Spotify iOS app update brings 320kbps music to mobiles

Enjoying your Spotify tracks on the go just got a little better, at least on iOS, where an app update to v0.4.23 gifts users "very high quality" 320kbps music streaming (for Premium subscribers) and syncing, up from the previous max of 160kbps. Enabling the higher quality streams -- though heavy listeners may want to mind those bandwidth quotas -- is as simple as ticking the "Extreme" box in the settings, as shown above by The Next Web to join in a quality that was previously only available via the desktop app or in the living room. If you're just signing up or setting up the app again the one-tap Facebook log-in should also be a convenient addition (or not, if you don't use Facebook and insist on telling everyone you don't at every opportunity -- we heard you the first ten times). There's no word on updates for the other mobile platforms yet, but we'll keep an eye out.

Spotify iOS app update brings 320kbps music to mobiles originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to use a third-party remote to control your Apple TV

The Apple TV remote that comes with the latest Apple TV 2 is very small and can be very easily misplaced or lost completely. Luckily, Apple has included a very easy way for you to use a third-party remote control as an alternative. Sure you could use your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and the Apple Remote app but if you don’t want your kids, friends, or spouses, bugging you every time they need to change something on the Apple TV, you’ll want something dedicated.

Here’s how to set it up, and you should do it now before you lose your current remote.

• Power on your Apple TV
• Go to Settings in the main menu
• Click on General and then Remote
• Choose Learn Remote

• Select Start
• Apple TV will display icons that represent the six buttons on the Apple Remote with the “Up” or “+” button highlighted first.
• Using your third-party remote, press and hold the button you would like to use to control the “up” function until the blue progress bar is full as shown below.
• Apple TV will then select the next button function. Repeat the above step using a different button
• After you have programmed all six button functions, you can now use your third-party remote to control Apple TV. You can optionally setup specific playback buttons for Fast-forward, Rewind, Next chapter, and more.

If you see the “Button Already Learned” error message, this means one of the following:

• A different, previously learned remote, has a learned button with the same IR code as the current button that you are trying to program.
• A previously learned button of the current remote has the same IR code as the current button that you are trying to program.

Either use a different button or delete the previously learned remote if it is not being used.

That is all  there is to it, a very easy way to use a third-party remote as a backup for your Apple TV remote!

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.

Source: Apple Support Article

 

Mail Enhancer for jailbreak review

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 inability 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.

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.

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

Play with scissors without the danger or the mess in Cut the Buttons for iPhone and iPad

Now here’s game that takes advantage of the iPhone and iPad’s multitouch screens to create something truly unique. In Cut the Buttons, your goal is control a pair of scissors with two fingers, like you would in real life, and cut the buttons off pieces of fabric that come flying by. I swear it’s not as easy as it sounds!

Removing the buttons is not your only goal; you must also collect them in the the cup at the bottom of the screen by controlling it with your other hand while simultaneously cutting as many buttons as you can. Once you miss 3 buttons, the game is over.

But that’s not all! Some buttons are bolted down and must be avoided. You wouldn’t want to dull your scissors, would you? Accidentally attempting to cut the bolts results in loss of points.

I was instantly drawn to Cut the Buttons because of it’s beautiful graphics and bright, vivid colors. But the creators at Open Name put more than just looks into the design of this game. For example, I quickly discovered that the best approach wasn’t to cut each button individually by fully closing the scissors. Just as with real scissors, if you have motion behind your scissors, you only need to slightly close them to make a successful cut. This is a great technique for cutting many buttons at once.

Cut the Buttons also has a multiplayer mode where you pair up with a friend to grab a second pair of scissors and hopefully double your button-cutting experience.

I have not played the iPhone version, yet, and can’t imagine it being as fun with the smaller screen, but it’s currently on sale for the price of free, so it’s definitely worth trying it out!

Free for iPhone – Download Now

$1.99 for iPad – Download Now

China syndrome redux: Why it really is about Apple

Rene recently wrote an editorial about the current controversy surrounding Apple and the working conditions in the Chinese factories where Apple — and almost every other consumer electronics company — has their products made. It was a nice editorial, but I disagree with it completely. Well, almost completely. I do agree that it’s an important issue and that the discussion is good. He took a position and argued it well, that China was the story, and Apple merely link-bait. And it’s that position I disagree with.

