More Purported Next-Generation iPod Touch and iPod Nano Cases Surface

Cult of Mac gathers an extensive gallery of cases from Chinese manufacturers claimed to be for the next-generation iPod touch and iPod nano. Cases for both devices feature holes in their backs that appear to provide openings for built-in cameras in the forthcoming models. The collection of cases follows discovery earlier this month of the first of these cases appearing on the market.

Third-party cases have been mixed indicators of future Apple product revisions in the past, with iPhone 3G cases accurately reflecting the design that was ultimately released, while cases for a rumored "iPhone nano" have obviously not yet been met with a corresponding product release from Apple.

Hardmac suggested in mid-May that both the iPod touch and iPod nano would see cameras added in their next revision in September of this year, and the iPod nano cases appearing in recent weeks are consistent with an artist's rendition developed by iLounge in late May based on their sources regarding the next-generation device. Wired also claimed in recent days that the next-generation iPod touch will have a video camera and microphone.

While case manufacturers have in the past reportedly received detailed specs of forthcoming devices from Apple's manufacturing partners in Asia, MacRumors has also been told previously that case manufacturers do occasionally develop case designs based on prevailing rumors and "best guesses" in hopes of being correct and therefore being able to offer cases for Apple's next-generation devices immediately upon their launch.

With Apple refusing to offer these manufacturers advance notice of its upcoming designs and the uncertain nature of other possible leaks, case manufacturers are sometimes left to choose between taking a calculated risk on investing in cases designed merely on rumored specs and the alternative of waiting until the products officially launch, at which point case design and production would likely lead to considerable lost time in the market. Consequently, whether the numerous consistent case designs available now are based on actual leaked specs or are simply the result of the many manufacturers all focusing in on an early "best guess" design remains unknown.


via macrumors

iPhone Dev-Team Offers Tips to Fix Unlock Issues

The iPhone Dev-Team has posted some tips to help those experiencing problems with the UltraSn0w unlock

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It looks like version 0.9 of ultrasn0w fixed up the vast majority of any problems people were seeing with the 3G/3GS carrier unlock. But here’s a brief list of fixes for anyone still seeing problems:

* Unusual battery depletion is almost always caused by people choosing to “Restore from backup” instead of “Setup as new iPhone” when iTunes asks you. This isn’t caused by either the jailbreak or the unlock, but it’s a common 3.0 snafu. The fix is to just re-run the official 3.0 restore and choose “Setup as new” this time. Your music and apps and all that will still be synced, but you’ll get rid of any conflicting wifi, bluetooth, or carrier settings. Then just re-run redsn0w and install ultrasn0w.
* Remember, ultrasn0w works with hacktivated phones too, but don’t outsmart redsn0w into thinking you don’t need hacktivation! If you don’t plan on using an official sim, don’t activate via iTunes with such a sim. Just keep your unofficial sim at all times and let redsn0w and ultrasn0w handle hacktivation :)
* T-Mobile in the USA doesn’t use the 3G frequencies that the iPhones support, so turn off 3G in Settings->General->Network. (Some T-Mobile territories gracefully hand down to Edge mode, but most do not).
* Certain unofficial plans have limitations on whether you can make calls and use data at the same time. That’s not unlock-related.
* Some people have installed previous versions of ultrasn0w using non-standard techniques. While the ultrasn0w 0.9 update should have removed all previous versions of ultrasn0w, these users may have outsmarted our removal. So make sure you don’t still see /usr/bin/ultrasn0w present if you’re at ultrasn0w 0.9 (which doesn’t have such a binary anymore).
* If you don’t need or plan to update to ultrasn0w 0.9 from a previous version, you can avoid having that red badge over Cydia by removing repo666 as a Cydia source. Don’t worry, you can always add it back later :) If you follow us on twitter you’ll be advised of any new updates anyway.
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App Store Lessons: No promo codes for apps rated 17+

Developers whose apps meet the criteria for a 17+ rating in the App Store are now running into yet another roadblock, but this time it's not about getting their apps approved, it's about distributing them. Or, more specifically, distributing promo codes for them.

Typically, when a developer uploads a new version of an application to the App Store, they have the ability to create up to 50 promo codes, which they can then provide to media outlets for reviewing the application, give away to users in a contest, etc. Aside from some reasonable restrictions on their usage (you can't sell them, they expire after 28 days and are one-time use only), promo codes provide quite a bit of flexibility to developers of paid apps who wish to freely distribute their app to select individuals without having to worry about the hassles of exchanging device information and doing special ad-hoc builds.

