iPhone Daily News Digest

Apple’s iTunes News feed offers some helpful advice on Play Count for Smart Playlist users, especially those with iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads:

In addition to the Internet and your local network, iTunes is also alert to a different kind of network — the one made up of the iPhones, iPods (and soon iPads) that it runs on, as well as the computer you sync them with. Whether tracks have been played since the last sync is part of the information that gets updated when you sync. As a result, smart playlists using criteria such as “most often played” and “least recently played” update based on your overall experience and not just what you’ve done on any one particular device. By the way, if the play count for tracks ever gets out of whack, it’s easy to reset it. Just select the track(s) in list view in your library, right click (or control-click on a Mac), and choose Reset Play Count.

I stopped using smart playlists because, the way I had them set up, they’d often remove a podcast I was only part of the way through listening too. If anyone has tried this method and gotten better results, let me know in the comments!

iTunes Play Counts for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Siliconrepublic.com

Apple will replace iPads with dead batteries for $99 Mobile Burn Apple's iPod and iPhone products also offer hard-to-replace batteries, and it has similar programs in place for those devices. Apple details iPad's 'breakthrough' mobile contractRegister Apple's iPad: Questions you want to ask yourself before pre-orderingComputerworld (blog) Apple: Free iPad With Every Replacement BatteryWired News The Mac Observer -Tom’s Hardware Guide -Interweb Ink all 1,066 news articles »

Washington Post

Apple to replace iPads when battery charge fades The Tech Herald However, much like the iPhone and iPod before it, the iPad comes with the associated inconvenience of not carrying a removable (and therefore replaceable) … Is Your iPad Battery Already Dead?Huffington Post (blog) Was the iPad Launch a Success?TheAppleBlog (blog) Apple Sells 120000 iPads on First Day of Pre-OrdersThe Chosun Ilbo Macworld -PMP Today (blog) -Fast Company all 958 news articles »

Bet UK Betting (blog)

iDongle - Tethered Booting for Jailbroken iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 2G/3G Solid Blogger (blog) All new iPhone 3GS models are shipped with updated ROM that does not allow users to jailbreak iPhone or iPod the way they were being done earlier. … NEW Solution: Unlock iPhone 2G 3.1.3 Easy Guide AvailableBet UK Betting (blog) Best Unlock Iphone 3G,3Gs software,unlock any carrierBet UK Betting (blog) HOW TO Unlock iPhone 2G&3G Any Version Online Easy GuideBet UK Betting (blog) Bet UK Betting (blog) all 158 news articles »

The AT&T Navigator app and TomTom are my two favorite GPS solutions; TomTom just took the lead with this most recent update.

One of the benefits of the AT&T Navigator app was the ability to search real-time and navigate to a location via the web. Now, TomTom is bringing us that functionality via Google Local Search, and more! Here is a list of changes in the most rescent update, 1.3:

• Real-Time traffic- The best traffic information available today (an additional $19.99)
• Google Local Search- Access the latest listings from within TomTom
• The Latest Maps- The most accurate map
• Music Fading- Instead of music pausing, it fades when navigation is spoken
• Automatic Day/Night Mode- TomTom now calculates the sunrise and sunset and changes the map accordingly
• Add Locations- From other apps and websites

There are some other nuances too such as button placement and how the iPod controls work, but they are definitely for the better. It is disappointing that the traffic component costs an additional $19.99, but to me the Google Search alone is worth this update. Check out some pics after the break!

TomTom updated to 1.3 now with Google Local Search! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple’s claim to the letter “i” has come to a screeching halt as a trademarks tribunal has rejected the companies bid to stop a small company from using their favorite letter of the alphabet. This particular company wanted to name it’s cases for Apple products DOPi, which is iPod spelled backwards. Apple’s argument was that the DOPi name resembled their own products too closely and that it had potential to confuse consumers that they were purchasing a Apple product.

Now if you stop and think about it there are currently other products on the market that use the letter “i” that Apple has not gone after – iSkin or iSoft anyone? So that must mean Apple is protecting the name iPod simply spelled backwards but intellectual property lawyer Trevor Choy has a explanation for that.

“A competitor can sometimes get away with registering the reverse spelling of a registered trade mark – iPOD and DOPi. Here, they said that DOPi stands for ‘Digital Options and Personalised Items’,”

We will let our readers decide this case. Should Apple have a case or is this another case of the company simply trying to throw it’s weight around? Sound off in the comments below!

