can upload your content to GarageBand or whatever suite you choose. We got a hands on here at CES and while the product lives up to what it says it'll do, it's a bit bulky to carry around form a convenience point of view.

Celebrities have tendency to bubble up across CES, but it's not often one of them is an honest-to-goodness exhibitor. Seth Green, the most excellent comedian behind Robot Chicken and a big player in Family Guy, used CES 2012 to announce his investment and advisory role with an app called Shodogg. It's a pretty simple HTML5 app which lets you quickly share mobile videos to your PC, tablet, Google TV, or just about any other web-enabled device. They're aiming to launch a native iPhone app in March, and given the heavy "platform agnostic" angle, you can expect this on Android sometime soon.

Sharing streaming video can be tricky if the source doesn't want to play nice, and even when they do, DLNA is still farm from perfect. Though there's definitely room for an app like Shodogg, I think the biggest thing about it is that Seth Green is involved. Call me shallow. It's just good to see smart celebrities getting entrepreneurial. Who knows, maybe if more of them focus on app development, the next generation of programmers could enjoy some amount of social prestige.

You can find out more about Shodogg over here, or jump right in and sign up for the alpha.

Adobe Carousel uses their powerful Camera Raw engine, the same one found in desktop apps like Lightroom, to handle non-destructive editing on iPhone and iPad. Moreover, you can keep in sync with the companion app on your Mac so any changes in one are instantly replicated in the other, and you can easily share with friends, family, or co-workers.

We got the full demo live at CES

Free - App Store link

• Don’t sweat storage limits or suffer syncing—just enjoy the freedom to browse your entire photo library or show off any shot on any device you have handy. Simply add photos to your Adobe Carousel photo library on your iPad, iPhone, or Mac, and you’ll instantly have access to them in Adobe Carousel on your other iPad, iPhone, and Mac devices.
• Easily crop, rotate, adjust exposure, and make other corrections, or lend your photos serious style with unique Looks. Experiment with wild abandon knowing Adobe Carousel always preserves your original photo.
• Create a family photo library without the hassle of sending emails, handing off drives, and trying to figure out which photos to touch up or use in special projects.
• Use familiar multitouch gestures to easily explore tens of thousands of photos or quickly find and fill the screen with one great shot.
• Simplify your life. A subscription lets you use Adobe Carousel on all iPad, iPhone, and Mac, and you can accomplish the same tasks in virtually the same ways on every iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
• Share those moments that matter by sending your photos straight from Adobe Carousel to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
• Snap new photos right from Adobe Carousel on your iPhone or iPad, and they’ll instantly appear in your photo library on all your devices. No manual importing required!
• Import, edit, and share all your JPEGs

Adobe Carousel is available on the iPhone and iPad for free. A complimentary 30 day subscription is included.

Corning's new Gorilla Glass 2 is stronger, slimmer, and better than ever and has demonstrated this live at CES 2012. After having a volunteer break a few different types of glass and unsuccessfully attempt to break the original Gorilla Glass, the host had his assistant show that this 1.0mm piece could withstand at least 121 pounds of pressure (just shy of the breaking point of the glass). You may find this impressive enough, but Corning wowed the audience when a piece of 0.8mm (20% thinner) Gorrilla Glass 2 was also able to withstand 121 pounds. Thin is in - and it's strong.

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

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

My most used apps of 2011 include an endless list of Twitter apps, ‘video streaming apps’, and of course, the default apps like Safari, Mail, Messages and YouTube. When I do download apps from the App Store, I immediately store them into folders: "Games, Utilities, Utilities 2". However, there are a select few apps that live outside of folders, because I use them so often. Here are the top 5 that I’ve used this year.

Twittelator Neue

I’ve used a few Twitter apps this year. I used Tweetbot, TweetTime, Tweetings, but most of the time I ended up reverting back to the official Twitter app, but when Twitter updated their iPhone app to #dickapp, I went on a search for another Twitter client. That's when I found Twittelator Neue. Its gorgeous and was made for iOS5. Its got most of the features you'd expect from a Twitter app and is definitely the app that I will be using in the foreseeable future. So what if it doesn’t have push support yet? It’s so pretty!

$1.99 - App Store Link

BBC iPlayer

The iPlayer app is on both the iPhone and the iPad, however I love them both for different reasons. The iPad version is my No.1 source for my BBC content. Its easy to navigate and lets you save a list of favourites, so I never miss a show. Its so convenient for watching my favourite BBC shows in bed before I go to sleep. The iPhone version wins me over because it has 3G support and live channels, so I can watch TV, while I’m out and on the go.