So where is the problem? It's in the new app rating system that was released a few weeks ago. As it stands, neither the 3.0 software nor iTunes display parental warnings when using a promo code to purchase apps with a mature (17+) rating, so Apple has made the promo code functionality unavailable for apps that fall into that category. We were informed of this condition by a developer who prefers to remain anonymous.

This obviously puts developers of these apps in a bit of a bind, as well as eliminates the potential amount of sales that could come from being able to distribute promo copies. Developers in this position may be stuck doing ad-hoc builds or going back to the questionable practice of sending iTunes gift cards to reviewers.

And if you're thinking this just applies to the massive number of adult-oriented apps that have recently poured into the App Store, you're wrong. Apple specifies that any application that may contain high levels of offensive language, violence, sexual content, or references to drugs or alcohol receive a rating of 17+. But, according to Apple, apps that feature an embedded web browser or provide access to 3rd party content also automatically require the 17+ rating, regardless of the application's content or intended audience.

Here's hoping that Apple is already working on a solution to this, as the lost potential sales caused by this not only affect the developers of the individual apps, but the overall success of the App Store as well.


via TUAW

Apple Manufacturing iPhone Without Wi-Fi for China?

Apple may be manufacturing a Wi-Fi less iPhone designed for Chinese consumers, according to a TradingMarkets report.

Sources tell TradingMarkets that two production lines in the Foxconn Shenzhen plant are producing 90-coded mobile phones which look to be iPhones.

The mysterious products might be the very model designed for Chinese users, according to another source, noting that the massively-produced device has no Wi-Fi functions, just like the A1324 model, the Chinese version of 3G iPhone being sent to the China Telecommunication Technology Labs (CTTL) for a test.

The article puts the estimate of iPhones smuggled into the China Mainland at about 1,000,000.

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How to Access More Than 180 Apps or WebClips via Spotlight on iPhone 3.0

For some, even the newly expanded 11 Home Screen, 180 (including 4 fixed dock) app slots under iPhone 3.0 isn’t enough. It’s not about need — it’s about want. Luckily, iPhone 3.0 offers another handy, theoretically unlimited way to access apps: Spotlight. According to David Pogue:

You can install UNLIMITED APPS! Only 180 show up as icons—but Spotlight can find and open all of them! (And yes, we tried. Stopped at 250!)

So, check off every single one of your 56,000 (maybe?!) apps and sync them over. Then, instead of swiping right through 11 pages only to find the excess unaccessible, swipe LEFT to go to the Spotlight Search screen (or just press the home button again to get there super quick).
Next, start typing the name of the app, hidden or otherwise, you want to access, and as soon as it appears in the results, tap it to launch.
Boom. App pack rat bliss.
Note: Spotlight also shows WebClip icons you’ve bookmarked from MobileSafari to your Home Screen, so you can go crazy with quick access to your favorite websites as well.
And for those who prefer not to fill up their iPhone with apps, remember you can delete an app when not using it and download it again via the on-board App Store app, without any duplicate charges, any time. Cloud management is a reality, and a second option.


source

Jailbreaking provides massive increase in iPhone battery life

Just one more benefit to Jailbreaking the iPhone. Check out this incredibly messed up battery charge sensor amazing increase in battery life one lucky jailbreaker is experiencing on his iPhone!
If that’s LOW battery, odds are this dude’s iPhone can now power Connecticut, or at least Rhode Island.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Rich for the link!
[via imageshack]article macenstein

University of Florida pharmacy students must have iPhone or iPod Touch

It's getting to be the 'in' thing for Colleges and Universities. The University of Florida at Gainesville is now requiring incoming pharmacy students for the fall semester to have either an iPhone or an iPod touch.

The student Newspaper, the Alligator, quotes the College of Pharmacy Dean William Riffee saying:

"These are the instruments at the forefront that are developing applications for medical uses by the hundreds. We want our students to become adept at using these mobile devices early on because we see this as the future in pharmacy practice."

The Dean also owns an iPhone so he knows of what he speaks.

In May, the University of Missouri School of Journalism also required the popular Apple devices, saying they would be helpful for recording lectures and other academic uses.

This is obviously a good thing for Apple, and the University thinks it is a good thing for students. It's not so good, however, if you already own a Zune.