First of all, just because almost every other consumer electronics company uses the same factories in no way lets Apple off the hook. If anything, it just means those hooks are awfully crowded.

Each and every one of those companies, including Apple, are accountable for their own actions, or lack of action, concerning the working conditions in the factories where their products are made.

If Apple were to pull out of these factories, it’s true that a lot of other companies would remain, but so what? Apple will have done something, and even more pressure could be exerted on the ones that remained, and they’d look even worse because they remained.

Change often comes from a single, courageous act that disrupts the status quo and sets into motion a new course of action that others simply must follow.

If staying engaged proves to be a better strategy, however, Apple could still be a greater agent for change. They could see to it workers were paid more, for example, or insist upon more reasonable working schedules.

Of course, Apple can’t just give the factories more money. It would likely disappear long before it reached the workers, as money often seems to. But Apple could make worker wages a condition of their contracts. It would take time, and require enormous oversight to make sure the factories followed through, but it would be worth it.

Apple makes enormous profits. That’s their job as a company. Using those profits to elevate the wages of Chinese workers isn’t a net loss, however. It’s an investment. Just like Henry Ford insisted on paying his workers enough so that, one day, they could become his customers, Apple would one day benefit from the establishment of greater customer base in China.

Yes, we in the Western world went through our own industrial revolution, and the working conditions were deplorable, but now we have labor laws and minimum wage, access to health insurance or health care. Unemployment and homelessness remain a huge problem, of course, and there’s suffering and abuse of the system to be sure. But in general we as a society face a far, far higher standard of living than that facing Chinese factory workers.

And it’s not okay to exploit that difference.

When the media reports on Apple’s role in the Chinese factory system, when organizations plan protests, rather than say it’s link-bait or opportunism, I see it as a call to action.

Apple is one of the wealthiest and most influential companies in the world. With that money and power comes responsibility. While having razor-thin profit margins certainly doesn’t excuse the Dells or HPs, having hefty profit margins absolutely puts the burden on Apple to lead the way. They can afford to pay more. Customers like me might even be proud to know that Apple is paying more.

I buy fair trade coffee. I’d certainly buy an iPad proudly produced by fair labor.

Things won’t change over night. They never do. The people who run the factories in China won’t wake up tomorrow and suddenly start paying their workers better, or start making their working conditions more palatable.

But demanding change will make it come faster.

The more the media reports on working conditions in China, the more people are informed about it, the more outcry that follows, the more companies like Apple fear the bad press and public perception, the more their brand or reputation suffers, the more they’re motivated to take action, to speed up the change.

Apple gets the spotlight because of their size and their impact. They dent the universe. Instead of just denting it with better phones or newer tablets, they really wind up and dent it by making lives better?

Tim Cook purportedly said, in response to these stories, that Apple “cares about about every worker in their worldwide supply chain.”

Great. It’s time for them to prove it.

AT&T Doubling Upgrade Fee to $36 From Feb 12th

If you’re planning to upgrade to iPhone 5 / iPhone 6 (depending on what Apple decides to call their next generation iPhone) then it has just got a little bit more expensive. BGR reports that AT&T is increasing the upgrade … Continue reading →

Valentine’s Day app sales underway: Treasures of Montezuma, Hanging with Friends, Order and Chaos Online

Romance is almost in the air (even, if you're as single as I am, though you might not care), and that means what every holiday seems to mean around the App Store: More sales! With all these great deals on apps, you can either enjoy one with your sweetie, or use them to distract you from your lonely, solo existence.

• Match-3-alike Ablazed is free right now, as the recently re-released Hand of Greed (which has been re-released a few times now right?).
• Sega has quite a few of its titles on sale for just 99 cents, including most of the Sonic titles, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Altered Beast and Gunstar Heroes.
• EA (surprised? Us either) has lots of titles on sale too, including Scrabble, Risk, Spy Mouse, and The Sims.
• Telltale has Back to the Future Episode 1 up for free, and the rest of them up for just $2.99.
• Crescent Moon also has a solid sale on, including the beautiful Gears puzzle platformer, Pocket RPG for iPhone (no HD sale, unfortunately), and Evertales.
• Match 3 title Treasures of Montezuma 3 is on sale for iPhone for 99 cents, and the iPad version is $2.99.
• Vito Technology's "Walk" apps are all on sale for the holiday.
• Fantasy Sky HD is free.
• The ad-free version of Zynga's Hanging with Friends is just a buck. Careful with playing it on an airplane, though.
• WoW-alike Order and Chaos Online is also just a buck. Comes with a free three month subscription, but you'll have to pay after that.
• TanZen for iPhone is free -- but the iPad version is not.
• Loud Crow Interactive is putting one of its apps on sale every day up and through Valentine's Day -- you have to follow them on Twitter to know which one, however.