FREE - App Store Link

Tiny Tower

Tiny Tower is an annoyingly addictive game. I'm constantly checking my tower and improving it. It's almost become part of my everyday routine. 'Wake Up, Have Breakfast, Play Tiny Tower'. It's an endless game, as there is no limit to how tall your tower can go, so I'll be playing this for many more years to come.

FREE - App Store Link

Wikipanion

When I need to look something up on wikipedia, I always use Wikipanion, not just because it's a full featured, easy to navigate wikipedia app, but because it has multiple wikia support, which is great for viewing topic-specific wikis as well as the standard wikipedia.

FREE - App Store Link

Checkbook HD

I like keeping a close eye on my money, however, My bank doesn’t have an app (yes, I should leave them.). Checkbook HD, allows me to keep a close eye on all my spendings offline, so I can see at a glance how much money I have at any given time. I've got multiple accounts, and the app adds up all my money to tell me how much I have altogether. Time to save for next Christmas.

$0.99 - App Store Link

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

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

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

Source: 60beat

I think she likes it.

Via: @alli_flowers

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Free - App Store link

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

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

Apple has updated the 2nd-generation Apple TV software to version 4.4.4, which includes general performances and stability improvements and a fix related to an issue that displayed an error when attempting to play certain types of video content.

The new software update comes just a month after their 4.4.3 update, which added support for Netflix streaming in Mexico as well as addressing an audio problem when playing sound through the optical port when your television set is turned off, and carries a new build number (9A406a).

You can grab the update from the Apple TV Update Software option in the device’s General Settings menu.

Source: Apple

Here's a cute little video, called Om Nom Stories, of the candy-eating little creature from the popular iPhone and iPad game Cut the Rope. Admit it, this video makes you want a pet Om Nom!

Speaking of Om Nom and his cuteness, ZeptoLab has given us some Om Nom plush toys to give away! Specifically, we've got one 5", one 8", and one whopping 16" Om Nom to put into your Om Nom loving hands! For a chance to win, head on over to our forums and let us know what you love about Om Nom.

Seriously, how could you not love this face?

ENTER NOW!

In the mean time, if you haven't already, go pick up Cut the Rope for iPhone or iPad and feed Om Nom some candy. He's hungry.

• Cut the Rope, $0.99 - App Store link
• Cut the Rope HD, $1.99 - App Store link
• Cut the Rope: Experiments, $0.99 - App Store link
• Cut the Rope: Experiments HD, $1.99 - App Store link

ENTER NOW!

We kind of figured the Grand Central Apple Store was going to be a huge deal, but we weren't expecting thousands to line up to get in on the first day. With all the excitement in the air some of the folks waiting in line captured videos to share, showing off just how many people were around. Apple had promised the first 4,000 people would receive a free t-shirt, and within just the first hour there was 1,000 people in the store and 500 waiting patiently for their turn to enter.

Are you hitting the Grand Central Apple Store today? If so, drop your pictures and impressions into the comments!

Source: CNN

Larry, Curly and Moe are coming back to the big screen in 2012, and they aren't quite sure what to make of the iPhone 4S. This clip shows the Three Stooges trying to figure out what an iPhone is and... ultimately failing. (Jump to the 30-second mark for the hilarity.)

Source: YouTube

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

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

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

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

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

According to iPhoneiTalia, Facebook is working on an update to its Messenger app that will deliver Facebook video calls across multiple platforms. Facebook currently offers a video calling service between users on desktop web browsers using its agreement with Skype. According to sources, the update to the Facebook messenger app is already being tested in the wild and should be revealed in the not too distant future.

This update appears to be a natural progression for the Facebook Messenger app. The idea of being able to video chat with another Facebook user on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch would be extremely appealing to many. The app should be compatible with any iOS device with a front facing camera. We will let you know as soon as we hear any more information!

Source: iPhoneItalia via Cult of Mac

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

Infinity Blade II has hit the App Store and what a better way to celebrate than with a giveaway!

Follow along for the details.

Powered by Epic’s cutting-edge Unreal Engine 3 technology, Infinity Blade II takes handheld gaming to even greater heights with stunning visuals, new combat styles, and advanced character customization in a beautiful, fully 3D world.

The Award-Winning Infinity Blade Story Continues!

• The God King has been defeated, an unlikely hero has emerged and now you must discover the truth behind the secrets of the Infinity Blade. The continuing journey of young Siris unfolds as you delve deeper into the world of the Deathless tyrants and their legion of Titans. Can you unlock all the mysteries and successfully wield the power of the Infinity Blade in this timeless sword fighting adventure of champions and villains?

A Robust & Dynamic 3D World:

• Explore beautiful and immersive environments that dynamically change over time during your travels and venture to exotic locations such as the Asian themed Saydhi’s Estate or the medieval inspired Vault of Tears featuring multiple paths to explore.

