miércoles, 10 de octubre de 2012

iPad By Davis: “Aluminum choice being blamed for delays with iPhone 5 availability” plus 15 more

iPad By Davis: “Aluminum choice being blamed for delays with iPhone 5 availability” plus 15 more


Aluminum choice being blamed for delays with iPhone 5 availability

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:14 AM PDT

Aluminum choice being blamed for delays with iPhone 5 availabilityThe decision to go with aluminum in the latest iPhone 5 is now being blamed for the poor availability and shipping times. The iPhone 5 has been on sale for just over two weeks now and Apple is still quoting availability for new devices at the time of writing of 3-4 weeks. According to a report by Bloomberg, the reason for the slow availability is all down to quality control problems with the aluminum used in the banding around the iPhone 5 and the back cover.

Stricter benchmarks have hampered production of the iPhone 5's anodized aluminum housings, forcing Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (2317) to idle factories, the person said. The slowdown is heightening supply concerns that have cost Apple about $60 billion in market value since the iPhone debut -- a shortcoming of the drive to imbue products with qualities that make them alluring yet more difficult to manufacture.

The scrapes, which sparked complaints with the iPhone's debut last month, are due to Apple's decision to use a type of aluminum that helps make the smartphone thinner and lighter. Senior Apple managers told executives at Foxconn near the end of September to tighten production standards, said the person, who asked not to be named because the matter was private.

For those working on assembly lines with enough anodized aluminum housings for production, the pressure has intensified, because the iPhone 5 is more delicate and easier to scratch during the assembly process, said five factory workers interviewed by Bloomberg News outside the Zhengzhou plant. They spoke on condition that their full names not be used.

Last week, it was rumored that a strike had taken place at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory, the strike was supposedly called because workers were unhappy with being asked to work during holidays and overly strict demands on product quality without necessary training. Foxconn denied that the strike had ever taken place and that production was continuing as normal.

It will be interesting to see how well the iPhone 5 wears over the next few months and if it is as easy to scratch and scuff as many are claiming; if it doesn't wear well then there will be a lot of unhappy customers. Apple prides itself on producing beautifully designed products that are functional as well as highly fashionable. If the iPhone 5 looks like it's been dragged through a hedge backwards after a few months of use then this will clearly be a problem for many.

Source: Bloomberg




Letters with Pooh for iPhone and iPad review

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:48 AM PDT

Letters with Pooh is an educational app for the iPhone and iPad by Disney to help kids identify and write letters of the alphabet. Your kids will join Winnie Pooh on his quest for honey by tracing letters, collecting letter balloons, finding missing letters, and more. Letters with Pooh is very interactive and even lets you personalize the experience by allowing you to record all the leters of the alphabet in your voice.

Letters with Pooh begins with a quick little backstory about how Winnie the Pooh has a rumbly in his tummy and that instead of focusing on his busy day ahead, he will first let his rumbly tummy lead the way. Each chapter will progress through Pooh's story, making the whole experience more interesting for young learners.

The first chapter teaches about the basics of tracing and has you trace simple shapes like lines and circles in a way that directly helps Winnie the Pooh during the story.

In the second chapter, Pooh needs balloons to reach a beehive for honey. To help him, you must trace letters -- each letter you trace gives Pooh another balloon. Letters with Pooh does not require you to get the tracing job perfect in order to progress which is great for early learners who will probably struggle with staying in the lines. At the end of each letter tracing, a word that starts with that letter will be said and a picture associated with that word will be displayed. You then have the option to record your own voice saying the name of the letter.

As you progress through the letters, the game will periodically check in with Winnie the Pooh to see if he needs more balloons. Each time, Pooh says he needs to get a little bit higher and is floating off the ground with a growing handful of balloons that slowly brings him higher off the ground with more balloons. Once you've successfully traced all the letters, Winnie the Pooh will get high enough to reach the honey.