We might see even more as the holiday gets closer, so stay tuned.

Valentine's Day app sales underway: Treasures of Montezuma, Hanging with Friends, Order and Chaos Online originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Valentine's Day app sales underway: Treasures of Montezuma, Hanging with Friends, Order and Chaos Online originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best handwriting notes app for iPad: Noteshelf review

“Whether you’re a student or teacher, an intern or executive, if you have an iPad and you take notes, get Noteshelf.”

Noteshelf is currently the best way to take and share handwritten notes on the iPad. Why would you want to do that? Well, we live in a digital world and it’s become much, much easier to carry a single, multifunctional iPad around than a heavy stack of books, grocery lists, calendars, journals, notebooks, scrap papers, sketchbooks, and stickies. Sure, the iPad comes with a keyboard based Notes app built in, but there’s still something to said about writing by hand. Call it therapeutic. Call it efficient. Call it necessary. There are simply more things to take note of than are currently possible with a keyboard alone.

For example, asking a math instructor to quickly type out an equation on her iPad and mail it to a student is absurd. Asking an executive to rapidly brain storm a new workflow and share it with the team is cumbersome. But sketching them out with Noteshelf? Now that’s not only quick and easy, it’s enjoyable.

Noteshelf is a note-taking app for your iPad –- or shall I say: a beautiful note-taking app for your iPad — that’s based on freeform handwriting. You can write with your finger or, better still, a pen-like device called a stylus. It comes with 17 digital inks, 20 note templates, 15 covers, and much, much more.

If you’re new to the idea of a free-form notes app, it’s really simple to get started. Just treat your iPad like a blank piece of paper and start writing, drawing, and charting. Almost anything you can jot down with a piece of note paper, you can jot down with Noteshelf.

Simplicity does not necessarily imply feature-lacking, however; Noteshelf is jam-packed with an assortment of features that makes note taking not only easy, but exciting!

Color addicts rejoice! Noteshelf includes 17 different pen colors with 21 thickness choices, and 8 highlighter colors with 41 different sizes. The combinations are nearly limitless and allow you to really customize your notes to fit your purpose and style.

You can also annotate pictures. Noteshelf lets you import photos from your iPad’s library, or if you have an iPad 2, you can quickly snap a photo with its built-in camera to send directly into your notes.

If you love Emoji — the Japanese pictograms and emoticons — you’ll be happy to hear that Noteshelf is equipped with a button that lets you quickly add Emoji symbols to your notes. Unfortunately, the symbols are not sizable.

One of the big challenges of handwriting apps is proper detection. While the iPad has a lot of multitouch sensors to handle finger input for regular apps, they were never designed for the precision needed for a really fine stylus line. To get around this, Noteshelf implements a zoom feature. This allows you to zoom into a specific area of your page and write on a new magnified section of the app. Since it’s magnified, you can write largely and comfortably, and it translates it to small writing on the on page. Because of the hardware limitations of the iPad, this is the only way to get down those fine details in your notes.

Now, the first time I saw this feature, I though it would be annoying to have to constantly move the rectangle to the area of page I wanted to write, but Noteshelf has implemented some smart, automatic actions into this feature. When you reach the far right side of the magnified area, the rectangle will automatically jump to the right so that you all you need to do is start from the beginning of the rectangle to continue your writing. When you reach the edge of the page, it will automatically skip to the next line for you.

I typically use Noteshelf to write solutions to math problems for my students and thus normally want to head down the page while zoomed in, not across. Instead of relying on Noteshelf to automatically move the rectangle, I just hit the tab/enter button that pushes it down for me. There are also arrow buttons for those who may want to manually move the magnified area, say, after finishing a sentence.

