Apple Sends Out iPad 3 Event Invitations

The long and struggling silence from Apple has finally come to an end- the company sent out the invitations yesterday, welcoming bloggers to the event in San Francisco that will definitely be the place where the iPad 3 will be unveiled in about a week. The “previously-reliable” sources appear to staying dependable again, as the previously rumored date: March 7 – looks like to be true! You see the official invitation on the pic in the left corner, saying: “We have something you really have to see. And touch.”  

And there is an “unidentified” device partly demonstrated, but an expert eye will definitely encrypt that it is an iPad! If you’re attentive enough, you've probably mentioned that there is no home button, at least not where it should be. Some say that the device on the pic is rotated the way that the part shown is the side, not the bottom, based on the water drops on the device screen. The water drops unveils one more secret as well: the next gen iPad will be completely waterproof, as it seems. Anyway, as for the home button, if there is one, what should we touch then? I mean something that is disclosed, and we have never touched it before. Anyway, there is a great possibility that the almost trademarked home button will not be present on iPad 3, and there is no word on what will be placed instead.

One more thing – ( © Steve Jobs )– is the extremely high quality display demonstrated on the device at the pic. To be fair, iPad 2 display lays far behind from what is shown here… So it is reasonable to expect iPad 3 to feature 2048 x 1536 resolution display!

Now look at the icons on the screen – all we can clear our is the maps and calendar. The later shows the event date – March 7, Wednesday (Apple’s lovely magic day) as expected. As for the maps, it’s very likely that Apple will introduce own maps instead of the Google maps it has used till now.

However, all we have to do is to keep calm and wait a bit ( one week is such a little time compared to how much we’ve been waiting for iPad 3 so far) and see what Apple has to show off on March 7 in San Francisco. Stay tuned to be the first to learn about iPad 3!

Apple’s New iCloud Harmony Ad

Apple has just released a new iCloud-themed commercial which has the clear purpose – show the advantages of their push and store network. The ad opens with an iPhone user tapping “Use iCloud” upon configuration a 4S, then buying an album. A set of sequences then begin, where the user performs an action on their iPhone and shows up on other devices.

During the commercial several things take place, e.g.:

• Purchasing an album on iPhone and it appears on iPad and MacBook Air.
• Taking a photo and it shows up on the both devices.
• A user changes calendar and the change in applied on the other devices.
• A user installs Flipboard and the application is downloaded to iPad automatically.
• Creating a new contact on iPhone and it shows up on MacBook Air.
• And : A user downloads books for iPhone which show up on iPad as well.

In a word, the commercial says that with iCloud the stuff you love is everywhere you need… Automatically!

Now take a look at the commercial!

P.S. It is interesting to note that only the iPhones initiate action in the commercial and no human is involved with the iPad or the Macs.

Mercedes and SIRI… What connection may occur among them?

Here is very particular news in Apple daily life. Mercedes Benz has announced that its new A-Class range of cars will have a new system centered on the iPhone 4S and SIRI. Sounds amazing… This is the first time when a car manufacturer has incorporated SIRI into its vehicle entertainment system. 

The new system will be announced and demonstrated next month, at the Geneva Motor Show. It will be launched initially in Europe with the new Mercedes Benz A-class vehicle but it will also roll out in the autumn of 2012 for the B, C and E-Class cars.

The ability to control functions using the car’s built in microphone and noise cancelling technology would be a big success for SIRI’s understanding in the car. 

The Digital Drive Style application allows drivers to connect with Facebook and Twitter, read out status updates, control radio, etc. If not mention making appointments, sending text messages/emails and so on… The most amazing feature that users will use mostly is the ability to find your car in a crowded parking! Another feature includes getting real-time traffic data and point-of-interest searches through a new Garmin navigation system. 

How do you feel about the news? Probably this is the best way to link the two most needed accessories...

8 Free Applications for Perfect Nights Out

Sometimes we are ready for a night out with someone special or a group of friends but the main problem is where to go and what to do! But you can leave that all behind! With your phone’s and our guides’ help you have the opportunity to plan your perfect night out. Here are 8 FREE applications which will become inseparable from your evenings.

Wendr is the application that declares your intentions for the night and shares them with your friends. So now you do not need endless text messages that say “Are you going out tonight?” After you specify what you want your night to look like, you will see then who is interested to join. Though, you can hide your plans from a subset of other users as well.

Well, you have got your friends with common interests but you need a place to go. Now you need NightOut’s help, the application that lets you sort and filter bars by distance and happy hour times. 

Most probably, you have Yelp on your phone, you just need to use it effectively and get the most out of it. Did you know that it gives you an opportunity to take advantage the effective location-based sorting? It is the best way to find the kind of food you want at the right price very quickly. It also has a feature of selecting “direction to business” from a restaurant page. This pulls up Google maps and points in the right direction. 

Have you already decided where to do? Do your plans include live music? If yes, Thrillcall is great for scoping out what is going on. It sorts concerts by distance, including small shows and larger venue performances. The shows are displayed on a map and it is easy to visualize where the show you want can be found. 

Fandango is another application you may already have in your phone. But instead of wasting time scrolling through huge lists of theatres, you can set your favorite theatres for a quick look at what is playing. After you set your favorites, then you can browse through the theaters to which you are willing to travel. But if you spontaneously decide to see a movie, use “GoNow” tab and see what is playing around you in the future.

After you have a great night out, most probably you are hungry then. You do need to go back to Yelp to find the place where to eat, just give EazyEatz a try. After you open the application, all you have to do is to press “Find late night spots!” and it will quickly locate nearby restaurants that are open late. 