Featuring 3 All-New Styles of Combat:

• Now you can choose from multiple classes of weapons, armor and spells, each with specialized capabilities such as Dual Wielding, Two-Handed and the standard Weapon & Shield class. Learn each discipline by using Infinity Blade II’s intuitive pick-up and play game play style that is easy to use, yet difficult to master!

Infinity Blade’s Trademark Character Customization Evolved:

• Create and forge even more powerful weapons with mystical objects you discover and collect along your journey, expanding your overall arsenal with all-new elemental powers & capabilities! The Secrets of Your Past Revealed: Delve deeper into the fantastical story of Infinity Blade as your journey leads you to the realm of the mysterious Deathless Saydhi and discover the truth about the Worker of Secrets and the powers he holds.

The Latest in iOS features Powered by Unreal Technology:

• The definitive visual experience in mobile gaming, complete with all-new iCloud support and HDMI output.

Universal App:

• Play Infinity Blade on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2, iPod Touch 3 (16 GB and above), or iPod Touch 4 for a single low price.

Optimized for iPhone 4S and iPad 2:

• Includes high-resolution graphics and lighting that utilize the enhanced visual capabilities of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

Giveaway

TiPb has been a fan of Infinity Blade since the original was first announced and we know you have been too. So, we're giving away Infinity Blade II to 5 lucky readers! For a chance to win, just leave a comment below! Must have a US iTunes account to win. Apple's rule, not ours!

Infinity Blade II is available on the iPhone and iPad for $6.99.

[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.

Infinity Blade II, the follow up to the Epic Unreal 3-powered original, has just become available in the Australian and New Zealand App Stores and should be hitting the U.S. around midnight, ET.

Infinity Blade II continues to raise the bar for triple-A mobile gaming. Journey into the world of the Deathless tyrants and their legion of Titans. Build skills and upgrade characters… all while delving deeper into this mysterious, timeless adventure.

The game, a universal app, will be compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch 4th and 3rd generation.

US$6.99 - App Store link

Update: Live in the U.S. App Store now!

Source: Epic Games

ROAD inc is an iPad app for car enthusiasts. It includes 50 landmark automobile models and over 70 videos, 350 HD photos, 3000 documents, and 100 engine sounds. Exploring these classic cars is a very interactive and immersive experience, that even non-car enthusiasts will enjoy this app.

Check out the promo video below!

In effect, Road Inc users can enjoy a true sense of ownership in relation to each car, and its immersive approach is heightened immeasurably by a vast interactive library of multimedia content (image, video, sound, text) that gives full life to the history, style and feats of the most remarkable automobile models.

• 50 landmark automobile models to unveil and explore, from the Ford T to the Bugatti Veyron.
• 3D museum tour
• Over 70 videos including race archives, interviews, commercials and more...
• More than 350 high definition studio photographs from acclaimed photographers
• Over 3,000 Archival documents including brochures, yearbooks, blueprints, adverts, plans, press articles and more...
• More than 100 roaring engine sounds for the full experience
• 50 original in-depth feature essays
• Social content-sharing features (Facebook, Twitter, email)

ROAD inc is available on the iPad for $9.99.

[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.

Road inc. app for iPad - It's driven from PYROLIA SA on Vimeo.

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

eBay has updated its iPad app and it now includes a new feature for its U.S. users called “Watch with eBay”. Watch with eBay lets you easily find items related to what you are currently watching on television.

Watch With eBay is a new and fun way to discover items from the wonderful to the unexpected, all based on what you're watching on your television. After a few quick setup steps, you can browse and view eBay search results based on any television program currently playing in the United States*. You may find DVD sets, signed photographs from your favorite actor or athlete, movie scripts, coffee mugs, jerseys, collectible pieces, and more!

The update also includes one or two bug fixes as well as the Watch with eBay feature. eBay says that the Watch with eBay feature is U.S. only due to current program data constraints. It does say it may bring the feature to more countries later on.

[App Store link]

The iPad version of the Google Search app received a pretty big update today. It features a revamped UI that provides feedback the moment you begin to type. After tapping a result, the page with load in a a new slide-in pane so that you can continue to scroll through results while it loads. You can also check out snapshots of pages you've visited in the new carousel view.

Check out the video of Google Search for iPad in action below.

Once you pick a web page to visit, you’ll see the page load on a new, slide-in pane that will layer over the search results. You can slide the pane to the right to get back to your search results, and even keep scrolling through the results as your web page is loading. This allows you to go back and forth from results to web pages quickly to get the information you are looking for.

