Apple is feeling generous these days, so take advantage of it while it lasts. Just like it did not too long ago with Jetpack Joyride, Apple is currently giving away promo codes for another hit game, Where’s My Water, the Disney app that usually sells for $0.99 in the App Store.
Apple’s tablet has drastically changed several industries over its nearly two years in existence. The iPad has made voting easier for handicap voters, NFL playbooks more intuitive for players, and flight bags much lighter for pilots.
It also has the potential to heavily impact the music industry, replacing rooms full of studio equipment and instruments. The EastMidWest music group proves the theory with its new video: Jason Derulo’s “It Girl” (iPad Remix)…(...) Read the rest of Incredible: Song Made Completely With iPad Instruments
iPhone Live, the best darn iPhone podcast in the ‘verse, is coming your way tonight, so clear your schedule and get your snacks ready, because we want to chat with you!
Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We’re not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here — you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! — but we’re carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.
And hey! — these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 6pm PT/9pm ET. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!
Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We’re not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here — you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! — but we’re carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.
And hey! — these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 6pm PT/9pm ET. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!
With full, fast internet access and apps aplenty, the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad are pretty much perfect for students of all ages. If you’re looking for a gift for the student (or students) in your life, from elementary to high school to university, there are a ton of accessories and apps to choose from. Here are some of our favorites!
Don’t need anything for a student? Check out the recommendations anyway, something great might still catch your eye. If not, no worries, check out one of our other 2011 holiday gift guides!
Awesome hardware and accessory gifts for students
There’s nothing like something real to unwrap, not just for the little ones in elementary school, but even the big ones home for the holidays. No matter how old, their faces light up just the same.
iOS devices
Does you special student not have an iPod touch or iPad yet? Maybe even an iPhone if they’re going off to college and need to stay connected? Not sure which one you should get? Not a problem! Start here:
Students are busy and active, so a protective case is a must. Over the past several years that I’ve spent as both a student and an instructor, I have seen a countless number of iPhones and iPads fall to the floor. I’ve also seen my share of skateboard wrecks that send iPhones on a tumble and flimsy backpacks (that carry iPads) take hard falls to the concrete. The devices protected with OtterBox have always survived these tragedies. OtterBox makes 4 different series that offer different levels of protection.
Defender Series is the mother of all cases. Its multiple layers of protection will protect your student’s iPhone and iPad from just about everything. It does add a significant amount of bulk, however.
Reflex Series offers iPhone and iPad protection from falls and is inspired the crumble zone of a car. It’s much less bulky than the Defender Series, but will still protect against the inevitable tumbles to the ground. (This series is my personal favorite).
Commuter Series is the slimmest option from OtterBox. But despite it’s thin and stylish look, the Commuter Series will protect your student’s iPhone from scratches, bumps and shocks.
Impact Series is the most affordable option from OtterBox. This compression molded silicone skin will protect your student’s iPhone from scratches and bumps.
Just figure out the best blend of protection and cost, and then let them head back to school in safety!
Once you student has a great school app like CaptureNotes2 (see below), she’s going to want a better note-taking method than her finger. The Bamboo Stylus will rock her world.
There are many styli out there to choose from, but we recommend the Bamboo Stylus because it’s design is both functional and beautiful. It’s weighted just right and is the perfect thickness. The length is also perfect – shorter than an average pen, but long enough to be comfortable to hold.
Did you know that students love music but have very little space for good speakers? Of course you do, which is why you understand why the Jawbone JAMBOX will be an amazing gift for your student. This tiny package delivers huge sound at up to 85 decibels. It’s completely wireless, making it simple for your student to play music over Bluetooth and even bring along to the party study session at his friend’s place.
AirPrint Printer: Epson Artisan 730 Color Inkjet All-in-One
Every student needs a printer, but since your student is an iPhone or iPad wielding student, she needs an AirPrint compatible printer. For printing out everything from an elementary school book report to a high school project to a college term papers, not to mention scanning things for said activities, and printing photos to decorate her room at home or at the dorm, the The Epson Artisan 730 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer has got her covered. Since the printer is AirPrint compatible, she’ll be able to write her papers from her iPad and print it directly from her iPad. If she takes a great picture with her friends on her iPhone or iPod touch, she can immediately make a couple prints to give to them. It’s low profile is also perfect for small, already crammed student rooms.
Don’t get your student just any printer, get her an Epson Artisan 730 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer.
While wrapping paper is nice, nothing is faster to buy or easier to ship than software. Whether you load it up for them on their brand new device, or send it half way across the world, it’ll always get there on time and ready to use.
A huge part of a student’s life is spent taking notes. After taking notes in class, some students head back to their dorm and take more notes on their notes! Simplify your student’s life with CaptureNotes 2 for iPad.