Now you are ready to head home! Taxi Magic is the application that makes catching a cab easy, it determines local car services and gives you their contact information. It eliminates the need to store the phone numbers of taxi services in your phone.

But if you are in New York City, you can catch taxi easier because Taxi Magic does not have the car booking service yet. But here is the solution, called CabSense. It tells you the best corner at which to catch a cab. The application rates intersections by the frequency of pickups. Once you have located a nearby corner with a high pickup rate, you will be on your way to get some much needed sleep!

Trendyful for iPhone Wins Our Weekly Poll!

The only camera app with filters and frames allowing you share several pictures and videos at once on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, Flickr, and e-mail as well – Trendyful is the winner of our Free App Poll!!!

Trendyful, available for FREE in Apple App Store enables you to:

• Take pictures or videos with the best and fastest camera ever.

• Make pictures brilliantly beautiful with stunning filters and frames.

• Organize and upload multiple pictures or video on Facebook Wall, Albums, Friends' Walls or Pages you admin, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, Flickr, and e-mail - all in parallel, all in background, all at supersonic speed!

• Browse, like, comment all your pictures and videos posted on Facebook, even the ones where you got tagged. A gorgeous slideshow will display your life in pictures for the first animated and live app!

The thing to note is that everything is done in a background more, and the app notifies you once your pictures are uploaded and published. Here is how Trendyful works in details:

The innovative camera feature of the app allows you to Shoot and preview one or MORE pictures directly from the camera or chose them from the library. Both self-timer and self-portrait modes are supported, along with the instant video recording for your convenience, with no need to switch from camera to video like in any other camera apps. Once captured, you can edit them with uniquely designed filters such as vintage, drama, painting, classic and more, and select the frames independently to better fit your inspiration. 

Hereby you’re allowed to tag your friends and make captions, select desired destination (Facebook Wall, one of your Facebook Albums, a Friend's Facebook Wall, Facebook Pages, Twitter, Tumblr blogs, Google+ Albums, Flickr or e-mail) and upload them with just one tap with the fastest upload feature and save time – you can enjoy your life while the files are being uploaded in a background more, as mentioned above- a notification, if enabled, will alert you when your pictures or videos are online. You are also able to browse all the pictures and videos you have uploaded and even read and make comments and likes!

become the next winner and see the review of your app on our blog, get started now, check out 

How-to Promote Your Apps On iPhone Blog For Free ! 

Oscar Ceremony Is Too Close… Are You Ready?

Are you ready for Oscar Ceremony? Probably you need to download the official Oscars application for 2012. you can predict the winners starting with nominations! You will stay up-to-date on all things that are going on to the 84th Academy Awards. During Oscar season, you have the opportunity to access complete nominee lists, trailers, buzz worthy videos, hosted specials on fashion and nominated films/actors, etc. 

But the main thing is what is going on Oscar night – 26th February 2012 – you can get the ultimate insider’s view of Hollywood’s biggest night with more than a dozen live backstage and Red Carpet video streams!

Of course the cameras are on the Red Carpet, in the Kodak Theatre and at the ultra A-list after party, the Governor’s ball, but the application is the perfect companion to have when you watch the show on TV because it has more cameras than anywhere else!

After you download the application, you are a virtual member of The Academy with insider information, the entire Oscar buzz, a first person view of the Red Carpet and exclusive backstage access to Hollywood’s biggest night. After you switch the application in Watch mode, you can just sit back, grab the popcorn and enjoy with live hosted experience on the Red Carpet and even in BACKSTAGE. If you switch to Direct mode, you can pick any of six cameras vantage points and zoom in to whatever action you want to see.

Oscar ceremony is approaching, you need to hurry up and get ready for it!

Steve Jobs’ Birthday Is Not A Simple Day!

Today is the birthday of Steve Jobs and we are celebrating it without him at the first time. Apple founder was born exactly 57 years ago. 

A pair of Mac-obsessed entrepreneurs Brendan McElroy and Seth Rogers are planning to stage a birthday party for Steve Jobs outside Apple’s flagship store at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. Dancers will gyrate to Bob Dylan songs and vegetarian cake will be served. According to the event’s organizers, black turtlenecks are handed out to hundreds of Apple fans.

Nothing is said by Apple whether it plans to commemorate the occasion. Some have speculated that Apple will announce a product release or update to coincide with the day, just like last year on February 24 - when the MacBook got an upgrade (See: Steve Turns 56 Tomorrow ). Though, there has been no clue as if it happens again.

Besides, an Indian graphic novel has just been published which marks the life of Steve Jobs. Only for today it is available for free, from tomorrow there will be a charge. Probably an exciting graphic novel based on Apple’s creator’s life is the best gift for devotees. Author of the graphic biography titled "Steve Jobs: Genius by Design" is Amit Tayal. As for the complete book, print version and graphic novel will be released in April. The print version will initially be launched in India at the first time; it will be made available worldwide later (See also: The Best-Selling Book Of 2011).

As for the last year, Steve Jobs received 20032 congratulations on his birthday! Fans had opportunity to send him best wishes with a web’s help. People from all over the world still share  their memories and thoughts online about the genius.  

As a conclusion it is worth mentioning that Steve Jobs was posthumously awarded a Grammy award for his contribution to the music industry. During the Grammy’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony, the Trusteed Award was announced together with Lifetime Achievement Award and Technical Grammy Award. The award accepted Eddy Cue, who was promoted to senior vice president for internet software and services.