Thanks to Billy S. for the tip>source<

The Future of the iPhone: Intelligent Object Recognition,

How would you like to be able to point your iPhone towards an object – the Eiffel Tower, for example – and instantly see the admission price, working hours, its height and other information? We’ve been hearing about such concepts for quite some time now – and we’ve been able to visualize it better since the movie Minority Report – but Apple’s latest iPhone related patents might make it a reality sooner than one would think.
A patent called ID App does just that; it recognizes an object based on visuals (through the iPhone’s camera), a RFID reader or through GPS, and then fetches the data from related databases. I like to imagine all this happening in real-time, with a layer of visual information superimposed on the actual camera image, but in the beginning it’ll probably just take you to a related Wikipedia page. Still, it’s a start.


Another patent focuses on facial recognition, which can also be used for a variety of purposes. It could bring you info about a person (scary, I know) just by pointing a camera at him; or it could be used for security, enabling only recognized users to use the device (even scarier; imagine your iPhone refusing to work after you’ve had a shave and a haircut). Whatever the implications, I’m really excited about these technologies, which would take the iPhone (and similar devices) to a completely different level.
Finally, Apple filed for patents for better voicemail management, changing the voice output, or filter obscene content from text messages. There’s an exciting future ahead; I just hope we won’t have to wait for another generation of iPhones to see these in practice. Check out Apple’s patent applications here.
[image courtesy of MobVis]


oroginal article via mashable.com

iPhone App Store 1 Year Later

iPhone App Store 1 Year Later: Apple's Highs and Lows

Jared Newman
Jul 10, 2009 12:19 pm
Apple may enjoy smugly tooting its own horn, but it is particularly puffed-up today while celebrating a year of the iPhone and iPod Touch App Store.
"Light a candle and cue the music," Apple says on a special iTunes page for the occasion. "Okay, forgive us for sounding like doting parents, but we're just so proud -- having watched the App Store grow from promising newcomer to full-fledged revolutionary."
Indeed, Apple's got a lot to brag about, but not without a few low points the company would rather forget. That's why we're here -- to crash Apple's party and bring up both the good and bad over a year of "There's an App for That."
Baby Shaker: How fitting that Apple's most notorious App Store woe pertains to infancy. As the name suggests, the Baby Shaker app tasked players with shaking their iPhones to stop a baby from crying. Child advocates freaked out, and Apple axed the app in a matter of days. More than a matter of tasteless content, Baby Shaker shines a light on the App Store approval process, revealing inconsistencies that would come up time and time again.
One Billion Downloads: The milestone of one billion App downloads solidified the App Store as the most popular place to find whatever mobile function tickles the fancy. It's been suggested that all those downloads are a moneymaker for Apple, but more importantly it creates a thriving market that, in tur, makes the iPhone more attractive to potential customers.
Angry Developers: All things considered, the App Store enjoyed a smooth launch, but not without complaints from developers. A lack of communication and delays in posting updates or bug fixes frustrated App makers in the early days. Later, TechCrunch reported on late payments to developers. It's just like the real Gold Rush.
Rich Developers: They can complain all they want, but at the end of the day who can argue with the iPhone's money-making potential. The App Store has created a cottage industry of small-time programmers who can get rich overnight with just one hit idea.
AT&T Muscle: Not every complaint with the App Store is Apple's fault. When the long-awaited SlingPlayer application arrived, it came without the capability to stream television over a 3G connection. That's because AT&T's terms of service wouldn't allow it due to bandwidth concerns. Thing is, other AT&T handsets, such as the Blackberry Bold, could run the App just fine. The iPhone was just too popular for its own good.
Breakthrough Apps: At the very least, the App Store is a breeding ground for innovation, and the best ideas make you wonder why it wasn't part of your life before. Examples include Shazam, which can identify the songs you hear at a bar or restaurant, and Trapster, a radar detector. With GPS Apps on the way to support iPhone 3.0 OS, the iPhone could very well be the only gadget you need.
The Dark Side: Contrary to what Apple tells you, there isn't always an App for that, because Apple (or in some cases, AT&T) doesn't want its users enjoying certain capabilities of the more-than-capable smartphone. Unfortunately for Apple, there's jailbreaking, which makes almost anything possible. We're counting this one as both a highlight and a lowlight, as it depends on who you're asking. READ

Worms for the iPhone submitted to Apple

Everyone's favorite battling invertebrates are coming to the iPhone and iPod touch very soon -- the game was

YouTube - worms iPhone

YouTube - worms iPhone

, but Team 17 now says the game has been sent off to be examined by Apple's eyes, and so, as long as it doesn't have any objectionable content (you can't object to exploding sheep, right?), we'll see it up for download very soon.