In the last chapter of Letters with Pooh, Winnie the Pooh must help Tigger find the letters that have fallen out of his book, Piglet with his paint-by-letters picture, and Owl with catching letters.

As you progress through the game, you'll hear the narrator congratulate you on earning more stickers that can be used in the Stickers section of Letters with Pooh. The section is all about having fun and includes stickers for characters and letters.

The good

  • Practice tracing and writing upper- and lowercase letters to help Pooh find honey
  • Record all the letters of the alphabet in your own voice
  • Play fun, character-driven activities that reinforce letter identification
  • Create your own Winnie the Pooh scenes with interactive stickers
  • Guided skill instruction for up to four players
  • Comprehensive parents' section with content leveling and progress monitoring
  • Whimsical Winnie the Pooh artwork
  • Professional narration, music and charming sound effects
  • Universal for iPhone and ipad

The bad

  • If you trace letters in the "wrong" direction, it doesn't really work right
  • Must lift your finger to start the next part of the letter tracing. For example, to trace the letter W, all four sections of the letter are different and if you don't lift your finger between each section, your tracing will not be registered
  • iPhone version doesn't support the iPhone 5's larger display, yet

The conclusion

Letters with Pooh is an excellent alphabet learning app for iPhone and iPad. Disney did a great job with its design by making it interactive, fun, and by including the voices of the characters from Winnie the Pooh. If you have a child who's learning his/her alphabet and loves Winnie the Pooh, you can't go wrong with Letters with Pooh.

$1.99 - Download Now




Iterate 31: Vermette

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 09:46 PM PDT

Iterate 31: Vermette

Marc, Justin, and Rene discuss App.net, Netbot, the challenges facing Twitter devs, and Android and iOS interface gripes, and interview Sam Vermette of the Transit App. This is Iterate!

Show notes

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This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Tweetglass for iPad review

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 04:52 PM PDT

Tweetglass for iPad review

Tweetglass, the Twitter client formally known as Quip, is a an iPad Twitter app that focuses on automatically streamlining and condensing your timeline, especially when it comes to conversations. It was recently updated with streaming over Wi-Fi, list support, read-later support, performance improvements, and more.

Tweetglass features a very nice dark-themed UI that has a greater emphasis on looks than it does information density. Avatars are displayed very big with speech bubbles containing the tweets. It looks really great, but it does come at the cost of only displaying 4-5 tweets at a time in landscape orientation, six in portrait.

But the extra space between tweets isn't just for looks, it actually serves a very important purpose. For tweets that are part of a conversation, the avatars of the users that have participated in the conversation appear in the space below the tweet. It's an awesome visual cue. When you tap on a tweet that's part of a conversation, the small avatars below the tweet will move below the tweet and display their replies, in order, nested underneath the main tweet.

I absolutely love this approach to Twitter conversations. Many Twitter apps will display the conversations in order, but Tweetglass does it much more elegantly without changing screens. I would love to see Glasshouse apps take this idea a little further and display the replies at various nesting levels. This would make following conversations even easier.

In addition to the traditional tabs that you'll find in any Twitter client, Tweetglass also includes a tab for conversations, one for retweets, and another for photos. The conversation and retweet tabs only show tweets that are part of a conversation or that have been retweeted.

Similarly, the photos tab in Tweetglass only shows tweets that contain photos, but instead of displaying the tweets, it displays a grid of the photos. Tapping on a photo will enlarge it and display its associated tweet below it with options to view the conversation, mark as a favorite, reply, share, or reply. The design of this tab is visually nice, but the scrolling does tend to suffer since the large thumbnails sometimes have difficulty loading fast enough.

The direct messages tab takes a similar visual approach and instead of displaying a list of all the users you have direct messages with, it displays their avatars with little icons that indicate how many messages you have with that user. Because the avatars here are much smaller than the photo thumbnails in the photos tab, scrolling is a lot smoother.

