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Check Out This Big Ass Bumper Case For iPhone 4 [Review]

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That’s right folks the Impactband from BaseOneLabs, LLC. is one big ass iPhone 4 bumper case and it will work with all iPhone models including the one coming soon from Verizon.

The plethora of cases offered for the iPhone 4 have several things in common since most of them offer some level of protection and the ability to absorb the shock of an impact if dropped. The level of protection varies, but the Impactband has a unique way of protecting your iPhone 4.

100 Tips #45: What Are These Folders In My Home Folder?

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The Home folder in a new account will probably look like the one above.

These are the default folders automatically created inside the Home folder of a new account.

You can create more folders here if you wish – after all, this is your Home folder, for you to play with as you see fit – but I’d suggest that beginners stick to the hierarchy that’s set up for you by the system. In this post, we’re going to go through those folders one by one.

This Week’s Must-Have iOS Apps: AirView, OneNote, Cloud Connect Pro & More!

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One of our favorite iOS apps to feature in this week’s must-have list lets you stream your media between your iOS devices, or from iTunes on your computer over your Wi-Fi network. AirView works in a similar way to the AirPlay feature already built-in to iOS, however, instead of streaming only to your AppleTV, you can stream straight to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Microsoft Office users will be familiar with OneNote, the powerful note taking application for all of your ideas that syncs your notes with free Windows Live online storage account, and allows you to access them from virtually anywhere using your phone, computer, or web browser. Now the OneNote application is available for your iPhone, allowing you to make notes while you’re on the go so that you don’t forget another good idea. It’s also free for a limited time!

Cloud Connect Pro for your iPad allows you to leave your laptop at home while you’re on the go, but still gain access to the files you have stored on your Mac and PC, or online storage services like Dropbox, iDisk, or Box.net. You can also access your home computer through the built-in screen sharing feature, and view and control your applications just like you’re sitting in front of them.

Find out more about the applications above and check out the rest of this week’s must-have iOS apps, including TapnScrap HD and TalkBox Voice Messenger, after the break!

Are Apple and Nike Falling Out?

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Data from Nike+GPS App goes loopy
Loopy results from Nike+GPS iPhone app

Nike released another major update to their Nike+ GPS iPhone app last week. The app uses technology from MotionX, rather than the shoe sensor that Nike jointly developed with Apple. At CES, Nike launched the Nike+ SportWatch GPS in partnership with TomTom. Apple is notably absent from these recent announcements, and it seems the elegant simplicity of Nike+ is suffering as a result.

Here’s why…

Big Tease: Hugh Hefner Announces (Again) Playboy Subscriptions in March

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Perhaps it’s another case of putting your tweet in your mouth, but Playboy founder and patriarch of the sexy mansion of the same name has announced, yet again, that his centerfolds will be available as mamma made them come March.

It’s not yet clear whether Playboy would be sold via iTunes — another bone of contention this week as one Euro-crat called the anti-trust on Apple for these subscriptions making the claim that Apple is abusing its position.

If Hef manages to get the goods past the Steve Jobs no-porn-on-my-device diktat, would you pay $8 for it?

Misunderstanding the ‘iPad Computer’

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Pugnacious PC pundit John C. Dvorak is always fun to read. His opinions are often as outrageous as they are insightful. I’ve always been a huge fan, even when I disagree.

Dvorak’s latest post on PCMag.com, headlined “Understanding the iPad Computer,” is one of those I disagree with. In fact, I think his whole argument is exactly the opposite of reality.

(This isn’t the first time I’ve butted heads with PCMag.com over the iPad, by the way.)

In a nutshell, Dvorak attributes the overwhelming success of the Apple iPad not to the user interface, but to the design of the tablet as an output device, rather than input device. He writes:

“It was always assumed that the pad was going to be primarily an input device, like a paper and pen notepad. The successful machines of today are primarily output devices, not a notepad. It was this one simple paradigm shift that appears to be the difference maker.”

The column and conclusion are based on three key assertions, all of them false.

$10K iTunes Winner Hung Up On Apple, Thought It Was a Prank [Exclusive]

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Gail Davis of Orpington Kent hung up the phone when Apple called to say she'd won a $10,000 iTunes gift card. She thought it was a prank call.

The winner of the Apple’s 10 billionth App download sweepstakes nearly made a horrible mistake: she hung up the phone when Apple called to say she’d won.

“I thought it was a prank call,” says Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK. “I said, ‘Thank you very much, I’m not interested’ and I hung up.”

This Week’s Must-Have iOS Games: CrazyControl 2, Treasure Seekers 2, Cave Bowling & More!

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This week’s must-have iOS games features a frantic side-scrolling platform game that’s unlike anything else we’ve seen. CrazyControl 2 starts with two characters running side-by-side, and you must control them both at the same time to ensure neither character stops running. However, just as you get used to controlling two characters, another is introduced until you finally have control of 6 characters all at once. This intense running game is action-packed, energetic, and a great load of fun.