Head of iTunes (Eddy Cue) said: "Accepting this award means so much to me because music meant so much to him. He told us that music shaped his life. It made him who he was. Everyone who knows Steve knows the profound impact that artists like Bob Dylan and the Beatles had on him."

Exclusive Beatles Ringtones for iTunes

Are you a Beatles-lover? Or are you just a nice ringtones-lover? Apple Corps has some great surprise for you. Beginning yesterday, fans around the world can use the band’s chart-toppers as ringtone and alert form for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch! You can also assign your favorite tracks to your favorite people.

 iTunes has an EXCLUSIVE selection of The Beatles ringtones from the band’s ‘1’ album – greatest hits collection. The 30-second ringtones are priced at $1.29 each, or $12.99 for all 27. US and UK number-one hits include classics like Yesterday, Hey Jude… 

The Beatles and Apple have long, interesting history, dating back to disputes over the Apple name that the band has long used for their business ventures. After Apple moved into the music business, the two sides came into conflict over the trademark, finally leading to a 2007 agreement that saw Apple obtain all rights to the trademark and license it back to The Beatles for their specific users.

Continuing their close relationship with the iTunes Store, Apple and The Beatles will enjoy another found success. Before, the initial music (released in late 2010) was met with downloads of 5 million Beatles songs! Besides, 1 million albums have been downloaded by users by January 2011. The fact proves exactly that despite the legal wrangling between the pair, The Beatles music is still as popular as ever. 

See also: The Beatles Fans Are the Fans of Apple Too!

Tejo World Tour Wins The Weekly Poll

A bit late (with the reason of being lost in translation) we are glad to introduce one more winner of our Free App Promotion - inviting you to enjoy fun and active tour in native Colombia! The app brings Tejo, the sport that has gone beyond centuries, to hands, making the playing process more mystic by magnificent views of Colombia!

This is the most famous colombian game! The rules of the game are simple -  also known as "turmequé" you will have to throw the stone until the fuse of gunpowder explode! You’ll be notified once your turn arrives, so you have to get about the player's team to locate Tejo as closer to the Bocin (ring) as possible, without any contact with external elements such as the ground, tables and more. The game features:

• Different levels recreated in the most famous in the world.
• Compete with artificial intelligence of your iPhone or iPad.
• Multiple levels and difficulties.
• Training camps in Colombia.
• First stop Greece.

The further you explore the levels, you appear in more and more different and famous places of the world as different levels are recreated in almost all around the globe. For more challenge, you are also able to compete with artificial intelligence of your iPhone or iPad.The app is f course available for free in Apple App Store  and is compatible with your iPhone, iPod touch and iPhone running iOS 3.1 or later.  

To become the next winner and see the review of your app on our blog, get started now, check out How-to Promote Your Apps On iPhone Blog For Free ! 

iPhone 4S in China Soon

After the mess in China , Apple turned to a strategy and  some lucky users could get iPhone 4S. But now not only lucky people will be able to get their hands on the gadget. Because China Telecom on Monday has announced that iPhone 4S will be selling by them. More concretely to say, Chinese people will have opportunity to get the dream phone on March 9th. But if you are too impatient, you can reserve the phone online on March 2nd. 

According to the company, iPhone 4S will be available starting at RMB 0 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models on select contracts in China Telecom authorized stores and online. 

Apple spokesperson Natalie Harrison told to the Loop: “iPhone 4S has been an incredible hit with customers around the world. We're thrilled to be launching iPhone 4S with China Telecom and can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers in China."

As the matter of the fact China is the second largest market for application store downloads , the release of the iPhone 4S on China Telecom will add to Apple’s sales since the device was released on China Unicom. However China Telecom has about 216 million total fixed-line and mobile subscribers! Considering Apple’s payment policy in China  and the company’s store in Shanghai , Apple will surely get unbelievable results at the end of the quarter.

IPhone 5 to Be Released In October… Just Like iPhone 4S

Rumors about iPhone 5 and its releasing time are endless. Once iPhone 4S crushed the dreams about the next release of Apple phone  but the next generation iPhone is still newsworthy .

The fact is that iPhone 5 will surely come; the only thing stays blur is the date - when it will be released. As for now some rumors have spread which predicts that iPhone 5 will be produced in October, just as it was with the iPhone 4S in 2011.  This cycle is more likely to be kept for years.

Before releasing iPhone 4S, Apple historically held to a summer release cycle with the first iPhone hitting on June 29th (2007). The next releases of the iPhone 3G and 3GS were in middle July and late June. As for the iPhone 4, it was in released in June (2010) as well.

But after releasing iPhone 4S, everything has changed and the company switched to an October release windows. Moving away from the summer cycle they have been used to and taking the Holiday spot previously reserved for the iPod. As the matter of the fact, Apple has sold over 37 million iPhones in first quarter , it was likely a smart move and it makes sense for the company to continue on this path going forward. 

You should not be disappointed with the information because until October it is a little bit left. Before that you can enjoy with amazing iPhone 4S or even with iPhone 4 which has some feature(s) you might not know . Besides, the main thing is not WHEN it arrives, but WHAT arrives, furthermore, do not hesitate to see iPhone 5 concept video.  

Top 10 Applications You Need Daily

Applications of iPhone is so multiform, sometimes it is difficult to make choice among them. That is why we need some guide to indicate which applications are beneficial for us. Here is the list of 10 FREE applications, take a look at them, I am sure some of them will help get you through each day. 

1. Alarm Clock HD. The application wakes you up to your lovely music. Consider psychologists have proved, listening to favorite music at the morning leads to successful day! Alarm Clock HD also has built-in weather information that can be integrated with Facebook and Twitter updates.