The good

  • Beautiful design
  • Revolutionary approach to twitter conversations
  • Conversations, retweet, and photos tabs
  • Photos tab displays grid of photos that have been tweeted
  • Direct messages tab shows grid of user avatars
  • List support
  • Streaming over Wi-Fi
  • Auto-refresh intervals of 1, 5 or 10min (or manual refresh)
  • Support for Instapaper, Pocket, and Readability
  • Double-tap Message tap to mark all as read

The bad

  • No light theme
  • Performance has noticeably improved, but the photos tab is still a bit laggy

The bottom line

I'm a huge fan of Tweetglass and it's unique spin on a Twitter application. It's a fresh approach to a popular genre of apps and I applaud Glasshouse Apps for creating such a beauty. Tweetglass is not meant to be a primary Twitter client, but one that you browse through when you want to sit back and enjoy catching up on conversations, photos, and links from people who interest you.

$0.99 - Download now




How to stop Verizon from anonymously tracking your iPhone usage

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 03:36 PM PDT

How to stop Verizon from anonymously tracking your iPhone usage

Verizon collects a ton of usage and behavioral data on their customers, anonymizes it and then leverages it for marketing and partner programs. If you just signed up with Verizon, say to get a new iPhone 5, you have 30 days to opt-out of the data collection. Bryan J Clark posted about it earlier on app.net:

@benbrooks thought you might like to do a PSA: new Verizon customers like us have 30 days to opt-out from them selling your web history and device location to marketers. They should go to www.vzw.com/myprivacy to fix it.

While Verizon is hardly the only company to engage in customer analytics, because they have access to your cell phone data, they have access to far more, and more personal data than almost any other company. If you're the kind of person who turns off Google web tracking and flips your Facebook privacy settings to maximum, you'll almost certainly want to kill Verizon's snooping as well.

You might also want to drop them and the government oversight organizations of your choice a little letter telling them any such data collection would be better offered as opt-in than hidden as opt-out.

Update: Matthew Panzarino of The Next Web dove into Verizon's privacy options. If you weren't encouraged to turn it all off, all now, read what he found and you will be.

Source: www.vzw.com/myprivacy via Bryan J Clark and Ben Brooks




iPad mini rumored to be wi-fi only, iPad 3 mark II rumored to be international LTE friendly

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 03:23 PM PDT

iPad mini rumored to be wi-fi only, iPad 3 mark II rumored to be international LTE friendly

The iPad mini may debut as a Wi-Fi only device, and the iPad 3 revision iMore revealed back in August may be compatible with International LTE frequencies, just like the iPhone 5. This according to [the Guardian]'s(http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/09/ipad-mini-wifi-uk-4g) Charles Arthur:

Industry sources indicated to the Guardian that they do not expect to see 3G-capable versions of the iPad mini. That would allow Apple to produce it comparatively cheaply and to limit the top price of the product, while retaining mobile broadband connectivity for its pricier iPad line.

Both the original and new 7-inch Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7, the primary competition for the rumored iPad mini, lack a cellular option. Apple has also thus far resisted including cellular connectivity in the iPod touch line. The original iPad was announced with both Wi-Fi and 3G, but the 3G version took an extra month to be released. The suggestion seems to be that Apple would use cellular as a way to push buyers towards the bigger iPad. However, not having cellular on a tablet device, even a mini-sized one, would be incredibly annoying. So, hopefully, at worst we'll be looking at a staggered release like the original iPad, and at best the same old $130 up-sell as the rest of the iPad line.

Given what we've heard about the size of the iPad mini, a cellular version of the device would be vary attractive to those who want something bigger than their phone with them when they're out and about. It would also give Apple's smaller tablet a distinct advantage over competition from Amazon and Google.

The Guardian also repeats rumors iMore has been hearing since August, namely that the iPad 3 will be refreshed at the same time. iMore has already mentioned the Lightning connector, new, cooler internals, and potential LTE chipset update, but the Guardian adds that such an LTE update would also allow the new iPad 3 to work on international LTE frequencies, like Europe. (The current iPad 3 only offers North American LTE.)

