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The new Fusion case for the iPhone 4 from Nelson Technologies is the thinnest, lightest, and the longest running rechargeable battery case currently on the market, promising up to an extra 42 hours of audio, 11 extra hours of video, and 2 extra days of runtime.

Despite its low profile design – which adds less than an inch in total width or depth and weighs less that 2.4 ounces – the Fusion also claims to be robust and protects your device from ordinary wear and tear.

The case features a 1,500 mAh lithium polymer SaFPWR smart battery that’s rechargeable for over 500 cycles and increases iPhone runtime by more than 200%. Intelligent built-in technology ensures your iPhone never short-circuits, overcharges, or over-discharges.

Last week we reported on an issue plaguing owners of the 3G iPad 2 hooked up to the Verizon network. A growing number of users have reported a problem with their device that means they have to reboot their iPad to reactivate their 3G data connection. On Friday, Apple issued an official statement to All Things Digital, acknowledging the problem and reassuring users that they are investigating the issue:

We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues with the Verizon 3G network and we are investigating it.

A thread on the Apple Support Discussions forum now spans 9 pages long and is full of reports from disgruntled Verizon customers who are having problems with their iPad 2. The issues begins when 3G is turned off from within the settings app. When it’s turned back on, the data connection does not restore, simply displaying a “Searching…” message where the carrier’s name should be.

The only fix at the moment is to reboot the device while 3G is set to ‘on’ – this restores the data connection upon reboot. It’s likely a fix for this problem will come in a minor iOS software update shortly.

[via InfoWorld]

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Offering that imitation as a parody allows commentary while avoiding the Wrath of Legal. Spoofs of Apple commercials are certainly not a new phenomenon, but recently we’ve moved past Get A Mac and Dancing Silhouettes into the Jony Ive Era: soft music, featherlight products and dark T-shirts.

The world’s creative types have noticed, producing a stream of variations on Apple’s ubiquitous advertising. SlateV uses Ive himself to introduce one of Apple’s greatest technological wonders, the iPhone 4 Bumper.

The hiring of a Senior Composites Engineer at Apple has fuelled more speculation that the company could move away from aluminum for building future devices, choosing to use carbon fiber instead. Kevin Kenny began work at the Cupertino campus this month after spending 14 years building carbon fiber bicycles for Kestral Bicycles, where he was the President and CEO.

This isn’t the first time Kenny has worked with Apple; a patent called “Reinforced Device Housing” filed by the company in 2009 had Kenny’s name on it, and depicted an outer casing for electronic devices made from ultra-strong carbon fiber. The patent reveals Kenny was clearly working with Apple for a long time before he became a full-time employee.

Simon & Schuster announced on Sunday that the authorized biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been scheduled for an early 2012 release. The book entitled iSteve: The Book of Jobs is being written by Walter Isaacson, who has been working on the biography since 2009 and has enjoyed rare and exclusive interviews with Jobs, members of his family, and his colleagues at Apple.

When the clocks go forwards or back, people from New Zealand to New York miss their appointments because their iPhone alarm does not go off on time. Every time I complete a 10km run using my iPod nano, TIger Woods congratulates me on having completed another 500km. And as you read this, thousands of backups are failing because Time Machines are freezing in time.

What do these seemingly disparate events having in common? They’re all presumably the handiwork of Apple’s “B-team”.

It’s no secret that the iPad 2 should open the floodgates of the augmented reality experience — and here’s another example of what the iPad 2 can do with AR.

No doubt in anticipation of Yuri’s Night, Vito Technology has just released an AR-equipped version of their venerable star-watching iPad app, Star Walk ($5). Just hold the screen up to the sky and the app will superimpose constellations and all sorts of other info onto a realtime image of the sky being viewed through the iPad 2’s camera. And that’s on top of all the other cool features, like a satellite tracker, night mode and a time-machine function that lets you see what the sky looks like on any given day or time.

Still saving for an iPad 2? That’s ok, the iPhone version has the same features (but not the awesomeness of the iPad’s giant screen), and it’s on sale for a buck till April 12 — which, not coincidentally,  is Yuri’s Night.

Earlier today, we brought you a report from CrunchGear about a Best Buy employee who had revealed that the retail giant was deliberately saving stock of the iPad 2 once it had met its sales quotas each day – a technique that apparently didn’t sit too well with Apple.

Since then, Best Buy has denied rumors that it has fallen out with the Cupertino company, and declared it was holding stock of the iPad 2 for an “upcoming promotion.”

In an official statement sent to Boy Genius Report, Best Buy said:

Best Buy continues to receive iPad 2 inventory from Apple on a regular basis. As we’ve said previously, we are fulfilling customer reservations first.

Our stores have been asked to temporarily hold non-reserved iPad 2 inventory for an upcoming promotion. This is a customary practice for us when there are supply constraints. Best Buy enjoys a great partnership with Apple, and we’re delighted by customer response to iPad 2.