2. iMapMyRUN is the application that should be used for your daily run. It maps your route, offers nutrition information; tracks your time, distance and space. It even lets you post your stats to social media accounts.

3. HopStop comes in handy when you need to check service changes or find quicker routes to get to work/home on time. As the matter of the fact public transportation can be fickle, this is very useful application. It has travel information available for 62 cities. 

4. Flipboard is the application that was named Apple’s iPad Applicaion of 2010. It is ‘your social magazine’ that creates a magazine out of everything being shared with you -  Facebook updates, tweets, Instagram photos, etc. – within categories you choose.

5. Google Currents. Like Flipboard, this application turns your iPhone into an innovative magazine, but it is focused on bringing you update from top publications, blogs and trends. The application will keep you informed with the latest news when you are on the go.

6. Pandora Radio and Spotify.  Add a little something to your day with good music’s help. So use these applications wherever you are. Your train is running late or your colleague has a particularly annoying cough do not really matter if you are in touch with what you like. Spotify gives you instant access to 15 million tracks! As for Pandora Radio, it gives you a personalized music experience with new music discovery you will love.

7. Evernote is the application that keeps you organized across all of the devices you use. For example you can take notes while meetings, make to-do lists, take photos of whiteboard ideas, record voice reminders and share everything with colleagues, classmates or friends. The search function will help you to keep track of your tasks.

8. Dropbox gives you an opportunity to access your documents, photos and videos wherever you are. You can even add files for offline viewing and download email attachments directly to the application.

9. Urbanspoon.  Are you looking for a good restaurant to conduct a lunch meeting or for some stellar takeout to bring back to your desk? This application will help you because it makes meal times easy. It lets you search for eateries based on location or cuisine. The “Shake” feature randomly finds you a new place to eat. You have also opportunity to make reservations from the palm of your hand.

10. And the last one is an application called Crackle.  It hosts hundreds of shows and movies available for streaming on demand; all of them are free!

How do you think, will these applications became part of your daily life? Let us know in comments.

What’s New In iOS 5.1 – Pre GM Version Leaked

Since the respectively prompt announcement of iOS 5.0.1, subsequently exploited by means of the untethered Corona and Absinthe jailbreaks, the company has been remaining fairly noiseless, and it is up to you to define what will be the next move of Apple.

There have been numerous rumors about iOS 5.1 release date and improved features the update would bring, but actually after chewing quite a few beta versions to get things function correctly Apple has been seeding developers with, the company has maintained the silence since January 9th.

Sources claiming to have by some means obtained a pre Golden Master (final production stage) version of iOS 5.1 report several improvements and additions to the upcoming iOS update. With the images and the information below, we’re able to somewhat pre-define what Apple has in the pipeline. Since the respectively prompt announcement of iOS 5.0.1, subsequently exploited by means of the untethered Corona and Absinthe jailbreaks, the company has been remaining fairly noiseless, and it is up to you to define what will be the next move of Apple.

First of all it should be mentioned that the leak appears quite timely, as the rumored iPad 3 release date, March 7, makes this Pre-GM leak seem rather credible. 

However, our great expectations were quite discouraged when we learned that only two new minor findings have been discovered in the Pre-GM leak. The first alteration is about a camera icon on the lock screen, which only appears if you double-tap the home button in present iOS versions. iOS 5.1 suggest an ever-present camera icon, but instead of a button, it's a slider on a lock screen. When slided up, the camera icon seems to reveal the Camera app that allows you to take photos without fully unlocking the iPhone. Apparently, this option is more convenient than the current solution which in fact requires the Camera app to be launched.

The second finding concerns iPhone 4S users only. Siri, being highly criticized recently for the implications the voice assistant may cause, is rumored to speak … Japanese language!

May this be true or not, we now at least know what to hope for and what not.

Siri For Older iDevices Now Available

Installing Siri on unsupported devices without setting up proxy server is now available by using AssistantConnect4S! This yet one more Cydia tweak regarding Apple’s voice-recognition assistant software makes it possible to import Siri on your iDevice other than iPhone 4S.

There have been several Siri ports available for wielding jailbroken devices, but even the best one required a moderate amount of configuration in order to get things up and running satisfactorily. Not to create a gap between your expectations and what you perceive, it should be noted that nothing compares to real Siri, even not this latest tweak called AssistantConnect4S… However, it’s comparatively better when iPhone 4S users are allowed to send their authentication info to non-iPhone 4S devices quickly and simply via email…The recipients can then use Siri natively without having to rely on a proxy server to handle requests. In order to avoid blacklisting or detection, it’s recommended to only send the data to no more than 5 other devices. Once your device gets the authentication, you’re allowed to use Siri in full, and as wished-for!

Despite the fact that Apple began purging Siri use on proxy servers, and although the reliable Cydia developers supplied a fix almost as quickly as the action was discovered, it’s a fact that the company dislikes the unauthorized use a lot. Moreover, iPhone 4S has been declared to be the only one capable to run Siri, but that doesn't hinder many jailbroken device owners to set alarms and reminders, search for places to eat or send SMSes with the voice-recognition software!

However, AssistantConnect4S is not a panacea and has some requirements to be fully functional. You’ll first of all need to jailbreak your device to install this tweak. Also note that when you use the tweak for the first time, you’ll need to open AssistantConnect4S and reboot your iPhone 4S. Once rebooted, open up AssistantConnect4S and activate Siri.

Below you’ll find a video tutorial spread over the internet recently, describing a step by step process on how to setup AssistantConnect4S on the iPhone 4S and AssistantConnect on non-iPhone 4S devices. Do not forget t come back and share your thoughts about this latest tweak!