Often you may be looking to find something you have seen before again or are continuing research on a topic. But on a tablet, typing can be a challenge. That is why we have created a visual way to explore your search history. Swipe right to view snapshots of pages you’ve visited, stacked and organized by search term. You can also manage your search history from this new view.

• See search results and websites side-by-side to browse pages and results
• Get to the right answer faster with Instant Previews and Google Instant
• See images full-screen with image browsing
• New visual UI for search history
• Easy access to other Google apps

Google Search is available on the iPhone and iPad for Free.

[App Store link]

Source: Google Mobile Blog

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.

Sprint has released its first commercial for the iPhone 4S titled “Unlimited iPhone”. The ad is all about the Sprint unlimited data plan that comes with an iPhone 4S on its network.

With over half a million apps, there's no limit to what the iPhone can do. So why would anyone want to limit the iPhone? We don't. Only Sprint offers truly unlimited data for the iPhone.

With AT&T touting their HSPA 14.4 data speeds and Verizon the coverage of their network, Sprint is smart to play the unlimited data card.

Source: YouTube

A Charlie Brown Christmas is now available in the App Store and it looks like another excellent app by Loud Crow Interactive Inc. The Charlie Brown Christmas app is an interactive book based on the 1965 Charlie Brown Christmas TV special.

"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!" Help Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the entire Peanuts gang as they struggle to find the true meaning of Christmas. Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown, narrates the rebirth of the 1965 animated classic as an interactive storybook complete with original dialogue and digitally remastered illustrations, animation, and music optimized for your Apple device. Play Schroeder's piano, finger paint with the gang, go carolling with the Peanuts choir, and participate in the Spectacular Super-Colossal Neighborhood Christmas Lights and Display Contest to unlock decorations for your very own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! With something to discover on every page, this is one interactive Peanuts adventure you won't want to miss this holiday season!!

• Original dialogue from the 1965 animated classic
• Captivating narration by Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown
• Charming soundtrack featuring music and sound effects from the original show
• Decorate your own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
• Participate in the Lights and Display Contest to unlock rewards
• Educational features such as word and note highlighting to help improve reading and musical skills
• Hear individual words spoken with the tap of a finger
• Touch and drag objects to make them “spring” to life or tilt to watch them slide and move
• Objects that literally pop out of the page to delight you and your family!

[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 mighty Man of Steel, the Last Son of Krypton, the Tomorrow Man himself has finally landed in the App Store with the official release of Superman for iPhone and iPod touch by Chillingo Ltd. This isn't a movie tie-in or flashy 3D flyer/fighter, this is a fun, casual, decidedly 2D adventure with an almost old school, retro platform feel to it. Check out the video above and the details below.

$0.99 - App Store link

UPDATE: Superman HD for iPad is now available as well! $2.99 - App Store link

Become Superman to save the city of Metropolis in an all-new adventure for iPhone and iPad! As the Man of Steel, only you can protect humanity with your incredible powers. Saving the Earth is just another day for Superman, but this is most certainly not just another iOS game.

• Soar across the Metropolis skyline and use all of Superman’s most iconic powers, including heat vision, super-breath, super-strength, and super-speed. When the threat is a little further from home, fly into outer space to stop meteors and falling satellites in their path.
• The 18 levels of superpowered action offer a perfect playground for putting Superman’s abilities to the test. Save Metropolis from the villainous mastermind Lex Luthor and his army of thugs, mechs, choppers and even more menacing enemies.
• Beat score challenges on each level to earn bronze, silver and gold achievements. Bronze is a piece of cake, but do you have the power to claim gold?
• Original story and comic book panels give you the authentic Superman experience.

Note: Chillingo states that the game works on the iPad too. This is true however it is not a universal binary so you will have to run it in 2X mode which is never a great experience. Let's hope they get an HD version into the App Store soon.

Verizon has released a new iPhone 4S commercial, once again touting the breadth of their network. This time, while several -- we're left to guess AT&T iPhone users -- are left to flounder due to their lack of signal, the one Verizon iPhone user among them connects heroically and without issue.

(Might have been more powerful if all the other people were on Verizon, easily connecting, and only the one hapless guy was left adrift, watching everyone else succeed.)

Anyone here actually switch from AT&T to Verizon for the iPhone 4S? Happy with the choice?

Artist Aaron Kizer has made a painting as a tribute to Steve Jobs. What is so special about that? Well he did it live at the 11^th Hour Live Music and Arts Show in Kentucky and it was all captured on video in real time.

It starts off as a few white brush strokes on a black wall but soon starts to take shape. In just over six minutes, the painting is finished and it is all done to music too. I am sure you will agree, the end result is stunning.