[Thanks for the tip robert! Via smh.com.au]

Apple’s Claim to the Letter “i” – Rejected is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

iPod + iTunes is dead on the Apple.com menu, long live iPod | iPhone | iPad | iTunes. (And yes, Mac is still there too).

The all new iPad section coincides with the launch of pre-orders and pickups today, and links to all the content previously available at apple.com/ipad via the homepage. The broken out iPod and iTunes section lets Apple focus on the devices (with the iPod touch front and center) on the former, and the iTunes software and store on the latter.

So what do you think of the new navigation, cheers or jeers? And is iPhone, iPad, iPod, and iTunes taking the place over?

Apple.com Adds iPad to Menu, iPod and iTunes Now Separate is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Thanks to this brand new music app, you can now mix and play quality music wherever you are!

Cue.Play.DJ. is a digital disk jockey app that lets you host amazing parties and dances with your iPhone. You can easily control and fine tune tracks with the display. Featuring virtual knobs and sliders, crossfading, auto BPM detection and simultaneous playback of two tracks, this app provides you with a wonderful and simple interface for rocking out.

With the free companion desktop app, you can even control your computer and speakers over Wi-Fi. No more connecting your iPhone to speakers, now that’s done wirelessly. This app allows you to listen to your own music on your iPod while the cued songs continue to play.

Cue.Play.DJ. is available in the App Store now for $9.99 which might seem expensive, but after playing with this app once and discovering all of its features, I think you’ll find it’s worth it. Lastly, Capsulated Software promises “many exciting features” to come.

Check it out now, for $9.99

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The HyperMac Nano by HyperShop is an external battery for iPhone and iPod with a built in charging cable. It’s highly portable, looks and feels great, and is made of 1800mAh lithium ion which provides up 1.5 times full recharge of the iPhone.

To learn more and get details about the give-away, follow us after the break!

The design of the HyperMac Nano is very slick and reminds me a cigarette lighter. With dimensions of only 3.4″ x 1.5″ x 0.55″, the battery will fit easily into your jeans or jacket pocket for easy portability. The rounded edges of the aluminum casing also feels nicely in your hands. The HyperMac comes in 9 stylish colors; yes, the same 9 colors available for the iPod nano.

What makes the HyperMac Nano unique to other external batteries is the built in charging cable. Underneath the cap you will find both male and female 30-pin sockets plugged into each other. The cap also conveniently snaps magnetically to the bottom of the battery so you don’t lose it when the battery is in use.

To charge the HyperMac Nano, just plug your iPhone cable into the female socket; and to charge your iPhone, plug the male socket into your iPhone. When the HyperMac Nano is plugged into a power source, a blue light will indicate that it is charging and a green light will mean the charge is complete.

When on the go, I found the HyperMac Nano more convenient than an extended battery because it did not increase the length of my iPhone. I could easily fit them together in my jacket pocket without fear of them falling out because the short cable is long enough to rest the battery behind my iPhone and so nothing sticks out of my pocket.

In conclusion, I found the HyperMac Nano to be a great and stylish way to give my iPhone some extra juice.

Now for the give-away! Just leave a comment below and let us know why HyperMac Nano will be a great addition to you life. We’ll pick one of you randomly and send you a silver HyperMac Nano. (The exact one you’ll receive is this reviewed unit). You need a valid email address and a US shipping address to enter. The contest starts now and ends Sunday, March 14, 2010.

TiPb Give-Away: HyperMac Nano Battery for iPhone/iPod is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple announced the iPad as a magical and revolutionary new product, their most advanced technology ever, and their attempt to grow the widely popular iPhone OS into the troubled tablet marketplace. It becomes available for pre-order this Friday, March 12 and goes on sale on Saturday, April 3 (in the US, international launch in late April).

But should you buy one, and if you should, when? Let’s take a look after the break!

Should You Pre-Order iPad Wi-Fi on March 12?

If, for you, the iPad is the “next big thing”, the ultimate couch and coffee computing appliance, the best way to read everything from email to ebooks, browse the web and your photos, enjoy music and movies, use apps and play games — both current iPhone apps and a glorious new class of iPad apps to come, then yes. Yes, you should order on March 12 and make sure your shiny new iPad is bought and bound and arrives at your door on April 3, or is waiting for you to pick-up at your local Apple Store day and date.