Implications Siri May Cause – Be Aware

Siri has made life of millions a lot easier, and iPhones are now more convenient than ever with iOS5— but they also leave you open to everything from pranks to data loss you may not think of. Below you’ll find several examples on how Siri can drag you into extremely embarrassing or simply undesirable situations.

We all know that Siri is activated by holding down the Home button, but have you ever thought that it also deactivates the Passcode Lock? Although this brilliant personal assistant is restricted to delete contacts or search the web without the lock code being entered, Siri can still perform number of tasks such as calling your contacts or delete your alarms. What we want by this to say is that everyone passing by is enabled to get access to your contacts private data by just knowing the contact’s name, or moreover, just knowing the relationship status between you, by simply asking questions about your “boss”, “sister” or “mom” to get the data. One more hazardous thing is that anyone can prank you by telling Siri to call you some funny or rude name and may embarrass you when you expect it least.

To avoid appearing in such a situation, you can simply go to Settings> General> Passcode Lock and flip the Siri toggle to Off. But note that if you disable Siri’s passcode bypass, the speed and the ease of access to this unique feature will be decreased as you won’t be able to just hold a button and start talking to have Siri perform something for you, for instance when you’re driving. 

One more threat enclosed to Siri is that sharing iPhone 4S contacts also shares Siri relationships you have set. To be more concrete, this means that when you send a contact via your iPhone 4S built in sharing, you send not just a name and a phone number, but EVERYTHING in that contact, including the relationships set up by Siri. To be even more concrete, this means that you may share what you call your girlfriend or a rude nickname you called your boss while you were angry… You may call it a bug or just inattentiveness, but there is no solution to prevent this, but to either text or manually send your contacts. Let’s hope that Apple constrains card sharing to common fields in an upcoming iOS update. But till then, if you do care for privacy, you need to think twice before sharing an entire contact card to avoid future implications… 

iPad 3 Announced In March

So much awaited, discussed and rumored, iPad 3- the flagship Apple device – is said to be officially announced on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, storing unbelievable power! iPad 2 was groundbreaking, even the competitors admit, however, iPad 3 is going to be unbelievable – previously reliable sources claim. The next generation tablet by Apple is said to even improve its already awesome and extremely extraordinary predecessor.

Apple keeps on maintaining its original style, choosing Wednesday as a day of such announcements! The iPad  3 event is planned to be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s favorite location for big declarations like these. 

Different sources hope for different specifications, but they all agree on the date and location mentioned above. The rumored features of iPad 3 include:

2048×1536 Retina display is what we’ll definitely will see, according to the same source mentioned above, claiming to be close to Apple.  iPad 3 is also rumored to feature a quad-core Apple A6 system-on-a-chip, which is contradicted to the idea of simply improving and optimizing the current dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor found in the Apple A5 SoC. Well, who knows…?

And the most mysterious: 4G LTE networking with a compatible Qualcomm chipset to become available, but with the international LTE coverage to be still slim, and in some cases a year or more away…

One more discussed feature of yet unveiled iPad 3 is the camera – expected to be either 5 or 8 megapixel back one, whole featuring a FaceTime HD camera in front. But this opinion gets in confict with the fact that if Apple wants (and probably it is so) to remain their $499 price tag, even if iPad 2 will stay in the game for $399, the company will have to keep component costs down low enough. And one more thing… the camera should be able to fit into the thin casing…

Well that’s all we’ve got and found reasonable enough to mention so far. If you do have any idea or can suggest different version of any assumption provided above, do not hesitate to have your say below in the comments!

Prezo- Winner Of The Week!

For those sharing the same vacation, trip, party or any other event, Prezo is more than just a social photo sharing app. Available in the Apple App Store for FREE; Prezo is being rated 4+ out of five so far. Called for the urban slang for "Presentation”, Prezo allows users to edit or view the same shared photo albums, called Prezos, based on permissions set by the owner. When any changes are made to the albums, Prezo owner and contributors are informed via push notifications, and can also view the albums as slide presentations at MyPrezo!

Prezo makes dull photo sharing process all simple and fun, allowing users to even add captions and comments to the photos! Imagine being at a crowded event where the guests can contribute to a shared Prezo for the event, or being on a vacation where all photos taken by anyone are automatically shared with everyone else in your group. Despite the cases described above, Prezo is a great way to create a mobile portfolio or mobile sales presentation that can easily be viewed by customers and prospects!

Imagine how easy it’d be if everyone on your birthday or wedding used Prezo for instant photo sharing- you’d no more have to ask each and every guest to share the event photos separately- you’d have one album with every single photo taken at the event! Prezos can be made private, shared for viewing, or editing by others. You can also allow your Prezos to be publicly searchable by any Prezo user.

As we’ve already mentioned, Prezo is available in social networking category at the Apple App Store for FREE and requires iOS 4.0 or later to be fully functional on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. The app has currently been updated to the current version 1.0.3, bringing better performance for image caching and multiple bug fixes! So it’s a great time to try one!

To become the next winner and see the review of your app on our blog, get started now, check out how-to promote your apps on iPhone Blog for free! 

Creative SIRI Advertisings

Take a look at the just released iPhone 4S ads. Both of them focus on SIRI, the virtual personal assistant of the phone.

The advertisings are entitled as ‘Road Trip’ and ‘Rock God.’

‘Road Trip’ shows that using SIRI is one of the good ways to learn the best route, to find the best barbecue, to find out where you are, to learn what the constellation Orion looks like or to learn how big the Grand Canyon is and etc… The ad shows how helpful SIRI is.