Source: TUAW

Some animals just have no taste and this Pug is definitely one of them. Picture the scene; he is happily lying on his owner’s bed watching TV when a commercial comes on. The commercial is for the latest and greatest iPhone 4S but this Pug is having none of it. It sends him into a barking and growling frenzy, stamping his feet, gnashing his teeth, it really is a site to behold. As soon as the ad is finished, he settles down again and continues watching the TV.

Now as we all know, the iPhone 4S is the best iPhone ever, this little Pug must either hate the music on the ad or just hates ads all together. I am sure it has nothing to do with the iPhone 4S!

Source: TNW

If you want to stop talking to Siri and just use your mind to ask it to do things, that possibility may have just become a step closer to reality. A couple of guys decided as a hobby, to tinker around with an iPhone 4S and some ECG (Electrocardiogram) pads. The ECG pads take brain wave patterns and translate them into synthesized speech. The speech is then directed through the 3.5mm headset jack and Siri hears it and acts on the command. The engineers working on “Project Black Mirror” have been able to link 25 brain wave patterns to Siri commands.

Now before we get too excited, you still need to press the home button to initiate a Siri listening mode and the project currently consists of a large test board hooked up to a Macbook pro; it could hardly be called portable. The guys plan on launching a Kickstarter page very soon to attract investment and get the project off the ground.

Take a look at the videos below and let us know what you think. There is a lot of buzz suggesting that the whole setup is a fake. To be honest, it does look too good to be true.

Source: Intomobile via 9to5Mac

Gameloft has released a new trailer for its upcoming Gangstar Rio: City of Saints game. The trailer offers slightly more than the usual run of the mill marketing promo. This one offers full in game footage and it looks really nice. Well nice in the graphics department anyway, beyond that, it’s all fast cars, guns, helicopters, tanks, rocket propelled grenades and explosions.

Gameloft hasn’t announced when this one will be available; except that it will be “Very Soon”. Hopefully it will be released as part of its holiday line up. It will be available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.  A word of warning, the trailer contains a bit of strong language!

Source: touchArcade

The highly anticipated iPhone fitness accessory, Jawbone Up, will be available this Sunday. A colorful wrist band with built in sensors and a vibration motor, Jawbone Up is designed to track your eating, sleeping and exercise patterns.

Up is a tool designed to improve your lifestyle and it is designed to work with the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via an app that can retrieve the information recorded from the wrist band; strangely via the 3.5mm headset jack. The app can then tell you a plethora or information and help you move more, sleep better and eat smarter.

• Use the UP wristband and iPhone app to track your steps, distance, calories burned, pace, intensity level, active vs inactive time, GPS routes and more.
• Program your UP wristband to vibrate on your wrist to remind you to move when you've been inactive for too long. You control the interval and timeframe.
• Put your wristband in sleep mode to automatically track your hours slept, deep vs. light sleep, awake time and overall sleep quality.
• Replace your noisy alarm clock with UP's silent Smart Alarm; it vibrates on your wrist and intelligently wakes you up at the ideal moment in your natural sleep cycle just before your desired wake time.
• Say hello to your new food journal. It's as easy snapping a photo and responding to prompts about how each meal makes you feel.
• UP gets to know you by asking how you feel after each meal. Over time, you can use your responses to help discover which foods make you feel your best.

The Jawbone Up will be available from Sunday November 6 online as well as in Apple Stores, Target, AT&T and Best Buy. The Jawbone Up Band comes in three sizes and will cost $99. The app is available as a free download.

App Store link

Source: Jawbone

Siri has now been fully hacked onto an iPhone 4 and iPod touch and it now communicates with Apple’s servers to provide a 100% working solution. We told you a few weeks back that developer Steve Troughton-Smith was working on hacking Siri onto an iPhone 4 but had run into one or two hurdles. Well the main hurdle involved getting the hacked iPhone 4 to talk to Apple’s servers. That has now been overcome and it is now looking like a real possibility.

Talking to 9to5Mac, Steve Troughton-Smith revealed that the hack works across devices but requires files from an iPhone 4S that are not legally available to distribute. It also requires a validation token from a live jailbroken iPhone 4S. The whole hack involves around 20 steps to complete. Because of this, Steve Troughton-Smith doesn’t want to be involved in distributing the Siri port and has only done it to prove it can be done.

We don’t know at this point if others will take on the distribution and risk the wrath of Apple’s legal team, we will have to wait and see. In the mean time take a look at the two videos below. The first one shows the iPhone 4 running Siri side by side with an iPhone 4S and the second video shows Siri running on an iPod touch.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple has made their special, internal celebration of Steve Jobs' life video available on their website. It included talks from Apple CEO Tim Cook, SVP of Design Jony Ive, board members Al Gore and Bill Campbell, and performances from Norah Jones and Cold Play.