Treasure Seekers 2: The Enchanted Canvases is the second instalment of the popular hidden object game Treasure Seekers, and this follow-up offers a captivating storyline about a young girl who must save her brother from a mysterious Romanian castle, where he has been imprisoned by an evil being. If you’re a fan of hidden object games, Treasure Seekers 2 is sure to please.

Warp back in time and join our forefathers in an addictive game of Cave Bowling in this physics-based pick-up-and-play game. Take aim of your bowling ball to send it flying through the rocky landscapes which are littered with crazy obstacles and prehistoric animals. See if you can take out all of the pins and collect all of the bones without knocking down your cheerful audience.

Find out more about the games above and check out this week’s other must-have game, Tiki Towers 2, after the break!

And The $10K iTunes Winner Is… Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent

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Apple has just announced the winner of the App Store’s 10 billionth download sweepstakes.

The 10 billionth app was downloaded by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK.

Gail downloaded the free Paper Glider app, netting her a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.

Congrats Gail!

BTW: Looks like reader @Jack predicted the correct time frame in an earlier post trying to predict when the 10 billionth app would be downloaded.

Apple: Apple’s App Store Downloads Top 10 Billion

Top 5 Things I Hate About The Mac [Gripes Of an Ex-PC User]

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NOTE: This is a guest post by ex-PC user Mike Wilson. It was originally published at Gears of Biz.

I have a MacBook at home and a Mac Mini at work. I absolutely love my Macs. I can’t live with out them. However, there are still things I hate about my Macs that I wished weren’t a part of my life. So don’t hate me for taking a couple shots at my machines… It’s all in good fun.

Below are those Top 5 things I hate about the Mac.

App Store Hits 10 Billion Downloads, Winner To Be Announced

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Apple’s countdown to the App Store’s 10 billionth download is now over, and the lucky downloader of that 10 billionth app will soon be receiving a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

It’s taken just over two and a half years for the App Store to reach this landmark since its launch in 2008, which is quite remarkable considering it took almost seven years for the iTunes Store to reach the same milestone for music downloads. App downloads have been growing exponentially in the last year. In just January 2010, Apple had sold 3 billion apps. There are more than 300,000 apps available in the App Store; and Apple has sold 160 million iOS devices.

Apple has promised that the lucky winner of that whopping iTunes gift card will soon be announced, and if you think it could be you, keep your eye on the promotional page of Apple’s website.

Best Apps to Help You Get a Job [New Year’s Resolutions]

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Did you promise yourself that 2011 would be the year that you would find yourself a job? Are you having trouble sticking to your new year’s resolution? Well maybe there’s an iOS app that will make things a little easier for you. Here’s our list of the best iOS apps that may help you succeed on your mission to kickstart your career.

So that you don’t just forget about your resolution by the end of January, we’ve compiled a great list of apps that will help you stick to your targets and achieve your goals. We’ve divided them up in to the most popular resolutions, and in this post we’ll look at the best iOS apps to help you get a job. We’ve chosen apps that will help you find vacancies in your home town, that will help you create a great resume, and apps that will help you prepare for those dreaded interviews.

Check them out after the break and get help to get work!

iOS 4.3 Beta Hints iPad 2 Might Have Only 1MP Rear Camera

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This is pretty mystifying. 9to5Mac has done some more digging around in the latest iOS 4.3 SDK and found some references to the type of camera sensor the iPad 2 will have. Surprisingly, though, it’s not the 5MP sensor found in the iPhone 4, but instead a much lower resolution camera, most similar to the one in the iPod Touch.

Found in the AVCaptureSession.plist file within the K94 directory is mention of a “Back Facing 1MP Photo” string. K94 is rumored to be the iPad 2’s internal codename.

It’s curious that Apple would chose to go with so few megapixels for the iPad 2. In the latest iPod Touch’s case, the decision to go with a smaller megapixel camera had everything to do with the thinness of the device: the iPod Touch is simply two svelte to fit the iPhone 4’s camera modules into, but with a 0.7MP camera module, they just fit. The iPad 2 is a far thicker device than the iPod Touch, though.

Is Apple just trying to save some money here? Do they not think people will use the iPad 2’s rear camera very much because of the unwieldiness of the tablet form factor? Or, like the iPod Touch, is this an issue of physical footprint?

20% Of All Handsets Sold Are “iPhones” And Other Knock-Offs

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Images of cheap Chinese iPhone knock-offs leaking out of Asia are one of the most fun things to write about as an Apple blogger. Who is actually stupid enough to buy an iPhome 5G from Orange when what they really want is an iPhone from Apple? Who are these laughably crappy clones aimed at?

According to Nokia, the answer to that question is twenty percent of the global phone buying population.

