17″ Unibody MacBook Pro with Non-Removable Extended-Life Battery?

9to5Mac reports that Apple will be finally be releasing a unibody 17" MacBook Pro at Macworld, but with an interesting twist. According to the rumor site, the new laptop will have a super slim non-removable battery. The advantage of the new design ...

XM or Sirius on your Mac without a browser

Filed under: Software, iPhone

Rogue Amoeba has just released a public preview of their new desktop player for XM and Sirius called Pulsar. It provides instant access to either service, or both, and since the recent merger of the services they are pretty similar anyway.

The application does not require a browser and can just sit on your desktop pumping out that Sat-Rad love.

There is a free public preview that plays for 20 minutes and then overlays noise on the audio. If you ever bought a product from Rogue Amoeba, they will let you download a fully working app for free. If you haven't, you can get a license key for 15 dollars. The app is not a 1.0 version yet, but seems to work from most reports posted to the web. I tried it myself on both XM and Sirius. At first, it failed with some XML parsing errors, so I shut it down and tried later, and it worked just fine.

It should be noted that there are some other ways to listen besides buying an app or listening through your browser. One promising solution is the donation-ware app called StarLightXM. The software requires a streaming plug-in, so check the documentation. StarLightXM works on both satellite services. I tried a new build which came out yesterday and it worked fine. Beta 6 of the player can be found here.

Of course for any of these solutions to work, you'll need an online subscription to satellite radio. Both services will let you try their online offerings for 3 days for free, and both Sirius and XM have hinted they may be creating their own players, including one for the iPhone, but so far nothing has appeared. The developers who did the StarLightXM desktop app also say they are going to have an XM/Sirius player for the iPhone/iPod touch soon.

XM or Sirius on your Mac without a browser originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

XM or Sirius on your Mac without a browser originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T Downgrading Original iPhone 2G Service

Still got that original iPhone 2G running on AT&T? Get ready to suffer, luddite! Gizmodo reports on OFB’s findings:

Timothy Butler over at OFB did some sleuthing and found that AT&T is downgrading its EDGE/2G service to the weaker 1900 MHz band. Their response to those with newly-lousy service? Buy a new phone.

Specifically, the weaker band means less bars in less places, like inside homes and offices and, out of the way regions — like maybe where you are?

Additionally, this leads TiPb to wonder what will happen to iPhone 3G users in 2G-only areas? Will AT&T leave the 850 band for them until 3G rolls in? And what about users switching to 2G to save battery life? Will it now come at the expense of their signal? How about it, AT&T?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

AT&T Downgrading Original iPhone 2G Service

Phone Different Podcast 32

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

This week, Rene manfully takes Mike’s place in the podcast as we talk about our MacWorld predictions.

News

• MacWorld
  • No Steve
  • iTablet
  • Apple Media Server
  • Mac Mini
  • iPhone Nano
    • Case-based rumors
    • Color Pics Fake
    • If it happened
• iPhone 3G Unlock
• Speaking of Holiday Gifts, App Store Boomlet
• MobileMe Fixed Up
• New MultiTouch Patents Point to Cut and Paste
• iPhone Pro: Do. Not. Want.
• Et Tu, Twitter?
• State of the Apps
• AT&T Outage
• Round Robin

How To

• Have you seen our sweet howto index?
• Have you seen our sweet forum review index?

Store

Community

Thanks to Paul and Shaun for contacting us!

• eek, iPhone cable tears
• recommending products to apple they generally frown on that

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast.

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge
• Relaxation Spa Treatment by Dan the Automator via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future
• Wataridori 2 by Cornelius via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future
• DC 3000 by Thievery Corporation via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Phone Different Podcast 32

Softbank’s iPhone 1seg tuner / battery charger gets unboxed

If you're American, don't even pretend you care about this. 'Cause you don't care about mobile TV at all, and we've got the facts to prove it. For those parked in Japan, though, you have every right to get jazzed. Softbank's 1seg TV tuner / battery charger has finally been loosed on the carrier's home turf, and the lucky cats over at DVICE were able to acquire one and give it a whirl. Setup was said to be a breeze, the 1seg pickup was crystal clear and the device itself was satisfactorily lightweight. As for downsides, the entire app is in Japanese, and even with the extra juice, watching TV on the go zapped the life out in around an hour with brightness maxed. Check the full writeup and unboxing gallery in the read link below.