This gem allows users to type, write and record – at the same time. It’s easy to miss important things that an instructor says while frantically taking as many notes as possible, so CaptureNotes makes it easy to flag parts of your notes that make it easy to pick up and listen to that exact part of the lecture at a later time. A disadvantage to typing notes has always been the inability to draw diagrams, but with CatpureNotes you can quickly draw a diagram right there with your typed notes. You can also import PDFs and share to Dropbox.
Noteshelf is a powerhouse note taking app for iPad that keeps you organized and more. $4.99 – App Store link
Elements is a text editor that syncs with Dropbox and has Markdown support. ‘Nuff said. $4.99 – App Store link
Evernote stores text, images, and audio for easy reference later. Free – App Store link
Awesome Note is a note-taker, to-do list, and diary all-in-one. $3.99 for iPhone – App Store link. $4.99 for iPad – App Store link
Productivity apps: Numbers, Pages, and Keynote
Apple’s iWork suite, which consists of Keynote for presentations, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Pages for word processing has recently been updated to work with iCloud, so all your documents get stored and synced between your devices (including, eventually, iWork for Mac when Apple updates it). Keynote was built for Steve Jobs so it’s absolutely best in class, while Numbers and Pages are easy to use and produce great looking docs.
Documents to Go for a more Microsoft Office feel and all-in one solution $16.99 – App Store link
Good Reader is a powerhouse for PDF annotating and file management. $2.99 – App Store link
OmniOutliner helps you collect, compose, and organize your ideas. $19.99 – App Store link
Todo takes task management to the next level, with sync to Dropbox or iCloud among others. $4.99 – App Store link
Educational apps: WolframAlpha
WolframAlpha isn’t a traditional search engine, it’s a computational knowledge base with a continually growing set of data and algorithms. Math, statistics, physics, chemistry, engineering, astronomy, earth, computational, and life sciences, units and measures, dates and times, places and geography, people and history, culture and media, music, linguistics, sports and games, money and finance, socioeconomics, health and medicine… and on, and on, and on… It’s the full power of the website nicely packaged for your student’s iPhone or iPad.
Starwalk for iPad puts the universe in your lap. Literally. $4.99 – App Store link
MathBoard for iPad lets you solve problems, and build skills, on a chalk board. $4.99 – App Store link
Lola’s Alphabet Train is perfect for the little one learning to read. $0.99 – App Store link
Wikipanion Plus for iPad makes it easy to search, queue, and download entries for offline viewing. $4.99 – App Store link
Your picks?
Remember, you’re part of Team TiPb too, so if you’ve already picked the perfect gift for your iPhone or iPad student, or have the perfect idea for one, let us know in comments!
DraftCraft is a new blogging app for iPad. It supports WordPress, Blogger, and LiveJournal and aims to make blogging as simple as possible. Formatting the text is easy and there’s no need to not only know HTML, but you also don’t ever even see it. DraftCraft takes care it behind the scenes and publishes your posts how you expect them to look.
DraftCraft is a simple application that can significantly improve your blog posts. Its impressive selection of innovative features helps your writing time to decrease while the quality of your content shoots up – regardless of whether you use WordPress, Blogger or LiveJournal. Key points include:
Complete Simplicity: DraftCraft’s carefully designed user interface keeps the entire writing process as simple as possible, leaving you free to concentrate on your results, and not how you reach them
Streamlined Publishing: You can now post to all of your blogs from one place, with the application holding details of your accounts across WordPress, Blogger and LiveJournal
Productivity-Enhancing Star System: This feature lets you manage your progress on a variety of posts, encouraging you to get your best ideas down quickly and without worrying about your writing style (‘one star’ pieces) – before gradually making improvements until you’ve reached publishable results (‘five star’ pieces)
Advanced Text Editor: Once you’ve created your content, exercising complete creative control is easy through text formatting (bold, italics, copy-paste etc.) and image insertion
HTML-Free: If you’re worrying about code, then you’re not worrying about writing – so DraftCraft removes the need to think about HTML. When you’re ready to upload a post, the application will automatically convert your text into the format required for publication!
Apple’s new handset has been extremely popular since it launched last month. Carriers are still struggling to keep up with the demand for the device. To put things plainly: consumers love it.
They love it so much, in fact, that many of them are willing to break their previous carrier contracts to get one. A recent study shows that some 45% of people surveyed paid an ETF to get their iPhone 4S…(...) Read the rest of Study Shows 41% of iPhone 4S Owners Broke Contract to Upgrade
Up until Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S last month, the internet was flooded with rumors about the new device. Some rumors turned out to be true, others (most of them) were just plain BS.
We reported on all of these rumors because we thought it was our duty to inform you so that you could make the decision on whether a particular rumor was well founded or not. But by the time Apple showed the iPhone 4S to the world, we were all burned out by the rumor mill. We iDB writers were tired of them all, so we decided not to publish rumors any more.