Noteshelf also offeres a “Wrist Protection” feature that allows you to rest your hand on the iPad without your wrist polluting your notes with a bunch of unwanted marks. You can specify which area of the screen needs to remain mark-free and Noteshelf will automatically adjust this location as you move down the screen.

Notes can be exported as images or PDFs directly to email, iTunes, Dropbox, Evernote, ot iPad albums, as well as shared to Facebook or Twitter. You have the option of exporting individual pages or entire notebooks.

Your notes are displayed as notebooks on a wooden shelf and can be arranged to your liking. You can also stack the notebooks on top of each other other to create folders — or more accurately, sub-bookshelves. You can also edit the title, paper type, and book cover for each notebook from this screen.

If you’re not happy with the paper and cover choices included in Noteshelf, more options are available as in-app purchases for $0.99 each. Personally, I have picked up the designer covers and plan to grab the striped ones next.

The good

• Lots of colors and pen sizes
• Zoom feature for smaller, more detailed notes
• Ability to insert photos
• Wrist protection works great

The bad

• Extra paper and covers are in-app purchases and can add up quickly
• Cannot import PDFs for annotation

The conclusion

Noteshelf is a phenomenal app for those looking to take handwritten notes with their iPad. Believe it or not, Noteshelf actually improves the look of your handwriting by smoothly interpretation of your annotations. Whether you’re a student or teacher, intern or executive, if you have an iPad and you take notes, get Noteshelf.

$4.99 – Download Now

Forums: Music Artwork, Music Creation, iPhone Music

We’ve made our way through a lot of stuff this week. Plenty of reviews, rumors and tips & tricks. If you missed out on anything make sure you get yourself caught up either here on the blogs or in the iMore forums. You can register now to get started today and while you’re at it, check out some of the threads below:

• Cool iPhone 5 Mock-Up
• Music Artwork issues
• Using iPad for music creation
• iCloud and Pages
• Transfer iPhone Music to iTunes Library

If you’re not already a member of the iMore Forums, register now!

Say goodbye to junk mail with PaperKarma for iPhone

PaperKarma is here to put an end to all the junk mail overflowing your home’s mailbox and it’s as simple as taking a photo. Literally!

When a piece of junk mail that you don’t want shows up to your house, be it a magazine, coupon book, flyer, credit card book, or phone book, all you have to do is open PaperKarma, snap a photo with the offender’s name clearly visible, and send! PaperKarma will take care of the rest and submit a request to unsubscribe on your behalf.

Not only is junk mail annoying and intrusive, it also has a massive negative impact on the environment. Taking a few seconds out of your day for each piece of junk mail you receive will not only help de-clutter your life, but help save the Earth.

Free – Download Now

AT&T’s upgrade fees doubling to $36 on February 12

If you’re looking to be picking up a new iPhone on AT&T any time soon, you’ll want to note that the upgrade fee will be doubling on February 12. As the folks over at Android Central noted based on the screenshot above, the new fee will be a sizable $36.

On the internal memo, AT&T noted the reason for the price hike was that “overall costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased,” and that “devices today are more sophisticated than ever.” Their statement to Android Central covered the same talking points:

Wireless devices today are more sophisticated than ever before. And because of that, the costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased and is reflected in our new upgrade fee. This fee isn’t unique to AT&T and this is the first time we’re changing it in nearly 10 years.

But what does that even mean? The cost of keeping us as customers, taking our money for a new device, and charging us for ongoing service for many more months to come has… gotten higher?

There’s no “upgrade fee” when we buy new televisions, new toasters, new Wi-Fi routers, new bicycles… should we go on? What beyond the price of the new phone and the monthly fees from the new contract should AT&T really need or be entitled to?

Now, a $0 iPhone 3GS is really $36. A $100 iPhone 4 is really $136.

For some, an $18 increase may not mean a whole lot but considering you’re essentially doing AT&T a favor by upgrading your device and staying with them, any added cost is sure ruffle a few feathers. Now that information is out there, we’ll have to wait and see if AT&T sticks to their guns or cancels their plans.

How do you feel about paying it the next time you upgrade to an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5?