Would lack of cellular on an iPad 3 be a deal-breaker for anyone?

Source: The Guardian




How to replace a cracked screen on an iPhone 4S

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT

If you've cracked the screen on your iPhone 4S and didn't opt for AppleCare+ or insurance through your carrier, you can DIY repair the screen yourself. While it isn't the easiest repair to perform, it's definitely doable with the right parts and tools.

And we'll walk you through it every step of the way.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, neither iMore nor The Pod Drop 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.

Not comfortable with DIY repair? Leave it to the pros

If you aren't comfortable performing a DIY repair on your own, don't. It is possible to cause more damage or run into issues you aren't ready for. In this case, it's probably better to either pay the money for a replacement device from Apple or use a local or mail-in service that will handle the repair and any issues that may arise for you.

The Pod Drop has many locations in the midwest and is a rapidly growing company. You can check for a Pod Drop location near you, mail it in, or use another third party repair service. For more information on mail-in repairs or possible Pod Drop locations near you, you can visit their website.

If you are comfortable with repairing your own device, put your ninja pants on and keep reading!

What you'll need to DIY replace a broken iPhone 4S screen

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. You will find links to the specific parts you'll need for this repair in the list below.

Video walkthrough

While the video walkthrough is pretty detailed, we still recommend using it in correlation with the written steps below.

Power off your iPhone 4S

iPhone 4S slide to power off

Before performing any repair you should always power off your device before opening it up.

Remove the back plate

  1. Using your security screwdriver, remove the 2 screws on either side of the dock connector port.
  2. iPhone 4S dock connector screws
  3. Set them aside. They are both the exact same size and length so it does not matter if you mix them up. They are interchangeable.
  4. Gently slide up the back plate by applying a bit of pressure along the bottom with your thumbs and sliding upwards.
  5. iPhone 4S remove back plate
  6. Now lift off the back plate and set it aside.
  7. iPhone 4S back removal

Remove the battery and grounding clip

  1. Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the two screws holding the battery in place.
  2. iPhone 4S bottom battery screw
  3. These screws are different lengths so make sure you remember which one goes where. The one that is slightly larger is the bottom screw.
  4. There is a tiny grounding clip underneath the battery clip where the first screw is located. Use your spudger tool or finger to remove it before prying the clip up. Many times it can go flying if you don't remove it first and then you'll have difficulty locating it so it's best to remove it first.
  5. iPhone 4S grounding clip removaliPhone 4S grounding clip
  6. Now use your spudger tool and at the bottom of the battery clip, gently pry upwards so the clip pops up.
  7. iPhone 4S battery clip
  8. Move to the edge of the iPhone where the volume buttons are located and use your spudger tool to carefully pry up the battery. It is stuck down with a good amount of adhesive so be careful when prying upwards that you don't bend the battery. This is why I do not use the plastic tab that is provided. It typically rips or bends the battery. If one part is resistant move your pry tool a little further down and gently start prying it up in different places taking care not to come too close to the volume button cables towards the top.
  9. iPhone 4S battery removal
  10. Once you've gotten the battery pulled out of the iPhone 4S we can move on to inserting the replacement battery.

Remove the top logic board shields

  1. Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the four screws that hold the top silver shield in place and the one screw that holds the small black shield in place.
  2. iphone 4s logic board shield removal
  3. Now use your spudger or pry tool to gently lift the silver shield out of the iPhone.
  4. Use your spudger or pry tool to lift the black shield out of the iPhone.
  5. Set both shields aside and make sure your screws are organized for reassembly later.

Unclip the top logic board cables & remove the rear-facing camera

Using your spudger or pry tool carefully disconnect all the cables at the top of the logic board. There are seven cables total. One of the cables lies underneath the bottom most cable so you'll need to disconnect the cable over it before folding it back and revealing the shorter cable underneath.