Of course you can still submit your thoughts on Steve's passing to Apple, which are now also appearing on the Apple site.

You can go and watch the video at the Apple website, via the link below.

Source: Apple

Not content with any of the existing Siri parodies on the web, TiPb contributor George Lim and the guys from TEChBrits decided to have some fun of their own. It's a shot-for-shot remake of Apple's own intro video, only... with not so happy results. For them.

There are a couple of adult-ish references, so if you're super-easily offended, steer clear. Otherwise, enjoy!

Source: YouTube

A band claims to be the first to have shot a music video using just a couple of iPhone 4S's. With every release of a new iPhone, someone claims to be the first to have shot something in its entirety using the phones video camera. This time we have a band called Turnback who managed to get hold of a couple of iPhone 4S’s on launch day and set about shooting a music video.

On October 14th, 2011 we received 2 brand new iPhone 4S smart phones. On Sunday October 16th we shot the video at the famous NYC nightclub Webster Hall. Over the next several days, with little sleep and lots of coffee, the final video was finished.

Source: Razorianfly

Seamus McGarvey, cinematographer of the upcoming Joss Whedon-helmed, Marvel Comics hero-filled Avengers movie, revealed in an interview with IFTN that some of the shots in the film were taken with an iPhone.

The beauty of photography or cinema is that you make every choice based on the content at hand. On The Avengers, I did a couple of shots on the iPhone and they are in the movie. In fact, they are in the trailer! I understand that sometimes there is no choice and you have to go for the cheapest option, but if you are limited for choice, you can still make poignant decisions that will effect the look of the film

Check out the trailer and let us know if you can figure out which Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, or Hulk shots assembled into the Avengers movie are the iPhone ones.

UPDATE: McGarvey has issues a clarification to Hollywood Reporter saying iPhones were used on-set -- as phones and mobile devices -- but not used for filming.

Source: IFTN via Comic Book Movie, thanks @Bunz4LyfeBoi, Hollywood Reporter

When a woman suspected that someone was entering her condo and stealing her prescription medicine, she went and bought an iZON, set it all up using her iPhone and then let it do its magic. Sure enough it captured her neighbor entering her condo and taking her drugs. She called the police and the iZON video was used to arrest the perpetrator.

We told you a few months back about the iZON wireless connected, app controlled video camera accessory. What was special about this particular video camera was its ability to be setup with an iOS device, activated via sound or movement and it could record directly to YouTube.

Take a look at the CBS 12 news report video below. It is a great story and just proves that you do not need to be a geek to setup and use technology when Apple is involved!

Source: TUAW

A portable and easy-to-use device, EyeTV Mobile connects directly to the iPad and does not require an Internet connection. The EyeTV Mobile app, available for free at the App Store, offers a full range of TV viewing features including pause, rewind and record. The integrated EPG lets users view up to 7 days of detailed programme guide information and send recommendations to friends by email. EyeTV Mobile is available immediately at a price of 99.95 Euro.

Source: Elgato

One of the new features of the iPhone 4S is a 1080p HD video camera. This new camera sports an f/2.4 lens and improved sensor to capture more light. It also has video stabilization to steady those shaky shots. To see me put this new camera to the test, check out the video above.

Extreme lighting

The first thing I tested was how well the camera deals with harsh lighting - meaning environments that have both dark, shaded areas and brightly lit, sunny areas. The iPhone 4S did a fantastic job of adjusting the exposure to bring in more light in the shade and less light in the sun. However, I did notice that if I was filming my daughter in an area that had bright backlighting, the video was a little underexposed even if I tapped to expose on my daughter's face.

Video Stabilization

The next thing I tested was video stabilization. First I tried out a non-extreme situation that has a similar amount of movement that the average person may experience - walking backwards while my daughter runs towards me. There was definitely still some camera shake present in these shots, but it wasn't too bad. My stomach tends to be pretty sensitive when it comes to bouncy film, but these clips didn't affect me.

However, the next test I did was to run down the street, and this one was pretty bad. It was still very shaky and I couldn't image watching an entire video like that, but I also couldn't imagine filming an entire video like that. This was an extreme scenario that expect not too many people will find themselves in.

The video stabilization performed best when panning the camera around. I was particularly impressed by the clips of me panning around the camera to follow my daughter as she walked past me. These were nice and smooth.

Low light

Next up was low light. The quality of the video in the low light environments of my house were not the best, but they weren't particularly horrible, either. Camera shake was a little more obvious and the clips were grainier, but overall, I was satisfied with its performance as a cellphone camera. I was particularly impressed with how the camera was able to compensate for the pink lighting in my daughters room and choose a good white balance setting. This was a huge improvement over the iPhone 4.