While Best Buy seem to have clarified the issue of holding stock, it did not comment on a claim that its employees were lying to customers by informing them they had no stock of the second generation device, when in fact its stock rooms could be littered with them.

Selling itself as the first app to help hunters find their prey, iHunt Journal may also be on target for controversy.

iHunt Journal, approved by Apple for use by anyone over the age four because it contains no objectionable material, calls itself the “ultimate all-in-one hunting app:”

Whether your focus is on planning your next hunt based on weather and solunar periods, keeping a trophy gallery and hunting journal, or statistics and research of your past hunts, this is the application you need.

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This weekend sees the final of the 2011 Masters Golf Tournament, and as a way of celebrating, EA has reduced some of its most popular iPhone and iPod touch games by up to 67%. Of course, the brand new Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 is the one you’ll want most during the Masters commercial breaks.

There are 10 great games featured in the sale, including Dead Space, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, The Sims 3, and The Simpsons Arcade. Check out the full list after the break!

It’s been shown that tots take to iPads like ducks to water. One school district in Maine will hand them out to 5-year-olds in the hopes of boosting reading skills.

An iPad pilot program in Auburn, Maine will put them in the hands of kids in certain classrooms in May and all six elementary schools in the district next fall.

Officials hope to improve literacy rates from 62 percent to 90 percent in two years with the iPad scheme. The school committee recently approved spending of about $200,000 for 285 iPads for both students and teachers.

Apple has a vested interested in getting as many iPad 2s into customer hands as possible, as quickly as possible. It’s not only about mere volume of unit sales. It’s also about trying to slacken the crazy demand that the iPad 2 has generated before customers actively start resenting Apple for it and, in their impatience, are literally driven out of their minds (a state diagnosable by purchasing a Xoom).

So imagine how absolutely ticked off Apple must have been when they heard that Best Buy has been refusing to sell all of its stock of iPad 2s to customers, because they’ve already reached their sales quotas for that day. Actually, no need to imagine, because according to a Best Buy employee speaking to Crunchgear, the answer is “very.”

When we talk about 3D when it comes to displays, the third dimension we’re talking about is a z-axis popping out at you, a la the Nintendo 3DS. But when we talk about the possibility of a 3D iPad, or a 3D iPhone, or any other 3D touchscreen device, why are we talking about Apple adding a superfluous visual dimension when we can be talking about adding a very real tactile dimension to the same device?

In other words, when you poke an icon on iOS, what’s more important: for it to float off the screen, or for it to feel like you pressed something physical, and not ephemeral. That’s just the problem that Peratech is working on, and with its QTC (Quantum Tunneling Composite) Clear, it’s come up with an invention that any Apple fan can excited about: a force-sensitive touchscreen that allows users to apply the third-dimension of pressure.

What does that mean? Think of painters being able to apply pressure to the strokes of their virtual brushes, or on-screen game controls that were truly analogue.

Best of all, Peratech’s tech can be used not only to replace resistive touchscreens (think: stylys-based) but also to supplement capacitive ones, like the iPad’s. And since the touchscreen is only between 6-8 microns thick and the panels draws almost no current, it ‘s a good fit for iOS’s line-up.

[via Gadget Lab]

Kevin Lee, a senior at George Mason University, Virginia, has turned iPhone jailbreaking into a full-time job, hacking customers devices to earn an impressive $50,000 a year. Lee uses Craigslist to advertise his services, which include unlocking, jailbreaking, and customizing devices to a user’s preference.

Lee told The Washington Post that he started off with a mere 5 to 10 customers a week – most of whom were friends. Now he pulls in between 30 and 40 – performing relatively simple hacks that many people don’t like to attempt themselves. A recent customer from the Mongolian embassy wanted his device unlocked so that he could use it in Mongolia when he moves.

Lee’s interview with The Washington Post is rather short, and he has since declined to provide further comment, removing his advert and contact details from Craigslist.

Apple has been rumored to be working on smart bezels for its iOS device series for a long time. The idea is to make all of that empty black space actually do something by imbuing the bezel with all of the touch sensitivity of the display itself. The problem, of course, is how to convey to a user that they’ve just interacted with something in the bezel, as well as avoid accidental triggers.

An exciting new patent shows us exactly what Apple has in mind: bezel’s imbued not just with touch functionality but with an underlying electroluminescent display that would allow the bezel itself to light up with words and icons when needed.

According to a source for Boy Genius Report, Apple is working on the next release of iOS and planning to release the firmware to the public during the next two weeks. iOS 4.3.2 will include a few enhancements, address security issues, and fix several bugs that have effected some users.

Unfortunately the details handed over to BGR are a little limited, so we’re unable to report what enhancements or bug fixes will be made in the next iOS release. Although, issues with Wi-Fi that effects users with certain routers, and a problem with the taking photographs on the iPad 2, have been picked up in iOS 4.3.1.