Once you unclip the seven cables, you can lift the rear-facing camera directly out of the iPhone. It was only connected by one cable.

Disconnect the dock connector

  1. Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver remove the shield that is covering the dock connector cable towards the middle left of the iPhone. Remember which screw came from where as they are different sizes. Gently lift the shield out of the iPhone and set it aside.
  2. Remove dock connector shield iPhone 4 CDMA
  3. Take your spudger tool and gently pry up the dock connector cable and peel it back as shown below. Perform this step with caution as there is adhesive on the underside of the cable. Take care not to rip the cable by pulling up to quickly.
  4. Remove dock connector cable iPhone 4 CDMA
  5. Leave the cable in this position and move on to the next section.

Pry up the Wi-Fi antenna

  1. Using your spudger toolcarefully pry up the round connection for the cellular antenna. It should come up easily so pry up gently.
  2. Unclip antenna cable iPhone 4 CDMA
  3. You'll notice that it is wrapped around a metal clip. Gently unwrap it so it's sticking upwards and leave it in this position.

Remove the SIM card and tray

Using a SIM removal tool or a bent paper clip, eject the SIM tray and set it, and the SIM card aside.

Remove the logic board

  1. Remove the three #00 Phillips screws at the top, middle, and bottom left of the logic board with your #00 Phillips screwdriver. The top screw has a piece of tape over it you'll need to peel back. After removing it you'll also notice a gold grounding clip underneath it. Make sure you don't lose it as you'll need it for reassembly.
  2. There are two more screws holding the logic board in place and you'll need to remove them with your flat head screwdriver. They are located at the top right and bottom of the logic board.
  3. Now you should be able to lift the logic board out of the iPhone. Use the area that the rear-facing camera was located and the bottom of the logic board to lift it straight out.

Remove the loud speaker assembly

  1. The loud speaker is held in with two screws that are located on both sides of the assembly. Use your #00 Phillips screwdriver to remove them.
  2. The screw on the left hand side of the assembly has a black triangular spacer underneath it. Make sure you don't lose it and set it aside for reassembly.
  3. After the two screws are removed you can gently lift the speaker assembly out of the iPhone.

Remove the vibrator assembly

The vibrator assembly is only held down with a bit of adhesive. Use your pry tool or metal spatula tool in order to loosen the adhesive and remove the vibrator assembly. Just make sure you are careful not to bend it.

Remove the digitizer and LCD assembly

For this section, we highly recommend watching the teardown video above as it will show you the technique for removing the display that will best compliment the written steps much better than pictures can.

  1. Hold the iPhone so the screen is facing you and insert your pry tool or metal spatula into the top left corner and slowly start breaking the adhesive underneath the display by moving your tool gently back and forth.
  2. Once the top left is free, move over to the top right corner and repeat.
  3. After the top of the assembly is free, move towards the bottom on either side of the Home button and repeat the same process.
  4. Once all the adhesive is broken, carefully pull the front assembly off the iPhone taking care to make sure the digitizer and LCD cables don't get caught up in the frame.

Transfer the Home button, speaker mesh, & camera hold to the new digitizer & LCD assembly

If the assembly you ordered did not come with a Home button, camera hold, or speaker assembly already attached, you'll need to remove those pieces and place them onto the new assembly.

The Home button is only held on with a rubber gasket with a bit of adhesive. Carefully pry it up and transfer it. The camera hold and speaker mesh are the same and can easily be transferred as well. Use a bit of double sided adhesive if you need to.

Reassemble your iPhone 4S

To reassemble your iPhone 4S, you can either follow all these directions in exact reverse order or view our reassembly video guide above which will walk you through how to reassemble it from screen to turning it back on and testing it.

And ...done!