Macro

The macro lens on the iPhone 4S camera is incredibly sharp - when it's able to actually lock focus. On larger items, like leaves, the iPhone 4S has no issue focusing, but with smaller, skinnier items like twigs and sticks, the camera really struggles with grabbing a focus and often times never does. I tried to focus on some berries hanging from a bush for several minutes with no luck. It doesn't seem to make a difference between direct sunlight, shade, or overcast light, the iPhone 4S seems to frequently have issues with focussing. This is a huge disappointment.

Conclusion

Overall, I am very impressed with the iPhone 4S video camera. It handles the changes in harsh lighting, poor lighting, and movement quite well and also has great audio quality. The biggest disappointment is that the macro lens frequently has issues focusing. However, when the lens does focus, it looks amazing.

It's time to retire my Flip Video camera for good.

Have you been recording some amazing video with your iPhone 4S? Head on over to our Photography and Video forum to show them off!

If you managed to get your hands on an iPhone 4S yesterday, I bet you can’t wait to get your screw drivers out take it apart. Well maybe not, but if you’re curious about what goes into your shiny new iPhone 4S but don’t fancy taking yours apart, there is another way.

The guys form iFixYouri have done all the hard work for you and put together a video showing the whole process. It covers everything from taking the iPhone 4S out of the box right down to spreading out the sum of its parts all over a desk.

A lot of the features are very similar, but not the same to the CDMA and GSM, including the screen, dock connector, back glass, and the vibrator(same as the CDMA), making replacement and repair services readily available.

Source: 9to5 Mac

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Apple is preparing to deliver movies via its just released iCloud service. According to the report, representatives from Apple have been in meetings with various studios to finalize deals.

Representatives of the iPhone and iPad maker have been meeting with studios to finalize deals that would allow consumers to buy movies through iTunes and access them on any Apple device, according to knowledgeable people who requested anonymity because the discussions are private. The service is expected to launch in late 2011 or early 2012.

Source: Los Angeles Times

The ODM PH-1 accessory combined with its pH Meter companion app brings pH measurement to the iPhone and iPod touch. The accessory plugs into the iPhone and has a reader attached for taking the pH and temperature readings. The companion app records the readings, as well as the location, time, and date of the readings.

The could be a fabulous little kit for scientist working in the field for environmental testing, or even for commercial pool maintenance. Another great use would be in the science labs of schools - the labs could have a handful of the accessories and students could take turns using their iPhones and iPod touch's to take readings for their projects.

Check out the video above, where Rene interviews the developer and creator of the ODM PH-1 precision pH Meter and receives a demo.

The PH-1 meter combines the iPhone's GPS and communication abilities with a precision instrument to bring pH measurement to a new level. Not only does the system record the pH values, but the time, date and location of the measurement are also logged.

• Measures pH with accuracy to .01 pH
• Voltage measurement accurate to 1 mV
• Two temperature measurements: ambient and solution
• Records measurements with time stamp and location
• Reports measurements by date or location
• Sends measurement values by email
• Supports 1,2,3 or more point calibrations

Head on over to odm Technology's website for ordering information. The companion app, pH Meter, is available on the iPhone for 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.

One of our readers, Mike, sent in this video he filmed of oscillations on a 12-string guitar. He used an iPad 2 and iPhone 4 to record it, and it's definitely worth a watch.

His trick to capturing the oscillations was simple - playing his guitar outside and in direct sunlight. The reason this works is because the camera must adjust to the extreme light by filming with fast shutter speeds the iPhone and iPad use a rolling shutter that scans the frame vertically. It follows that the camera must be used vertically in order for the effect to be seen.

I keep coming back to this video and find it so intriguing. It helps that Mike is an excellent guitar player! I teach a College Trigonometry class, and I'll likely show this video to them as an example of sine waves in action!

Thanks, Mike!

One of the many features announced on the iPhone 4S is 1080p HD video recording. This is a nice improvement over the iPhone 4's 720p HD video recording. The goodness does not stop there, however. In addition to 1080p, the iPhone 4S is equipped with video stabilization to help steady those non-professional, bouncy video recording skills.

Since the iPhone 4S video camera is the same 8MP camera used for stills, it will benefit from the larger aperture and improved illumination sensor, bringing you more accurate colors and better low-light videos.

You can see examples of the camera and stabilization on Apple's website. I encourage you to check them out, it really shows off how great video recording on the iPhone 4S will be.

Source: Apple

Apple has posted a video guide to its just announced Siri service. It starts with a jogger using a wired headset to ask Siri to read his messages. He then he dictates a reply all without breaking stride. He then asks Siri to start to play his running mix to continue his run! If Siri works this well, it is going to be a really compelling feature on the iPhone 4S.