If you’re a regular reader, you have probably noticed that we haven’t published many rumors lately. We just published the one or two that came from trusted sources, like The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times. Everything else hasn’t made it on iDB.
But for every rumor we don’t publish, we receive a few emails tipping us about those exact stories. We always thought that, like us, you were tired of these rumors, but apparently not, which is why we’d like to get your opinion on the matter…(...) Read the rest of Poll: Should iDB Report Apple Rumors?
If you’re currently running iOS 5.0.1, you can jailbreak via RedSn0w 0.9.9b8. This one is also tethered like the previous beta versions of RedSn0w for iOS 5. It’s also worth noting that unlockers should stay away from this one unless they’re okay with being tethered. iPhone 4 users should stay away from any newer stock iOS firmware versions altogether in order to preserve their baseband.
Be advised that not all jailbreak apps and tweaks have been updated to support iOS 5 yet. If you’re alright with running tethered and don’t mind a few bugs here and there, follow along for a quick walkthrough.
If you’ve used RedSn0w before, you’ll be right at home. It’s not too much different than jailbreaking any other firmware version you may have used it for previously.
Devices Supported
iPod touch 3G
iPod touch 4G
iPad 1
iPhone3GS
iPhone 4 (GSM)
iPhone 4 (CDMA)
And I can’t say this enough times, if your device is not listed above, please do not attempt to jailbreak any device but the ones listed above. iPad 2 and iPhone 4S users will have to sit this one out.
This version and other newer versions of RedSn0w should automatically detect what version of iOS you are running. No need to manually browse to a firmware file this time. Just click Jailbreak and follow the prompts.
Next RedSn0w will prompt you to only continue when your device is powered off. If it isn’t already, power your device off while it’s connected to the computer.
Next you will be guided through putting your device into DFU mode. Follow the steps and RedSn0w will take care of the rest.
If you’re on 5.0.1, you will need to manually navigate to an iOS 5.0 firmware file (not 5.0.1). RedSn0w will fail to identify the build on iOS 5.0.1. So do this when RedSn0w fails just like you had to with all other previous versions that didn’t automatically detect an IPSW. Just navigate to an iOS 5.0 file for your device instead of 5.0.1.
After RedSn0w finishes doing it’s thing, you’re done!
Next you may need to perform a tethered boot. If you do, simply open RedSn0w again and click Extras and then Just Boot
Your phone will perform a tethered boot and you should be good to go!
RedSn0w has also thrown in a little bonus for Windows users. You can copy the redsnow.exe file to your desktop or anywhere you like and rename it something like justboot.exe. As long as you have the word “boot” in the file name you can just double click that file to perform a quick tethered boot with RedSn0w.
That’s it boys and girls. If you need any help, be sure to check out our TiPb jailbreak forums. Until next time, happy jailbreaking!
Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.
There’s a new jailbreak in town, and it isn’t for the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Research In Motion PlayBook tablet has been jailbroken. For the first time in the Blackberry maker’s history, hackers have gained root access to the OS.
Why is this a big deal? Not only is it the first official “jailbreak” to occur outside of Apple’s ecosystem, but it’s also a slap in the face to RIM’s enterprise-minded, security-conscious mindset.(...) Read the rest of Apple Isn’t the Only Company Who Worries About Jailbreaking
Instagram is definitely in danger of taking over the world. What started out as a neat little app for taking and sharing stylised photographs on an iPhone has ballooned into something more than we could ever imagine. But wouldn’t it be awesome to get those great photos off of your iPhone and into the real world?
Bursting out of the digital realm and into the analog one is something that Instagram photos have done before. Not that long ago we told you about an art gallery that was opening in London. The gallery was going to be showing Instagram photos, and only Instagram photos. If you ever wondered what it would look like to take an iOS app and blow it right up, then this is perfect example. Well, this and Angry Birds.
Infinity Blade was one of the first real games to hit iOS. Yes, Angry Birds and Flight Control had come before, but those type of games could never be called an epic adventure full of swords and things to swing said swords at.
When the Infinity Blade creators, Epic, originally showed the game off on an iPhone 4, it looked gorgeous. The sequel goes one or two steps further, and if you’re playing the game on an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 then you’re in for a real treat.
As the president of the United States, Barack Obama is a man that needs a good iPad case. We already know that Obama got his iPad early from Steve Jobs himself, and that America’s boss is a fan of Apple.
In a recent photo on the official White House Flickr account, Obama is seen making a call to thank his troops on Thanksgiving. What looks like a book at first glance sitting there on the Oval Office desk is actually an iPad.(...) Read the rest of In Case You Were Wondering What iPad Case Obama Uses…
Nikkei Business is reporting that the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are both on their way with LTE 4G radios, set to debut on Japan’s NTT DoCoMo in summer and fall of 2012 respectively. Yes, we already suspect an iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are coming next year, and yes we already suspect they’ll both have LTE options on networks that support it, but it’s still nice to see the usual rumors popping up along the way.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is said to have met with NTT DoCoMo president Kiyoyuki Tsujimura and VP Takashi Yamada earlier this month to work out the details of the arrangement, and the companies have reportedly reached agreeable terms.