Source – Android Central

WeatherBug for iPhone gets new GUI and adds features

There are many weather apps for the iPhone, but I'm a frequent user of the free WeatherBug app. The free version was recently updated to version 2.0 with a completely new GUI and added features such as automatic updating of weather data at your current location, along with pollen and UV data for the sun. The app has moved its settings inside the app itself, which is a plus compared to the way it was done before using system preferences.

WeatherBug still has detailed and layered weather maps and a collection of local cameras so you can actually see the current weather, not just instrument readings. You can set multiple locations and check the weather at vacation destinations or just see if Mom is freezing in upstate New York. WeatherBug will alert you to severe weather at or near your location.

I found the app to be stable and easy to use. The screens are much improved and prettier, and the app is responsive to scrolling and zooming. WeatherBug is ad-supported, but the ads are kept to a strip on the lower part of the screen.

The developers also offer WeatherBug Elite for US $0.99, which is similar to the free version, but there are no ads.

WeatherBug 2.0 is a 6.4 MB download and requires iOS 4.2 or later. There is also a WeatherBug app for the iPad which is free, but also has an option for an ad-free upgrade. Some screenshots of WeatherBug 2.0 are below.

WeatherBug for iPhone gets new GUI and adds features originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WeatherBug for iPhone gets new GUI and adds features originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Sues Motorola Over Licensing of Cellular Technology by Qualcomm

Reuters reports that Apple has filed a lawsuit against Motorola Mobility alleging that Motorola has breached a licensing agreement with Qualcomm in its efforts to have a number of Apple's iOS devices banned from sale in Germany. Following a December victory by Motorola in a German court, Apple last week briefly pulled all 3G-enabled products with the exception of the iPhone 4S from its German online store. They were restored within a few hours after the injunction was suspended.


Today's lawsuit specifically addresses the iPhone 4S, which Motorola has also been seeking to block in Germany and other countries. The iPhone 4S utilizes Qualcomm's MDM6610 baseband chip, and Apple argues that Qualcomm's patent license with Motorola exhausts Motorola's rights to further royalties from Apple.

The suit, filed in a San Diego federal court, argues that Motorola's German lawsuit against Apple breaches terms of a patent licensing agreement between Motorola and Qualcomm. [...]

In the latest lawsuit, Apple says that as a Qualcomm customer, Apple is a third-party beneficiary of Motorola's agreement with Qualcomm. Under that agreement, Motorola's rights under certain patents are exhausted, Apple argues.

Apple has raised this issue before, perhaps most notably in defending itself against Samsung in Australia where it similarly claimed that Apple is protected from attacks based on these patents related to core cellular technologies by virtue of Qualcomm's licensing agreements. Motorola and Samsung have disagreed with Apple on that front, and Apple is now pressing the matter with a lawsuit of its own specifically addressing the issue as it relates to Motorola's efforts in Germany.




Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• iOS Surpasses OS X in Share of U.S. Web Traffic
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The Puzzlejuice emails document the nitty gritty of iOS development

Puzzlejuice is a really great puzzle game (really, a big mishmash of different puzzle games) that's available on the App Store right now. It was put together by developers Greg Wohlwend and Asher Vollmer, and Wohlwend has just published a post on his personal blog that's pretty spectacular: He calls it "The Puzzlejuice emails," and it's basically all of the email communication between the two developers as they work out the look and feel of this crazy game.

It's really long (he really did include everything, from first contact all the way up to release), but it's also a fascinating read, especially if you've been involved in iOS development, or game development of any kind. You can see the two devs hashing out everything as they go, from the look of the graphics to the meaning of the game's name, all the way up to the icon and setting up the website and price for release.

Wohlwend originally was just interested in the game as it was being made, but eventually the release turned into a partnership for the two, and there's all sorts of little trivia bits in there about things that did and didn't work during development. The emails are presented as-is, too: The devs had some concern about another word game that came out during development, Spelltower, but eventually decided the games were different enough that it was worth carrying on. I would agree.

If you have any interest in seeing behind the scenes on just what small scale iOS development is like, give this one a read. It won't teach you to make code or art, but it will teach you how these games are put together piece by piece.