Now that you've completely reassembled your iPhone 4S you can go ahead and hold down the power button in order to turn it back on. After it boots up, test the new assembly by dialing some numbers, using the keyboard, and looking for dead pixels. Then place a test call, check vibrator functionality, and do an all around test to make sure all of the components you had to remove and replace are in good working order.

If everything is back in working order, pat yourself on the back. This isn't an easy repair to perform and if you were successful, you've now unlocked the ninja DIY'er achievement!

Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally@imore.com.

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through The Pod Drop, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly!

Additional resources:




They don't come in Happy Meals, but Virginia Beach McDonald's is testing out iPads at the table

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 02:13 PM PDT

They don't come in Happy Meals, but Virginia Beach McDonald's is testing out iPads at the table

The newest McDonald's in Virginia Beach, Va., has mounted iPads to their tables so customers can enjoy some magical and revolutionary fun while they feast on fast food. Hugh Fard, the owner of the Viriginia Beach establishment, came by the idea from a French company that has implemented a similar feature in 20 of their own locations across Europe. While some content is blocked, such as YouTube, the The Virginian-Pilot says customers seem to love it:

Ricky Pritchard and his wife regularly visited McDonald's on South Lynnhaven Road near the Interstate 264 exit, a location Fard also owns. They didn't know the new restaurant, about a mile away, had the iPads until they stopped there for breakfast last week.

"I love it," said Pritchard, 49, after he and his wife finished their steak bagels. "I've been sitting here a little too long."

He and his wife, Victoria, called up Facebook while eating. She said the iPad at McDonald's made it easier for them to use together than at home, where it's not always comfortable to share the screen.

"It's going to keep people here longer," Victoria Pritchard said. "I can imagine us coming here all the time."

It's a bid by Fard to keep McDonald's relevant in the face of increasing competition from other chains such as Starbucks and Panera, which are often seen as more modern and trendy establishments. While McDonald's has no immediate plans to take the program company-wide, they are watching the Virginia Beach location closely, and may decide to on their own implementation after six to eight months. Whether this will attract a similar mobile worker crowd as Starbucks only time will tell.

Are you a McDonald's customer, and do you like the sound of this program? What other establishments would you like to see iPads in? Let us know below in the comments.

Source: The Virginian-Pilot, via: CNET




Unsubstantiated change to unannounced iPad mini leads to unexpected production halt of unreleased case by unnamed manufacturer

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 12:48 PM PDT

Unsubstantiated change to unannounced iPad mini leads to unexpected production halt of unreleased case by unnamed manufacturer

If everything we've heard to date holds true, Apple will be announcing the iPad mini sometime this month. But while Apple has yet to so much as schedule an event, manufacturers are already racing to get iPad mini accessories ready to launch alongside it. Now Macotakara reports some of them may have raced too hastily.

Large OEM mobile accessory maker has stopped their iPad mini case production, because the form of iPad mini seems to be changed.

Accessory makers require a high level precision, down to 0.2mm of tolerance to make form-fitting cases. So if there's even a minor change it could require new molds and new manufacturing runs. Which is part of the danger when you try to leap to market based on parts and leaks for otherwise not-yet-existing products.

Since Apple won't be changing the iPad mini case from a rounded rectangle to a triangle or pentagram anytime soon, however, there likely hasn't been any sort of change that will matter to consumers. Nor would a consumer ever be aware of one anyway.

As to larger manufacturing issues, those rumors are passed around literally every time Apple has a new product release on the horizon. That makes it difficult to sort the real from the really fake. Because Apple seldom pre-announces products or product features months in advance, however, if there ever is a problem or a showstopper, it can be factored internally and timelines can be adjusted accordingly. Then events can be announced, press releases dropped, and products launched.

Until then, it's interesting inside baseball chatter to be sure, and part of the grand pre-release rumor roller-coaster to be certain, but it's not anything to worry about beyond that. Unless they decide to make it horseshoe shaped...