What else can we tell you, you decided to buy the moment Steve Jobs put sneaker to stage at the iPad event in February. And you don’t even care to wait a month for the 3G version, do you? Sigh. Yes, you should pre-order on March 12.

If this isn’t you, however. If you won’t buy without touching it first. If you won’t take the iPad on faith alone and want a chance to handle it first, to try it out, then don’t pre-order. Wait. If you’re really super-eager, Apple has another option for you…

Should You Line Up for an iPad Wi-Fi on April 3rd?

That was a trick question. If you’re camping out or otherwise lining up outside your local Apple Store, you’re hard core fan and just like the pre-orderer above, you already know you want it. And you’ll probably line up and get a 3G version too, won’t you?

Should You Buy an iPad Wi-Fi it on or After April 3rd? And iPad 3G in Late April?

If you’re pretty much sold on the iPad as is but you want to make sure, you want to go into the Apple Store and turn it on, swipe it around, launch the apps and play with it a bit, then this is a good option. It’ll still be Wi-Fi only on April 3rd and until late April, but after that you can try out an iPad 3G as well. It won’t be much different in the Apple Store, of course, but you can think about whether an extra $130 is worth it for on-demand unlocked, no-contract 3G service when and if you need it.

Think about wether you use an iPhone or iPod touch, and whether you’re fine with Wi-Fi at home, at work, at the coffee shop, etc. or if you’re annoyed not having the internet absolutely everywhere. You likely won’t carry your iPad as much as your iPhone or iPod touch (it’s not as pocketable) but the option is worth some consideration.

Should You Wait a Couple Months for a Quick iPad Price Drop?

Probably not. Apple did drop the iPhone price fairly soon after launch, but the outrage was such that they ended up giving every early adopter a $100 Apple Store credit by way of apology. They learned that lesson the hard way. When the iPhone 3G came out, heck when the iPod touch came out, they priced it aggressively and have only dropped the price when newer generation models were introduced (iPhone 3GS came in at $199, pushing iPhone 3G down to $99).

If you really, truly want to wait for a price drop on the first generation iPad, then…

Should You Wait a Year for the Second Generation iPad?

If Apple follows the iPhone and iPod touch model, the 2010 first generation iPad will be eclipsed next year by the 2011 second generation iPad. It will likely have more storage (up to 128GB?), more RAM, a faster chipset (Apple A5?), and maybe even a front-facing camera for video iChat (we dare to dream!). Heck it (or the 2012 third generation iPad) could have a higher screen resolution (1080p?), AMOLED, of course, and longer battery life. And when it does, the currently mid and high end iPad will likely become cheaper (i.e. 32GB will replace 16GB at the low end price point).

So, if you have no problem waiting a year, you’ll likely be able to get more for less. If anything about the current iPad is a camera-lacking deal breaker for you, if it’s lacking the ports, physical keyboard, and camera to make use of the blurry pixel-doubled apps that’ll be available at launch, if you just don’t trust first generation hardware at all, ever, then by all means you should wait until next year (or later) before buying.

Should You Never — Not EVER — Buy an iPad of Any Kind

If, for you, the iPad “just a big iPod”, something you don’t need and have no interest in, is too large to pocket, too limited to run production apps, and has no place between your smartphone and your laptop then you likely shouldn’t buy it.

May we offer you something in a JooJoo?

Conclusion

If you’re still undecided. Interested but not compelled, eager to try Apple’s newest mobile device but wary of being an early adopter, if you’re still undecided, here’s my thoughts.

What’s waiting worth to you? A baseline iPad Wi-Fi in the US will cost you $499. That will work out to $41.66 a month for the next 12 months at which point you could always sell or gift it and buy a second generation unit. Is the usage you get out of a 1st generation iPad between now an 2011 worth $41.66 a month, $1.39 a day to you?

If it is, then get one sooner or later, ordered sight-unseen or after a thorough hands-on. If it isn’t then wait until next February or April for Apple to show off and release a 2nd generation iPad and see if that’s more to your liking.

That’s our advice, but if we missed anything — or just plain got something wrong — let us know yours!

Apple iPad — Should You Buy One? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

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