The Puzzlejuice emails document the nitty gritty of iOS development originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Puzzlejuice emails document the nitty gritty of iOS development originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T LTE micro SIM card cards point to iPhone 5 or iPad 3

While we’re still hearing conflicting rumors about super-fast LTE 4G networking for iPad 3 this spring or iPhone 5 this summer/fall, you’ll be happy to hear that AT&T is preparing to replace their current microSIM card stock with LTE compatible versions. Seeing as Apple is just about the only one using the microSIM card format, this suggests that AT&T is preparing for a next-generation iPhone or iPad with LTE built it.

The only alternative is that these are for the Lumia 900, which is likely to be landing on AT&T really soon. An internal memo has instructed sales repts to scrap all of the old microSIM cards, and use these new LTE ones with the same SKU.

Okay, so maybe the Nokia Lumia 900 seems a bit more likely since it’s been announced and all, but there has been an awful lot of solid-ish talk about the iPad 3 lately, and even if we don’t see an LTE iOS tablet soon, WWDC is looming along with the possibility of an iPhone 5. Whatever comes out next, it’s hard to imagine it not having at least one model with LTE connectivity, and even less likely that they’ll ditch the micro SIMformat.  

Verizon switched to LTE microSIM cards in October for the Samsung Stratosphere, so they’d be all set to go with any new Apple hardware as well. Sprint is still getting its feet wet with LTE through the Galaxy Nexus, so they may be next in line to start offering LTE microSIM cards — we’ll be keeping an eye out.

If there’s no LTE in your area, we can understand if this doesn’t matter very much to you… yet. But when it does come, and you start pulling 20-50mbps of data, you’ll probably start to care a lot more.

Source: PhoneArena

Hundred PushUps for iPhone will help you get your upper body strength on! [Giveaway]

We’re into the second week of Mobile Nations fitness month and it’s time to get more serious about your strength training. If upper body strength is on your want list, Hundred PushUps is the perfect app to help get you results. It’s a six week program whose ultimate goal is to get you to successfully complete 100 consecutive pushups in a row.

Now, as someone who struggles to complete only 10 pushups (where 5 of them are the girly kind!), I understand how you may instantly feel discouraged by this seemingly insurmountable task. But that’s where Hundred Pushups comes in!

With Hundred PushUps’ highly acclaimed plan, you will succeed. All you have to do is not give up, and invest a mere 30 minutes a week.

Giveaway

Since it’s Mobile Nations fitness month and we want you to be as successful as you possibly can be, so we’re gifting away 5 copies of Hundred PushUps to you, our awesome, motivated, and dedicated readers! For a chance to win, just tell us how many pushups you can do now, today. Everyone has to start somewhere! (Must have a US iTunes account to win. Apple’s rule, not ours!)

$1.99 – Download Now

Apple reportedly urging developers to get Retina display iPad 3 apps ready for announcement event

Now that it seems Apple will be holding their iPad event in early March, rumors have turned to Apple working with developers in a frenzied rush to get Retina display iPad apps ready to show off on stage. TheNextWeb reports:

Apple has a long history of hand-picking apps that it thinks are exemplary or really show off the hardware of a device to demonstrate during iPad presentation. The iPad 2 saw demo segments with Apple’s own Garage Band, iMovie and Photo Booth apps, while the recent ‘Let’s Talk’ iPhone event saw game title Infinity Blade 2 demoed in order to show off the graphics capabilities of the new iPhone 4S. Apple’s pre-event weeks are often spent soliciting demonstrations from many app developers and preparing demonstrations of those apps for the live event. Our sources tell us that this selection process is continuing at an increased rate as Apple looks to finalize the lineup for the iPad 3.

Retina display iPad apps would require 2x, high-definition elements. The iPad 3 — or iPad 2S according to some rumors — is widely expected to have a similar form factor to the currently available iPad 2. The main differences are thought to be on the inside with a faster, possible quad-core processor, improved graphics performance and of course a higher resolution display.

We’re taking a poll of what you expect to see, hardware wise, in the iPad 3 so if you haven’t already, hurry up and vote now.

Source: TheNextWeb

Apple Offering Stripped-Down $999 13″ MacBook Air to Educational Institutions Buying in Bulk

Apple has begun offering a stripped-down 13" MacBook Air to educational institutions purchasing in bulk, replacing the two-year old white plastic MacBook offering the company recently discontinued. Apple had ceased sales of the MacBook to consumer customers back in July of 2011.