Source: Macotakara




iMore Special Edition: Subscribe now via RSS or iTunes

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 11:21 AM PDT

iMore Special Edition: Subscribe now via RSS or iTunes

A couple of months ago we decided to relaunch iMore's Sunday show, but with a decidedly different twist. Instead of artificially dividing up Apple's increasingly interconnected, if cyclical, product lines into separate shows, or merely doubling up on the Wednesday iMore show format, we wanted to try something more audacious. We wanted to invite on some of the best and brightest minds in tech media and analysis and go deeper than the headlines. We wanted to explore Apple and its competitors, and the way media treats (and sometimes mistreats) them. We wanted to delve into strategies, challenge perceptions, and try to provide nuance, context, and perspective beyond what a sound bite or pull quote allows. And, based on our guests so far, I think we've gotten off to a great start.

If you haven't listened or watched already, I invite you to try it out:

If you enjoy the iMore Special Edition, please take a moment to subscribe to our new, dedicated feeds, and if you use iTunes, to leave a review and a rating. Launching (or relaunching) a new show is a lot of work, and your reviews and ratings are a huge help.

If you've done all of the above, we really appreciate it. Let us know what you think, what guests you'd like to see in the future, and what topics you'd like us to tackle. Nothing Apple or media related is off the table, so let's raise the bar and pants some quarterbacks.




Cool Things: Project Hope Video on How the iPad Spreads Hope

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 10:45 AM PDT

Project HOPE sends volunteer physicians, nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists and others. to a number of countries around the world. This commercial came out of a larger documentary film series – the director asked volunteers what they brought with them on missions (which can last weeks or months on end). Many volunteers told us that the first thing they pack is their iPad.

Project HOPE told me a little more on this:

While many of them used it for the reasons you'd expect (looking up medical information, reading and communicating on the Navy hospital ships they travel aboard, etc.), Dr. Braner (shown in the "commercial") pointed out an amazing use no one saw coming. He and other volunteers often travel on humanitarian missions in remote and impoverished regions. The patients they treat – especially the children – have often never seen the Apple logo before, let alone an iPad. The children are also frequently extremely sick and scared (understandably, having lacked even basic medical care in many cases). Dr. Braner talked about how amazed and drawn-in the children are when he takes the iPad out and lets them try it for themselves. They are quickly mesmerized, and no longer scared. Dr. Braner likes to snap a photo of the patients and show it to them on the iPad's screen. He got emotional talking about how blown away the children were, and how this simple little trick can instantly build trust with the patients, letting Dr. Braner treat them more effectively.

Great stuff.


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iPhone 5 Flash Dock puts a little light in the Lightning cable

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 09:58 AM PDT

Apple decided not to make a dock for the iPhone 5, leaving that potential market wide open to third party accessory makers. iPhone5mod is hoping to fill that particular void with the Flash Lightning Dock for iPhone 5. Not only does it include an Apple-like white dock, but an optional Lightning cable that actually glows.

The iPhone 5 Flash Lightning Dock comes in 2 parts. A classic dock for iPhone 5 and an illuminated Lightning Cable. Charge and sync your iPhone 5 with the iPhone 5 Dock. Your iPhone sits upright in the dock as it syncs or charges, so it's perfect for a desk or countertop. It comes included with a specially made Lightning Cable that has an intelligent power managements system built in. You can actually see the flow of current going into your iPhone 5.

You can check out the video above, and if you like what you see, head on over to the website below for ordering info.

Source: iPhone5mod




iPad in Education: Report Shows School Districts Doubling Down on Their iPad Rollouts

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 09:17 AM PDT

iPads-in-Education

It looks like the iPad's impact in the education arena in the US is continuing to grow. A recent report by Fox Business cites some of the impressive numbers for the iPad in the education market and also some evidence of increasing momentum for Apple's tablet.

Here are some of the things that caught my attention in the report:

– As we already knew from Apple's financial results announcement, iPad sales are on the rise while PC sales are falling.