Exciting. Unfortunately, I'm coming off of a Worms 2 purchase on Xbox Live, so I'll probably be passing on this one, but if you haven't had a Worms fix in a while, the video on the next page shows what Team 17 is saying over on their Facebook page: it's "a full console-style experience," with extra options, including probably the ability to play your own music as you play. Multiplayer will only be pass-to-play to start with (bummer!), but they're hoping to add in both Internet and Bluetooth local multiplay at a later date. And there's no official word on price yet, but we should know it soon: look for Worms on an iPhone near you.VIA TUAW

11 Year Old Develops a Maths iPhone App

11 Year Old Develops a Maths iPhone App

July 3rd, 2009 prichmond12 19 comments

Yet again we see another young kid making his way into the growing market for developing iPhone and iPod Touch applications. 11 year old Voorhes Owen has made a popular mathematical app available in the App Store now. But it wasn’t just him that made the app, he had help from his younger brother. This really shows that people of almost any age can make iPhone apps and become successful while doing it. The application consists of adding, subtraction, multiplication and division. I’ve tried the app and it usually solves the equation rather quickly. Voorhes done the coding himself, but his bother of 9 helped out with the images, with the use of Photoshop. Add his dad submitted with a Developer account because as you can see they were just a bit too young to be able to do that. Read more…

Fuzzyband 3.1b1 Now Supports iPhone OS 3.0

The Fuzzyband Baseband downgrader has been updated to 3.1b1 and now supports iPhone OS 3.0. It also adds an upgrade feature for those looking to use the ultrasn0w unlock.


FEATURES:
Upgrades / Downgrades baseband to 4.26.08 for unlocking with the ultrasn0w tool released by the iPhone Dev-Team

UPGRADING:
Upgrading is for users that wish to remain on 2.2.1 but also unlock. Upgrading will put the 4.26.08 baseband from 3.0 on the modem so that ultrasn0w may be installed from cydia

DOWNGRADING:
Downgrading works from any version greater than 4.26.08 (currently 5.08.01 is the newest version available, found in 3.1 beta 1). It will put your baseband back at version 4.26.08 which is the current unlockable version by ultrasn0w.

Downgrading only works on phones that have the 05.08 (5.8) Bootloader from the factory. This is a very limited number of phones that were released in the first few weeks of the 3G production cycle.

If you do not know your bootloader then you can run Fuzzyband and it will report the version number for you.


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More Evidence of Cameras in Next Gen iPod Touch and Nano?

Written by Arnold Kim
Two new images of cases for the upcoming iPod Touch and iPod Nano have begun circulating. The new cases suggest that the next generation Touch and Nano will indeed include a camera.

The first image from Uxsight is listed as a "New iPod Touch 3G" with "hold for a camera in the back" and comes with the following image:


The second case design was posted on DealExtreme and shows an "iPod Nano 5" case with another hole in the back that is presumably again for the camera:

The reliability of these early case designs has been mixed in the past. While they have been accurate with the iPhone 3G design, they were also responsible for many of the iPhone Nano claims which never came true.

Still, the design of the iPod Nano's camera location is consistent with sketches provided by iLounge in May. iLounge also reported that the iPod Nano would be getting a camera with its next revision.[via macrumors]

iPhone To Get Micro Projector in the Future?

Taiwan based Foxlink has started to develop micro projectors which may be built into a future iPhone device, according to a DigiTimes report.

International brand vendors, including Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Apple, reportedly all plan to launch handsets with built-in micro projectors by the end of this year, indicated the sources, adding that Foxlink is likely to benefit from the emerging trend due to its strong business relationships with Nokia and Apple.

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[Released] Custom Firmware Enabler 3.51 to 5.03 ChickHEN

MHU2D:

What is MHU2D?
- It's the official support website for Custom Firmware Enabler among other. Very interesting things will be publishing shortly.
All questions concerning this program will be answered in MHU2D.Net Forum, new versions will be published there too.
Stay tuned for new news, because there are some very interesting developments to emerge.



What is Custom Firmware Enabler?
- A program that activates the functions of the M33 custom firmware using ChickHEN.

What do I need?
- A PSP (Model 2000 or 3000)
- Download OFW 5.03
- Download 5.03 ChickHEN R2
- Download Custom Firmware Enabler 3.51



Source: Dark-Alex.org