Referred to as KIRFs, these fake phones are a huge problem for traditional handset makers. In fact, at least one out of every five cellphones sold around the world — primarily in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe — is an illegal or unlicensed clone of a more popular prestige phone… and the actual number may be quite a bit higher.

So next time you see a funny post about the latest iFauxn to come out of Shenzhen, remember: that ridiculous little knock-off and its ilk is probably in just as many pockets around the world as the real iPhone itself.

Turn Your iPhone 4 Transparent With A Torx Screwdriver And Some Paint Thinner

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As it turns out, turning your iPhone 4 transparent is as easy as grabbing yourself a pentalobe Torx screwdriver, opening up your iPhone 4’s chassis and applying paint thinner to the inside of the Gorilla Glass to strip off the black undercoat.

What a great looking mod! Too bad it’s going to wreak havok with your iPhone’s photographs. As you might remember, the white iPhone 4 was delayed because the white inner coating underneath the Gorilla Glass caused light to leak onto the camera sensor, washing out your snapshots… and that all happened with a layer of paint. Imagine how unusable your iPhone 4’s camera will be if the case is totally transparent.

Daily Deals: iPhone App Price Cuts, iPhone Freebies, 27″ LED Cinema Display

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We wrap up another week of Apple deals and bargains by highlighting iPhone applications – both discounted and free. Also on tap is a look at a deal on Apple’s 27-inch LED Cinema Display bundled with the Apple TV.

Along the way, we also check out 10 iMacs from the Apple Store, starting at $929 for a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo machine with a 22-inch screen. As usual, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Browse Instagram’s Popular Pics At Instagreat

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Instagram has become an iPhone photography phenomenon (although not everyone likes it), but like any online community with that many participants, it can be hard to find the really good stuff.

So English developer Elliott Kember has put together Instagre.at, a site that slurps up popular photos from Instagram HQ and spits them out in a very desktop browser friendly way that lets you navigate with your arrow keys.

You can flit left and right through the popular images, but try hitting the down arrow too: it lets you drill into further lists of images using a particular Instagram filter, or by a particular user. Use the up arrow, or the Escape key, to go back to the popular list. Neat stuff.

Is Tim Cook Gay? And Who Cares?

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Is Apple Chief Operating Officer Headed for HP CEO Chair?
Tim Cook, Apple's Chief Operating Officer, is allegedly America's most powerful gay executive, says the gossip rag Valleywag.

Gossip rag Valleywag claims Tim Cook is gay. The evidence:

1. He appears to be single, a “lifelong bachelor.”
2. It’s the subject of gossip inside Apple.
2. Two “well-placed sources” say so.

If Cook steps into the CEO role, Apple’s other executives will encourage him to come out, Valleywag says. This would be a good thing for Silicon Valley and for gay rights.

Being gay is certainly no problem here in the San Francisco Bay Area. No one bats an eyelid. But Apple’s other execs are concerned about public perception, Valleywag says. Could it spell trouble for the Apple brand?

Via AppleInsider.

Report: China Unicom May Land 3G iPad

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Photo by Josh Liba - http://flic.kr/p/7QvubR
Photo by Josh Liba - http://flic.kr/p/7QvubR

Apple’s longtime partner in China may get an iPad 3G, according to a Friday report. Apple in late December 2010 received government certification for a device identified only as “model A1337.” Although the parties refused to comment on the report, the news may point to the iPad.

“Specifications are consistent with the tablet device and because all existing commercial versions of the iPhone — Apple’s only other device that uses cellular networks — are already being sold in China,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Future Magic Mouse and Trackpad Could Boast Built-In Displays, Run iOS

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Steve Jobs has very clearly spelled out his feelings about multitouch on a desktop or laptop environment. Multitouch, in Apple’s view, is meant to be horizontal, not vertical, which is why you will never see a touchscreen iMac or MacBook. The Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad are Apple’s answer to the problem posed by desktop multitouch.

Makes sense to me. That said, the problem with even the Magic Trackpad is that it’s not real multitouch, in the sense that you are not directly interacting with a display with your fingers. Instead, you’re phoning what your fingers are doing to a connected display, the same as any mouse.

That’s clearly not as elegant a solution as Apple would like, so it’s no surprise to me that a new patent application spells out the possibility of a Magic Mouse with either an “OLED or specialized display surface made of collimated optical glass that contains a unique magnifying capability.”

Where Apple Makes Its Money: Software

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Some insight is emerging as to what Apple product (hardware, software, or media) is earning the most bucks. Turns out, at the core of success for the Cupertino, Calif. company might be software. Earlier this week, Apple announced its iOS-powered triumvirate — iPhone, iPad and iPod touch — comprised 65 percent of the $17.3 billion in the last-quarter revenue.

Additionally, sale of Mac OSX products accounted for 20 percent of all sales. Combine those two with sales of the Mac OSX software and the various App Store products and 90 percent of Apple revenue is coming from software, according to analyst Horace Dediu of Asymco.