The new educational-exclusive MacBook Air is a 13" model with the same specs as the entry-level consumer 11" MacBook Air: 1.6GHz i5 processor, 2GB RAM, 64GB flash storage, and the Intel HD Graphics 3000 chipset. The machine is available in a 5-pack for $4,995 or $999 per machine. The standard 13" MacBook Air starts at $1,299.


Apple has long offered prepackaged sets of laptops to educational institutions looking to equip teachers or students with MacBooks (and iBooks before that). It has also made available a Learning Lab product that includes 10 or 20 MacBooks along with a preconfigured cart to hold and charge the machines. More recently, Apple has begun offered iPad and iPod Learning Lab carts, too.

After the discontinuation of the white MacBook, Apple reworked the bulk laptop packages it offers educational institutions. As first reported by 9to5Mac, Apple is now selling 5-packs of the 11" and 13" MacBook Airs along with an existing 13" MacBook Pro offering. The MacBook Air Learning Lab packages have been updated as well, with discounted 10- and 20-packs of the stripped-down 13" MacBook Air bundled with the aforementioned charging and storage cart.

The new packages are available on Apple's educational institution online store, though Apple has yet to update its educational web page with the new information.


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More Claims of MacBook Pro Adopting MacBook Air Form Factor in 2012 Redesign

In two report back in April and July of last year, we reported that Apple was working on an ultra-thin 15-inch Mac notebook, with the suggestion being that the existing MacBook Pro line would evolve to take design cues and many of the features from the popular MacBook Air. But whether the larger notebooks would be branded as MacBook Pros or MacBook Airs has been unclear.

Many had hoped that the redesigned 15-inch notebook would debut by the end of 2011, but Apple apparently elected to squeeze in one final minor spec bump as it waited for Intel's Ivy Bridge platform to launch in 2012. Reports late last year continued to suggest that Apple was finishing up work on the redesigned 15-inch MacBook Pro ahead of a 2012 debut.

AppleInsider now weighs in with its own claims essentially mirroring much of what was previously reported, but emphasizing that the shift will likely see a unification of Apple's notebook lines under the MacBook Air design aesthetic, covering the full range of 11-inch to 17-inch sizes by the end of this year.

This will include new, ultra-thin unibody enclosures that jettison yesteryear technologies like optical disk drives and traditional hard drives in favor of models with lightweight chassis that employ flash-memory based solid-state drives, instant-on capabilities, extended battery life, and rely on digital distribution for software and media.

"They're all going to look like MacBook Airs," one person familiar with the new MacBook Pro designs told AppleInsider. Meanwhile, existing MacBook Pro designs are expected to be phased out over the course of the year.

The report suggests that Apple may not shift the entire MacBook Pro line at once, instead beginning with the 15-inch model and then following with the 17-inch model "shortly thereafter". Apple followed a similar pattern with its transition to the present unibody design back in late 2008 and early 2009.


Mockup of MacBook Air design spanning full range of Apple notebook sizes
The fate of the 13-inch MacBook Pro remains murky, and may depend on just how closely the new MacBook Pro designs mirror the smaller MacBook Air and whether Apple brings the whole notebook line under a single name. With the MacBook Pro redesign and a boost to the 13-inch MacBook Air, there may simply not be enough differentiating the two 13-inch machines and Apple may opt to consolidate its notebooks down to essentially a single line in four different sizes.


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Withings Smart Baby Monitor drops through FCC’s chimney

Baby monitors. If you're in the market for one (er, congrats) and you run an Apple-flavored household, then this Withings device looks sufficiently over-specced for your needs. It's been out in the UK for a couple of months already priced at £269 ($425), and judging from the FCC filing it's coming to the US too, where it'll face sibling rivalry from the likes of Samsung, Evoz and the Exmobaby bodysuit. The base station fixes to the side of the crib, hooks up over WiFi or Ethernet, and streams audio and three-megapixel video (with night-vision mode) over the web, so you can access it via the iOS app using 3G or any good internet connection -- not only when you're within range of your router. It's even said that if you turn the mic's sensitivity right up, you'll hear the sounds of your old life, calling to you.

Withings Smart Baby Monitor drops through FCC's chimney originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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