BGR sources seem to have been consistent with their information in recent months, revealing on March 21st that iOS 4.2.1 would launch within two weeks – 4 days before it went live.

As always, we’ll let you know when iOS 4.3.2 is available to download.

Retro gamers can now enjoy 100 classic Atari titles on their iOS devices thanks to the launch of Atari’s Greatest Hits. The application is a free download that comes bundled with Pong, and through in-app purchases users can download additional game packs at $0.99 each, or the entire collection of 100 games for $14.99.

The collection of classic hits includes 18 Atari arcade games and 92 Atari 2600 games. But the fun doesn’t stop there; the app also boasts head-to-head multiplayer over Bluetooth and original cabinet and box art.

Check out the entire list of games available – and those that support Bluetooth multiplayer – after the break.

We’ve been keen followers of developments at CloudEngines, the outfit behind the Pogoplug network-attached storage device, ever since we reviewed the first one back in late 2009. This month, a little over two years after the Pogoplug debuted, brings a whole raft of new offerings from the company — including one that may bring a big surge to NAS popularity in general.

The iOS 4.3 update enabled third-party applications to take advantage of AirPlay and stream content to the AppleTV and other compatible devices. Since it went live, developers have been updating their apps to include AirPlay support, and we’ve put together a list of the top 10 iOS apps that are currently AirPlay ready. We’ve chosen apps to keep you entertained, up to date with the latest news, and even one to help you workout.

Check them out after the break!

According to a source speaking to 9to5Mac, when the Apple Store went down this morning, there was only one major change in the database when it came back online… the total elimination of the white iPhone 4 from Apple’s database.

Not only is the SKU gone from Apple’s system, but images that were once for the white iPhone 4 have now been tweaked to feature the black iPhone 4 instead.

Toshiba unveiled its new SmartNAND flash memory on Tuesday with support for flash chips up to 64GB. With a next-generation 24-nanometer process, the new design has a better memory controller that speeds up the read and write process, and is more space efficient – perfect for devices like the iPhone.

It’s possible the new SmartNAND could replace the Samsung flash memory in the current iPhone 4 and allow for a 64GB iPhone 5. Apple has already moved away from the Samsung flash since the launch of the iPhone 4, choosing Toshiba’s NAND flash for both the forth-generation iPod touch and the iPad 2.

The 32GB and 64GB SmartNAND options won’t start being mass produced until at least June, which could be one of the reasons why the launch of the iPhone 5 may be delayed until September – as recent rumors claim.

A 64GB iPhone 4 prototype was recently discovered on the Chinese grey market, and reports at the time ruled out a 64GB forth-generation device, suggesting instead that Apple was testing the larger flash memory for a forthcoming iPhone.

[via Electronista]

Apple is working on a new dock connector for its devices that will boast high-speed connections including USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, according to a new patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday. Entitled “Reduced Size Multi-Pin Male Plug Connector,” the patent reveals a smaller 30-pin dock connector that will also feature a dual-lane DisplayPort.

If you’re the kind of person who loves to watch commercials – you’ll love Apple’s new iAd Gallery application that just hit the App Store. Apple describes the application as a “celebration of advertising,” allowing you to view every iAd currently on the network.

Featuring adverts from some of the world’s biggest brands, a spinning wheel view lets you scroll through the collection of iAds and view the ones that take your fancy. If you really enjoy a particular add, you can ‘love’ it and make it one of your favorites. You can also search the collection by advertiser, category, or feature.

It’s not just ads, however – you can also learn more about the products advertised and the advertising agencies behind them.

Despite all of its features, I’m still not sure I get the point of the iAd Gallery application. I spend a lot of time trying to avoid adverts, especially within iOS applications, so the idea of an app – with no other content but iAds – is my idea of a virtual nightmare.

Having said that, it’s certainly worth checking out – if only for a few minutes. In true Apple style it’s well made, easy to use, and contains a catalogue of iAds that aren’t quite as boring as other adverts.

Only Apple could get away with making an application full of its adverts and still be respected.

[via AppAdvice]

Some Texas residents can now report crime or suspected illegal activity directly to police from their iPhones.

Called Eye on Laredo, the app was made available gratis in iTunes March 23 and deemed suitable for anyone over the age of four.

Local Sheriff Martin Cuellar is billing the app as the 21^st century upgrade for the neighborhood watch program, though it sounds a little more like digital vigilante.

Images have surfaced of an iPod touch equipped with a capacitive home screen button and 128GB of storage space. The device is marked with a “DVT-1” badge previously found on an iPod touch discovered back in 2010, and thought to be the code Apple uses to identify prototype devices.

Other than the capacitive home button and the increased storage, it doesn’t look like anything else is different in these pictures with regards to hardware. However, what’s interesting is that it looks like the device is running version 4.2.1 of iOS, suggesting that it may have been in testing for some time.

The quality of the pictures is poor, and it looks as though the build quality of the device is just as bad – indicating that the device featured is rather a fake than a next-generation iPod prototype.