As for ‘Rock God,’ it is about a young man who plans a music carrier. Using SIRI he finds out where to by a guitar, how to play certain songs, etc. with SIRI’s help he sends messages to the ladies about when and where his band will be practicing. But most impressing is fin of the ad…

FBI’s Background Investigation on Steve Jobs

The FBI has released its 191 page investigation on Steve Jobs! The file consists of a background investigation that was conducted in 1991 – when Jobs was considered for an appointment to the President’s Expert Council in the Bush I White House, an advisory committee on foreign trade. The file also has records of a bomb threat against Jobs in 1985.

The issue of Steve Jobs’ character has come up on numerous occasions including his biography by Walter Isaacson. For Apple fans Steve’s tendency to be abrasive and aggressive is not something new (probably).

With some other interesting facts, the report also says that there are a considerable number of people that Jobs apparently upset during the years leading up to this FBI investigation. 

To create products like the iPhone and iPad, and empire like Apple is not typically done by killing everyone with kindness and constantly differing to the needs and opinions of others.  Jobs was not someone running for sainthood, he was an entrepreneur. If anyone became that popular and successful, one would get his share of the same treatment.

In the document is also mentioned Jobs previous Top Secret security clearance which is his time a Pixar and the work the company did for the NSA (1980s). The clearance was revoked then in 1990.

As is usually the case with FBI investigations, Jobs probably have been asked who should be interviewed; it is interesting who was on the list. It is not clear who these quoted folks are, but if they were among the people Jobs referred the agents to then he did not know his friends very well. Given the number of derogatory comments throughout the report, it seems that Jobs’ friends at the time were not quite so friendly.

The report is available on FBI’s web site, here.

Mobile Phones before and after iPhone

Here is a very interesting finding which depicts reality of what mobile phones looked like before and after the iPhone.

The snapshot indicates how drastically has been altered the mobile landscape by Apple upon release its first iPhone in 2007.

via @Digeratii 

iOS 5.1 Will Release Soon

Newly published carrier profiles are indicating iOS 5.1 will be released in March 9. Eleven new profiles have been discovered that are compatible with the update. 

The profiles that have been found are intended for operators in Japan, France, Greece, Finland and Sweden. After updating the profile on the iPhone, it will make sure that the network connection works correctly after Apple releases iOS 5.1.

Apple has been slowly leaking betas for weeks now, more slowly and less regularly than is usual for an iOS beta cycle. In previous years, the new version of Operating System would debut with the iPhone in June and the x.1 release with the iPod touch in September. As for this year, iOS5 did not debut until October with the iPhone 4S and there was no new iPod touch. That is why we are in uncharted territory here. 

According to leaks from the beta, it is not expected many new features to be included in iOS5.1. But anyway that sounds interesting because Apple has been known to hold back key features in the past, preferring to introduce them live on stage when unveiling some new devices.

The update will be available for the following devices: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 3G/4G, iPad, and iPad 2.

One thing stays blur – whether March 9 is also the date when Apple will announce its next-generation iPad. Some rumors expect that Apple will release iOS5.1 simultaneously with the announcement of iPad3. Although, these are all rumors and it is hard to give a more exact indication about the update release date.

Hold Style With Style - Ultima

With the goal to create the best possible solution to hold a smartphone in a vehicle, a two-year project is it's final stage, now with a working prototype that creators feel is just about ready to start moving into the manufacturing – meet Ultima by NKMOS- The World's Finest Universal Smartphone Holder/Mount 

The most important thing about Ultima is that no matter how often you buy a new smartphone, and even it is other  than an iPhone - there is no need to buy a new holder too - chances are your new phone will just fit, work and look great too! 

An Intuitive holding mechanism can easily be considered to be the most thrilling feature of Ultima: to open you press and hold the release button then place your phone in the holder and press in the sides till desired hold. Once you press in the holder it cannot be pushed backwards until the release button has been pressed, even if forced! With this intuitive technology, the need to use any other accessory is completely eliminated.

Ultima has nothing in common with cheap plastic holders that hardly last for several months. Due to the expensive aluminum ingredients and “instinctual” holding design the costs to produce is high, with tooling expenses of $40000+ and then manufacturing, assembly and delivery costs for each unit on top of that, not to mention the huge upfront cost previously spent to get this far. That’s why it’ll cost you $99 at retail but only $85 for Kickstarter backers for a first production run of Ultima in your choice of colors: silver or black. This includes FREE worldwide shipping! There is also a sweet looking limited Kickstarter Green Edition for $125 including FREE shipping that will only be available while the Kickstarter campaign is running.

At least 800 people to pre order for $85 are needed to bring Ultima to market. Once released to the public, 'Ultima' will retail for $99. You can get a pair of different color holders for only $160, again including FREE worldwide shipping – a great chance to give one to a loved one or a friend or maybe even just go halves with a mate and save! Check out Ultima on Facebook to be updated regularly with news, pics and videos.

Keep Playing…

Have you ever thought how addictive smartphone game applications influences on your brain?  Keep playing… it may be good for your brain. 

A new study from the Archives of Neurology says that one who plays brain stimulating games might have improved memory and delay/prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Traditional brain games are scientifically designed to boost cognitive activity and enhance memory as well.

The market for mobile brain gaming applications is booming. For example, Lumosity, which is one of the top creators of brain-training exercises and applications for web and mobile, raised $32.5 million for its brain training applications in 2011.

Scientists found that many games requires focus – including Angry birds, which is the most popular application – give the brain a healthy workout. According to scientists, playing games, reading and writing might cause the memory loss disease.