Zombies, Run! is about making the thrill of running even better with a game and a story delivered through your headphones. We’re making running more fun, more exciting, and more addictive for everyone from couch-to-5k newbies to weekend joggers and marathon runners. And Zombies, Run! works anywhere - in a park, along a beach, in the city, even on treadmills!

The Kickstarter program is still open for a few more days; so if you want to be one of the first to get involved with this exciting new game, you still can. There are various pledge options available to suit all. Unfortunately you will have to wait until February 2012 for the game to be made available.

Source: Kickstarter

Well known children’s toy company LEGO is bringing its toys into the digital age with the upcoming release of “Life of George”. The game consists of three main parts, a pile of LEGO blocks, a play mat and most importantly an iPhone app.

The idea of the game is to build the models shown on the iPhone with the actual Lego blocks. When a player thinks they have completed the model they need to take a picture with the iPhone or iPod touch. The app will then calculate a score based on the speed and accuracy of the finished model.

The game has twelve levels all based around a character called George, a software engineer. Each of the twelve levels has ten models to build; so plenty to keep your little ones entertained. There is also a “My Life” mode which allows players to create their own designs.

The game will be available in October, exclusively in the U.S for around $23.

Source: Macworld

FIFA 12 has landed on the iPad and it looks like an awesome soccer game with loads of features to keep fans of the FIFA franchise entertained for a long time. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch as well as an iPad, you can use it as a controller too.

LOVE FOOTBALL. PLAY FOOTBALL. Experience the action of your favorite sport like never before! Watch matches come to life with vibrant graphics, ultra realistic animations, and the most responsive controls ever delivered on iPad. Now for the first time on iPad, take your club to the top of the league table with Manager Mode.

• Trade players, upgrade staff, and scout for talent. Develop players and choose the best tactics to make your squad the team to beat!
• Featuring over 22 officially licensed leagues, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players. Take to the pitch with superstars like Kaka, Wayne Rooney, Gerard Piqué, Karim Benzema and more. From the English Premiership and La Liga, to the German Bundesliga and beyond – dominate your league and march toward glory in 32 authentic stadiums.
• Capture the passion and power of the world’s most popular sport with unprecedented authenticity. This is the deepest, most visually striking football title ever. Feel every thrill on the pitch with your heroes, anytime, anywhere.
• New control schemes let you handle the ball with greater precision than ever before. Master free kicks and penalty shots with full touch control. Get in the game with realistic 360° player movement and gesture-driven skill moves. Pull off defense-splitting passes, rifling shots, penalty kicks, and pro-style tricks.
• Check out the FREE EA SPORTS ™ Gamepad App. Turn your iPhone into a wireless controller for the ultimate head-to-head experience on your iPad.

[App Store link iPad] [App Store link iPhone]

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 in-built Apple video player app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch has a hidden feature that some will find very handy. It enables you to slow down a video including the audio playback. This could be very handy if you are watching a video tutorial or following along to a cooking recipe.

• Open up a video you would like to watch
• Play the video then select pause before the part you would like to watch in slow-motion
• Hold down the fast-forward control button whilst in a paused state
• The video will now continue in slow-motion as long as you hold your finger on the fast-forward button

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

Source: WooWooMac

Nosy Crow has released their newest animated storybook, Cinderella. It's the same story that we've all grown to love, only this version allows you to add your child's picture to the magic mirror!

What a great way to add more excitement to this classic story! Growing up, I had a book that was personalized with my name and loved it, but that's nowhere near as cool as having your face included the story! I can't wait to read this to my niece - I know she'll love it.

You know the fairytale. Now experience the magic! Created in HD especially for iPad. Nosy Crow’s Cinderella app lets you play inside the story. Beautiful illustrations, exciting animation, and original music make this a picture book app at its best.

• Help Cinderella clean the kitchen.
• Stack the King’s invitations to the ball.
• Dress up the Stepsisters for the party.
• Build the magical carriage with the Fairy Godmother.
• Select the music for the Prince and Cinderella and watch them hit the dance floor! Do you want a waltz, disco or Bollywood?
• You can even choose Cinderella’s dress!
• With the front-facing camera on iPad2 you can even see yourself in the “magic mirrors” in many scenes in the story!
• Pick a reading mode: either Read to Me, Read by Myself or Read and Play.
• Choose how long text stays on the screen so beginning readers have enough time to read by themselves.
• Choose between American or British spelling styles.
• Help is embedded into the story. Characters offer hints about what to do on each page so even very young readers can participate fully.
• Tap the characters to trigger additional dialogue.

Cinderella is available on the iPad for $5.99 .

[App Store link]

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