Apple (AAPL: 661.31, +1.92, +0.29%) sold almost a million iPads to education buyers in the K-12 market in the third quarter alone, doubling sales from a year ago, according to an analyst at Needham & Co. By contrast, PC shipments in the education market reportedly fell 13.9% during the same period.

(...)
Read the rest of iPad in Education: Report Shows School Districts Doubling Down on Their iPad Rollouts (138 words)


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Tweetglass is the new Quip: Same great Twitter app for iPad, now with even more features

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 08:29 AM PDT

Due to some unfortunate legal drama, the highly conversational Twitter app formerly known as Quip is now known as Tweetglass, and it's been given a 1.1 update and some new features to go along with the new name.

  • View your Twitter Lists
  • Streaming (over wifi, when auto-refresh is on in Settings)
  • Auto-refresh intervals of 1, 5 or 10min (or manual refresh)
  • A new 'Who's tweeting' notification UI which lets you see who is posting new tweets without having to change your position in the timeline
  • Read Later services (Instapaper, Pocket and Readability) via long-tapping links, which also includes Copy link, Open link and Open in Safari options
  • Localizations for French, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese
  • Better timeline scrolling performance
  • Native Twitter pics are larger and show more detail
  • Double-tap the Messages icon to mark all as read
  • New animation when expanding and collapsing conversations
  • When set to auto-refresh (which changes to streaming when there is a wifi network), new tweets appear above if you're partway through your timeline, but if you're at the very top, they push everything else down so you can keep it open at your desk and go hands-free
  • UI tweaks & bug fixes
  • Please also note that the app's Twitter account has changed from @getquip to @tweetglassapp.

I use Tweetglass the way I used to use personal RSS -- to sit down with, coffee in hand, and just read interesting conversations and enjoy interesting pictures and links from the people that interest me. It's not my on-the-go, get-things done Twitter client, it's my leave-me-alone-for-a-few-minutes, just-relax Twitter client. And priced at just $0.99, it's an incredible value. (It's plastered and painted by Glasshouse apps, how could it not be?)

Tweetglass is also one of those niche apps, like Birdhouse and Reportage before it, that really show the value of Twitter when great developers are allowed to create great new approaches to the service. Unfortunately, Twitter seems intent on quadrant-ing and token-ing just these kinds of apps to death, so please join me in bugging @glasshouseapps to get Netglass up and running as fast as possible...

$0.99 - Download now




Deal of the Day: 34% off Clear-Coat Screen Protector for iPhone 5

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 06:39 AM PDT

Today Only: Buy the Clear-Coat Screen Protector for iPhone 5 and save $5.04!

Start protecting your iPhone 5 with the Clear-Coat Screen Protection that offers a clear solution against scratches without the bulk of cases while also keeping the original look of your iPhone 5. This ultra-strong screen protector is less than 1/100th of an inch thick, easy to install and doesn't dampen your screen's resolution.

List Price: $14.99     Today Only: $9.95

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Apple begins shipping new iPods for mid-October delivery. Has yours shipped yet?

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 05:55 AM PDT

Apple begins shipping new iPods for mid-October delivery

Introduced at the iPhone 5 event last month but not scheduled for released until October, Apple has just begun sending out shipping notifications for new iPod touch and iPod nano orders. Many of our readers, and yours truly, received texts and emails this morning with the details. Mine are set to arrive in here in Canada in just under a week, on Oct. 15.

The new iPod touch has the same amazing 4-inch, 16:9 in-cell display as the iPhone 5, along with an even thinner design and a new Loop wrist strap I'm really going to have try before extolling or condemning. The new iPod nano drops the previous, watch-friendly shape for a Nokia-style rectangle with a power button and rounded Home screen icons.

If you received your new iPod touch or iPod nano shipping notification, let us know when it's scheduled to arrive, or jump into out iPod touch 5 Forum and track along with us.




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