[Via OhGizmo]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Video

Softbank's iPhone 1seg tuner / battery charger gets unboxed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld Expo 2009 (Under Construction)

Preparations are being made, packing and unpacking is being done — and from these pics posted by SetteB.it (via Giz) we can see Apple is mounting their last ever Macworld booth (aka Apple Store Mobile). 2007 was the iPhone. 2008 was the MacBook Air and Time Capsule. 2009 will be… whatever’s lurking beneath those pantone black curtains?

iPhone nano? Media server? New Nvidia-powered iMacs and Mac Minis? Netbooks? iTablets? Steve Jobs with a full-on puppeteering kit for the new, animatronic iPhil?

We’ll find out in a couple days, and TiPb will be there live to cover it!

Meanwhile, looks like January 4, 2010 will be the kickoff time next year. And as for the theme? Check it out, after the jump…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Macworld Expo 2009 (Under Construction)

Review: Element Liquid Case for iPhone and iPhone 3G (And First Give Away!)

It was not long ago that Rene introduced all of you to yet another TiPb giveaway. Element Case was kind enough to provide TiPb with THREE amazing custom made cases for our faithful readers to win. Today we bring you a full review of those cases, and details on how to enter to win the very first one of them. Read on for both the review, and the contest, after the break!

Design

I will admit I am not the biggest fan of hard cases for any of my iPhones. Usually a simple drop would send a case flying in two pieces with the iPhone following. Now I’m not sure about you, but that is not my idea of protection. Enter the Liquid Case from Element Case. Four nickel-plated screws bolt your iPhone into its acrylic body armor and then a plastic shield snaps into place with the help of four magnets. With this case your iPhone or iPhone 3G is securely held in place and protected very well. So if that accidental drop does happen, rest assured your iPhone will be protected and come away scratch free.

Now you may be saying to yourself $99 for a case is just crazy. Well you do get what you pay for my friends. Every single Element Case is custom built and hand-assembled right here in the USA. They are injection molded from the finest clear Impact-Acrylic and PolyCarbonate polymers. Each case is custom painted with up to 7 layers of House of Kolor paint, which is not only excellent paint but also provides a top notch appearance as well. Graphics are then laser engraved into the flip-lid and backplate of every case, providing a customized look for the iPhone and iPhone 3G. The Liquid case gives you three choices of color: black, grey and white. You also get a free extra lid with your purchase. You will have your choice of 22 different graphics for your lid and and eight different colors. This means you will have little issue coming away with a very unique case. An don’t forget for a extra $25 gets you a custom engraving Hence the super cool TiPb logos on the cases we are giving away.

Daily Use

This case has the iPhone gamer in mind (or simply someone who wants the best protection available). The extra size may not be to everyones liking, but one of the nice things about it revolves around it’s main purpose, gaming. It fits very nicely in the hands especially while playing a game. One of Dieter’s biggest gripes while holding the iPhone 3G in landscape mode was that your hand would cover up the speaker blocking the sound! Well worry about that issue no more gamers.

There is no doubt that dropping your iPhone with this case on will save your investment from any harm. You even have the option of putting the lid on to cover the screen while not in use. Although some may find it a hassle to have to remove it every time you need to access the phone it is nice to be able to give it that added protection while not in use.

Everything is easily accessible while the case is on the phone. From the 3.5 headset jack, power, volume, ring/vibrate switch, and charging port. The Element Liquid Case has you covered.

Conclusion

I have to say, I really do like this case. The many options can make for a unique look and it offers excellent protection. I am not aware of another case out there that enables you to have this much control over customization. From colors to designs, the possibilities are endless. The price is steep and it may not be for everyone but if you are into gaming and want the protection, it really is worth checking out.

Pros

• Top notch all around protection
• Great for gaming
• Feels great in your hand
• Looks cool
• Very high build quality

Cons

• Starting at $99 it is a bit expensive
• The 4 screws make it a hassle to put your iPhone in the case or remove it.
• The size it adds to the phone may turn some people off.

TiPb Review Rating:

Element Give Away: Case #1!

So now that you’ve read all about it, how about a chance to win one! Just jump on over to our TiPb iPhone Forums Element Case thread to find out how you can take home the first of three one-of-a-kind custom TiPb’d out Element Cases!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Review: Element Liquid Case for iPhone and iPhone 3G (And First Give Away!)

Step-by-Step Guide to Jailbreak iPhone 3G using QuickPwn (Windows)

Step-by-Step Guide to Jailbreak iPhone 3G using QuickPwn (Mac)