Ever wish there was a quick and easy way to prevent your iPhone's photos from being accidentally purged?
Apple kind of skimped on the data protection elements of iOS; there's no native way to prevent someone from going into your camera roll, and deleting all of your photographs if they have access to your iPhone.
Again, the Cydia store comes to the rescue as another jailbreak tweak entitled Photector pops up on the scene to save the day...
A couple of days ago we reported on a story revolving around a mysterious 64GB iPhone 4 that seemed to have sprung out of nowhere.
Initial reports around the web indicated that the device was being sold on the grey markets in China.
Now a bit of clarification has been added to the mix, as it appears that this iPhone 4 is one of maybe a few prototypes that "leaked" out of Foxconn facilities.
As you can see, the iPhone 4 definitely reeks of being a prototype. Notice that the + and - signs on the volume keys are nowhere to be found.
This device looks eerily similar to the iPhone 4 that Gizmodo acquired last year from a guy that left his prototype iPhone 4 lying helplessly in a bar.
Another point of note is that the silver ring that surrounds the camera lens in production iPhone 4's is missing as well. That too is a feature identical to the iPhone 4 shown off by Gizmodo.
Judging from the similarities, I'm going to go on the limb as call this a pre-production iPhone 4 that just happened to find its way outside of Foxconn's walls. I highly doubt we'll ever see an iPhone 4 with 64GB of storage, but it's definitely possible for the iPhone 5.
The good news is that Apple is indeed testing such storage capabilities, so at least they are contemplating it.
What do you think?
[M.I.C. Gadget via BGR]
The official Twitter app was recently updated with some significant changes. Among other new features, Twitter decided to add the "Quick Bar" to the top of the timeline.
Twitter had good intentions with the Quick Bar; it was designed to help users keep a better tab on trending topics. As topics trend, they push through the Quick Bar. Tapping a topic will activate the search window for that related hashtag.
People didn't like Twitter's new Quick Bar. And an internet backlash on what was cleverly coined the "Dick Bar" has caused Twitter to push another update that attempts at making the Quick Bar less intrusive.
Just 6 days after releasing iTunes 10.2, another update is available today. iTunes 10.2.1 doesn't seem to bring anything new to the table. Just like for iTunes 10.2, the changelog only mentions this new version of iTunes is needed to sync your device with iOS 4.3.
Additionally, and like the previous version, iTunes 10.2.1 brings improvement to Home Sharing. In short, this release is probably about small bug fixes...
Patently Apple, a website well known for bringing Apple's patents to the masses, has uncovered a good one. The photo above is from a patent filed late last year by Apple engineers Brian McKnight and Michael Neuman.
The documents describe methods for creating video ringtones in iOS. The technology would allow users to automatically use audio and video from iTunes and iMovie to create custom alerts for each incoming call...
Peel's journey has been an interesting one. It started last fall when we started hearing about an FCC filing from a Santa Clara start-up company named Zelfy. The product's tagline was "every remote and TV guide now on your phone." Fast forward to January of this year, and we get some more information about the mysterious Peel Fruit.
The Peel system uses an IR dongle, built into a fruit shaped casing, that must sit somewhere in IR range of all of your components. The plastic shaped fruit works like a middleman between your iPhone (or iPad for that matter) and your home theater. How does the fruit receive commands from your iPhone? Wifi of course...
9to5Mac is reporting via MacerKopf.de that Apple might plan to unveil iOS 5 on April 14 or 15. This would match announcements of previous iOS versions. For example, iOS 4 was announced on April 8, 2010.
Like I wrote in my 10 predictions for the iPhone in 2011, I have big expectations for iOS 5. I believe 2011 will be the year of the iOS and that Apple will definitely surprise us. Apple Maps, Wireless Syncing, better notification system are just a few of the expected features...
Google is constantly innovating features when it comes to web searching. They've been pioneers in the search industry for many years, and they don't show any signs of stopping. One of their most recent innovations, Instant Preview, has officially made its way to iOS devices.
The feature is actually pretty handy. If you haven't used it on your desktop yet, it's the little magnifying glass that shows up next to each search result link when using Google. Clicking this magnifying glass opens up a thumbnail preview of the website in a nice overview...
Usually, Apple lets you pre-order their new products. For example, you could pre-order the iPhone 4 to get it delivered to your house on the same day it is available in store. This has always been my preferred method of buying Apple products, as I don't have the patience to wait for hours in line.
When Apple introduced the iPad 2 last week, they announced that the new device will be available for sale in stores as of Friday 11th, 5pm. Why such an odd time of the day, you may ask.
The conspiracy theorist in me has it all figured out, and again, it's all about marketing and PR. Here is my reasoning...
6 points of sale = 6 times more publicity
The iPad 2 will be for sale in 6 locations (Apple Store, Best Buy, etc...), which is very unusual. Normally, Apple and its partners (AT&T and now Verizon) are the only one to launch a product. But the more stores that sell the iPad 2, the more publicity Apple gets.
At 5pm on a Friday, people won't mind getting in line
At 5pm on a Friday, pretty much everyone is on weekend, thus available to wait in line for an iPad. I suspect that stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target will have a very limited amount of iPads on stock in order to create scarcity, which will turn into free publicity (ie. news headline: iPad 2 sells out in 2 hours at Best Buy).
Huge lines = even more publicity
Apple knows that by starting to sell the iPad 2 at 5pm, this will create gigantic lines at 6 different locations instead of one, if they chose to only sell the iPad at their stores. Again, this is a marketing stunt to generate bigger headlines (ie. Thousands get in line at Best Buy, Target, Apple Store, etc to buy the new iPad 2).
What do you think?
The iPad 2 will be available this Friday as of 5pm, wherever you are in the United States. For once, Apple has several sales channels in place. I guess this is to make sure they can sell as many iPads as possible in the shortest amount of time.
This is where you will be able to buy the iPad 2 on March 11:
Your local Apple Store AT&T Verizon Best Buy Walmart TargetSo, we'll you be getting the line, or will you order it online?
We reported earlier today that Apple's iOS 4.3 would be available for download at 10:00 A.M. PST. Well that time has come and gone and MacRumors is reporting that the early release will actually occur tomorrow. They've posted a screen shot (see above) from one of their MacRumors readers, chatting with an Apple representative.
The screen shot confirms what LoopInsight reported this morning: there is to be no iOS 4.3 release today. But the speculation of iOS coming early still seems to be solid, it's just been off by a day. We will definitely let you know as soon as the download goes live, or if anything else breaks in this story...
This little trick has been around for quite some time. But if you are a new iPhone user, or plan on becoming a new iPad user soon, listen up! If you are using Google's email service, then there's a good chance you are using Google's calendar and their contact management system. This holds especially true for you, former Android users, who are forced to use the previously mentioned services by design.
Now I know you're thinking, "Cody, I already have my Gmail setup on my iPhone," and you're probably right. But if you set it up as an actual Gmail account and not under the 'Exchange' account profile, you might be missing out on some cool features. Setup as an Exchange account, your Gmail can automatically sync your contacts, your calendars, and even push your email! The best part is, it's so easy, let me show you how...