As to the timing, summer and fall Japanese launches don’t preclude spring and summer U.S. releases, but as we saw with the iPhone 4S this year, Apple isn’t afraid to move the timing around. Could iPad 3 take over the old iPhone WWDC spot in June 2012? We’ll have to wait and see…
Infinity Blade II, the follow up to the Epic Unreal 3-powered original, has just become available in the Australian and New Zealand App Stores and should be hitting the U.S. around midnight, ET.
Infinity Blade II continues to raise the bar for triple-A mobile gaming. Journey into the world of the Deathless tyrants and their legion of Titans. Build skills and upgrade characters… all while delving deeper into this mysterious, timeless adventure.
The game, a universal app, will be compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch 4th and 3rd generation.
Edovia’s TouchPad for iPhone and iPad has just hit version 4.0 and brings with it some great new polish and performance, and some hints at the future of Screens as well.
This version took more time than planned and most of the work was made deep down in the app, mostly in preparation of Screens 2.0, which uses the same VNC framework we’ve developed for the past years and had to be revamped. The result is a super solid app that won’t give up!
TouchPad 4.0 includes the following updates:
Modifiers toolbar now always visible
More media players
Use the Siri key on your device keyboard to send text to your computer
Many new shortcuts (see 3 and 4 finger gestures in documentation)
Improved support for international keyboards
Improved help documentation
Improved screen zooming gesture
TouchPad is perfect if you want a secondary multitouch input device for your Mac, Windows, or Linux PC, and especially handy if you have a Mac mini or Windows Media Center box across the room and want to control it without getting off the couch or out of bed. It’s anywhere your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad are, with means there’s a really good chance it’s exactly where you need it, when you need it.
You can find details on the update via the source link below, or head on over to the App Store and grab it now.
Android has its own Siri, at least that is what the creators of Cluzee would like you to believe. The new app is even called your “intelligent personal assistant,” and Cluzee tries to mimic many features that Siri users will recognize, including the ability to dictate text in emails and set up appointments using natural, everyday language.
Cluzee is a third party service for Android, meaning that it isn’t backed by Google. The service looks to work exactly like Siri, but the voice commands that Cluzee recognizes are much more limited than Apple’s technology.(...) Read the rest of Meet Siri’s Competition on Android: Cluzee
Shape Fun is an app to help toddlers and young children learn shapes. It makes the learning fun with exciting scenes, animations, and music incorporated into games with a reward system.
“Shape Fun” is a shape learning software for toddlers and preschool kids, including three attractive games and reward systems. The funny attractive scenes, animations and musics make kids deep inside the joys of exploring various basic shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, trapezoid, fan-shape, pentagon and hexagon. So let kids learn through play now!
3 different type of attractive games with various scenes and cute animations that help kids explore shapes from triangles to octagons stage by stage.
Dozens of lovely sounds and voice recordings of shape names, praises and more.
Different lovable animated animals guides kids through the game play with animated celebrations for correct answers and gentle redirection for incorrect ones.
Interactive mysterious aquarium! Kids will get a cute fish reward when they make progress.
Designed for kids with easy user interfaces.
Shape Fun is available on the iPhone and iPad for $0.99 each.
Path: A Smart Journal that helps you share life with the ones you love — your thoughts, the music you’re listening to, where you are, who you’re with, when you wake and when you sleep, and beautiful high quality photos and videos. [Free for iPhone - App Store link]
The Adventures of Peter Pan: Peter Pan, who lives in Neverland, is a boy who refuses to grow up. With the help of the fairy, Tinkerbell, he’ll introduce his new friends, Wendy and John Darling, to this imaginary world. Throughout their adventures, they’ll meet the Lost Boys and scary Captain Hook. [$3.99 for iPhone and iPad - App Store link]
TubeHero: Turn your iTunes songs into a colorful rhythm game, blasting your way through 3 difficulty levels. The game supports 6000+ different tracks, with more being added on a weekly basis. [Free for iPhone - App Store link]
Weathermob: It’s the friendly, easy way to get forecasts and share your weather with friends – and the world – through videos, photos, words and icons. [Free for iPhone - App Store link]
Legendary Outlaw: Enter the world of Kaufman – an immersive FPS action-shooter. As Colt Kaufman, you are destined to become the ultimate Legendary Outlaw, but only if you successfully go guns-blazing and use the environments to lure and assassinate enemies by stealth, without being seen or heard! [$2.99 for iPhone and iPad - App Store link]
Any other big app or game releases or updates today?
Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.