Maybe you even hear about Kathleen Connell of the UK, who is one hundred-year-old and is the perfect example who spends a couple hours per day playing brain games to keep her mind young. Connell’s favorite applications are Art Academy, Brain Trainer, Scrabble and Family Fortunes… Brain Trainer calculated her mental age at 64! As he says “If there’s any secret to a long life it’s to think positive and keep your mind active.”

If the study and Connell’s advice are true you should be happy – because it seems that your favorite activity is useful for your healthy! That is the happiness.

iPhone 4 Will Never Get SIRI

After releasing iPhone 4S, SIRI has become the loveliest feature of the phone. Frankly speaking, it makes the main difference between iPhone 4 and 4S but consumer purchasing decision has changed . In a word, iPhone 4 owners are jealous and that is obvious. That is why rumors were flying telling it is not necessary to have iPhone 4S to use SIRI ; the rumors were so serious, Apple responded to the issue officially, affirming SIRI works only on iPhone 4S.  But hackers have not terminated working  on the issue.

As for now, CNet’s new report suggests that the real reason for SIRI not coming to the older devices is the lack of special noise cancellation circuitry.  Circuitry that is apparently in evidence in the iPhone 4S’s A5 CPU. As the matter of the fact noise-reduction circuitry, licensed from a start-up called Audience, is included only in iPhone 4S, a chip analyst believes that fact resolves the phone mystery and explains why the iPhone 4 lacks the SIRI voice-control system. As the success of SIRI depends on its ability to make out what people are saying and if background noise is compromising the ability, things will not work well. Details about Apple partnership has been revealed by Audience in January. The partnership has been lucrative the company, though it did not name specific numbers.

Linley Group analyst said: "Even after accounting for the dual Cortex-A9 CPUs and the large GPU that provides the A5 with industry-leading 3D graphics performance, the remaining die area seems too large for the usual mundane housekeeping logic. To reduce system cost and eliminate the extra package required for the Audience chip, Apple cut a deal to integrate the noise-reduction technology directly into its A5 processor, which appears in the iPhone 4S."

Although the older devices include an Audience chip, technology of handle ‘far-field speech’ has been improved. iPhone 4-era technology was good when the phone was held near the speaker’s mouth, the improvement means exactly that – holding the device at arm’s length instead of directly in front of the face.

While people believe that ‘big bad Apple’ is ripping customer off rather than make SIRI available on the older devices, the company does not really make a sense of it. If the iPhone 4 could not reliably understand voice well enough to make the feature work properly, Apple surely would not offer it, therefore avoiding any potential quality issues further down the line (not to mention incomes ).

iPhone 4 is not surely the phone that may disappoint us. It may does not have SIRI, but do not miss the chance to use an amazing feature, which can be described as ‘alternative SIRI.’ 

Bill Gates’ Heartfelt Letter to Steve Jobs

Bill Gates revealed recently that he sent an intimate letter to Steve Jobs before he passed away in October. Gates said that when he learned about Jobs’ medical condition, wrote him a letter, one that later Jobs kept by his bed. In the letter it was written that Jobs should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built.

Bill Gates described Jobs as an “incredible genius” and praised his work on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, in spite of his own work at Microsoft. He said: "We made great products, it’s quite an achievement, and we enjoyed each other’s work. We were not at war; competition was always a positive thing. There was no [cause for] forgiveness.” Yeah, there were actually good times and bad times shared between the two rivaling tech-gurus over the years. Both of them were responsible to bring technology to its exceptional current state, but there was always a mutual respect which later blossomed into friendship.

But before friendship between them must have been apposition, because Jobs is quoted in his biography as calling out Gates for being “unimaginative” and the person who has “never invented anything.” Steve concluded, Bill’s lack of imagination was the only reason for his transition from technology to philanthropy and that he “shamelessly stole other people’s ideas."

"He spent a lot of his time competing with me. There are lots of times when Steve said [critical] things about me. If you took the more harsh examples, you could get quite a litany." – says Bill Gates.

But it seems that after several years, the relationship has changed, as Gates says: “He and I always enjoyed talking. He would throw some things out, you know, some stimulating things. We’d talk about the other companies that have come along. We talked about our families and how lucky we’d both been in terms of the women we married.”

After Steve Jobs’ death, Gates was called by Steve’s wife thanked him for the letter and suggested her late husband’s biography did not accurately reflect the huge respect between the two.

Since Steve Jobs and Bill Gates will be remembered as two of the biggest tech luminaries of their time, it is worth to read the full letter.

Meet The Poll Winner – forfone!

Here is one more winner of our Free App Promotion – forfone! Below you’ll find a detailed review of the app and will be able to find out what it all is about!

forfone is a free Voice over IP (VoIP) app for iOS, allowing you to place free calls to anyone who also has forfone installed on his/her iDevice, making you reachable everywhere! Regardless love, Wi-Fi or 3G connection is what you need to place free calls and send free text and picture messages to any forfone user!

Installation is easy and requires no registration, no extra username, no need to change your mobile plan, no ads, no commitment and no hidden costs. One more important thing is that there is no need for creating buddy lists, as your existing contacts will be integrated in the app and those who also use forfone will be marked as forfree, so you know at all times whom to talk and text to for free!

By using the latest technology in order to provide best possible voice quality, forfone provides unlimited calls to other forfone users worldwide. What you need to be aware is that the voice quality depends on your internet connection as well. The best quality is reached with 3G or a full Wi-Fi signal. Below you’ll find the app features described:

fortalk – Free, unlimited calls to other forfone users worldwide. Once you and your friends have installed forfone you can use it to place both national and international calls totally free. The bandwidth rate during a forfone call is approximately 200 KB per minute / 12 MB per hour.

forchat – Free, unlimited text messages including picture and location sharing between forfone users directly from your device, allowing you to express your mood with one of the emoticons and show your friends exactly where you are with the geo-location feature.

forfriends – If your friends don’t have forfone installed yet, you can still connect with them! Start telling them about the free app and if they have an iOS device send them an invitation so you can start calling and texting them for free. Note that invite text messages are no forfone messages. Carrier SMS charges may apply.

forout – With which you can call any landline number or someone outside the forfone network. Check out our extremely low national and international rates with forout. With outfree forfone even gives away free minutes!

Updated on January 5th, 2012, the latest 2.1.0 Versionof forfone brings additional features, including: 

• New: Attach locations to Messages/SMS

• Improved voice quality

• Miscellaneous changes / bugfixes

The app is available in Apple App Store in Social Networking category for FREE! Featuring English, French, German, Italian and Spanish languages, forfone is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires iOS 4.0 or later to be fully functional.

To become the next winner and see the review of your app on our blog, get started now, check out how-to promote your apps for free!

Microsoft’s Employee Is Now Part of Apple

Microsoft Marketing Manager for Xbox UK - Robin Burrowes - has updated his LinkedIn profile, letting the world know, he has been hired by Apple to push iPhone and iPad gaming even further, to help grow Europe's Application Store marketing segment.

Burrowes has been working for Microsoft almost seven years. He was responsible for all products, business and marketing management of Xbox LIVE in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. As for Apple, he is the latest in a series of high-profile British gaming recruits.

Microsoft came out of nowhere with the XBOX to take an important share of the console gaming market, the most popular windows phone games - it’s all XBOX. 

Many of the most popular applications in Apple’s Application Store are games and the company has seen enormous success in the mobile gaming sector. That is why with the action – hiring Burrowes - it will drive its ongoing encroachment on the handheld gaming sector. Burrowes will surely help its new employer to figure out how to build an amazing presence in the booming gaming market.

Alternative SIRI for iPhone4 Users

iPhone4S users are really lucky because they have got an amazing feature called SIRI. It can actually be described as most lovely feature of the phone; so it is logic if users of earlier iPhone models are jealous. But iPhones never disappoint us.

“Voice Control” functionality is a limited tool for iPhone4. It is very useful one if used correctly. Here are the tips which will help you out.

• Go to your iPhone’s ’Setting’ menu, select ’General,’ scroll down to see ’International,’ hit ’Voice Control’ and choose which language you would like to use from the list. But if you speak the language of the country you bought your iPhone in, then you do not need default settings.

• Press and hold the Home button in order to activate your phone’s Voice Control Function. After prompted by the tone, speak your command straight away, but delays can cause unpredictable results.

P.S. if you use a Bluetooth headset, you need to press and hold the call button to activate.

• For best results, you should hold the phone to your face, as you would on a call. If you do hold the handset in front of you, it should not be more than 12 inches away.

• The key command words for calling are “call” and "dial." The word “dial” you use when you are reading out a number that is not in your contacts. “Call” works for named contacts. You need to add the surname if you have several contacts with the same name. Do not use possessive names. Say “call … on his/her mobile” instead of “call …’s mobile.”

• If your phone will not recognize a certain name, you need to give that contact a nickname by going into the contact, hitting "Edit" > "add field" > "Nickname."

• Voice Control can handle your music playback as well. The basic command terms are: "play songs by [Artist Name]," "play [Album Name]," "play [Playlist Name]," "pause," "previous song," "next song," "shuffle" and "play more songs like this."

• But the most amazing fact is that your phone can identify music! You will get the answer if you ask "what is playing?" or "who is this song by?"

• If the phone has trouble recognizing an artist or album name, you should put the tracks into a playlist and give it an easy to identify name.

• And the last thing Voice Control will do for you is to tell the time. Just ask it "what is the time?" or "what time is it?"

See also:

10 secrets about SIRI;

5 hidden tricks of iPhone you should know!

Some surprise for you under iOS5.

Endless Rumors About iPad

Rumors about the next generation of iPad are circulating constantly. Some sources say that it is scheduled the tablet to be published on March 29. One thing that claims its nearness is – iPad 3 books have been added to Amazon’s European site. 

BGR claims that a source had an iPad 3 prototype and sent some images that reveal more information about the device. The photos points to model numbers J1 and J2, which refers to iPad3,1 and iPad3,2. This means that iPad is supposedly to come in two versions – one for Wi-Fi and another with Wi-Fi and GSM/CDMA/LTE.

The images also reveal that Apple could be using a new processor called A6, model number S5L8945X. Probably this will be a powerful and extremely fast quad-core model. For comparison, the Apple A4 model was S5L8930X and the A5 is S5L8940X.

It was not indicated previously that the latest tablet from Apple would be called iPad, although, the images show that the device is being called iPad 3. But is should not be surprise if the tablet will be called iBoot.

As the matter of the fact iPads are so multiform, we do not want to part with them but sometimes we have to - when battery needs recharge; that is why one more important thing about the dream tablet is its improved battery (14,000 mAh) performance. It is expected the iPad3 will be featuring a battery that includes more than twice the capacity of the current iPad2 battery (6,500 mAh).

But the most important thing about the iPad 3 is our expectation about its speed – it is supposed to be faster than any other 'iDevice,' compatible with LTE, running on a quad-core chip and featuring a high-definition screen.