White Apple MacBook Officially Gone For Good

Last July, Apple silently stopped selling the white polycarbonate MacBook through its online store and only sold it to educational institutions thereafter. Today, Mac Rumors reports that Apple has informed the few remaining retailers of the product that the manufacturer is no longer producing the notebook and is hereby classifying the baseline MacBook as ”End of Life”.

The white polycarbonate MacBook used to retail for $999 and was once the cheapest Mac notebook available, though now the MacBook Air has taken its place for the same price with a thinner form factor and a solid state drive in the base model.

[Mac Rumors]

Application Review: Smash Cops

You turn on the channel 3 news and see a live police chase happening right in your back yard! You look out the window, feel the pleasant breeze, and look forward. That’s when you realize, you’re the cop in chasing the non-law-abider! While the caption on the news reads, “Police Officer Can’t Catch Red Sedan” you feel embarrassed and work to destroy that red sedan. Smash Cops offers any player just this type of intense, fun gameplay that is simple to jump straight into.  Read on for the full review:  Read more …

Tweetbot 2.0 for iPhone Released

The Tapbots team has just released version 2.0 of Tweetbot, their excellent Twitter client for iOS. The upgrade is free to existing users, and includes an array of new feature, such as an updated timeline view with image thumbnails, Readability support, improved scrolling, auto-refresh, single-tap navigation, and more.

Tweetbot has long been a fan favorite for its unique interface and clever UX design, and the 2.0 release improves an already great app. If you use Twitter and can spare $2.99, give Tweetbot a spin (and make sure to follow us!).

[Tapbots]

New Operator Profiles Show That iOS 5.1 May Be Released on March 9th

As reported by YourDailyMac, new iPhone operator profiles that were recently released by Apple show that the iOS device manufacturer may release iOS 5.1 on March 9th. The profiles also show that the iOS 5.1 update will be available on the iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 3G, and iPod touch 4G. According to YourDailyMac, the newly-discovered profiles were intended for operators based in Finland, France, Greece, Japan, and Sweden and since iOS updates usually debut at the same time globally, it would be accurate to expect iOS 5.1 to release on March 9th in the US and Canada as well… Read more …

iOS Developer Ryan Petrich Releases ContactPrivacy

 

Prominent iOS developer Ryan Petrich has released ContactPrivacy, a free jailbreak tweak available in Cydia that notifies you when an application tries to obtain your device’s contact data. Petrich, best known for his Activator tweak, released this latest tweak in response to the controversy surrounding the photo sharing app ‘Path’ on the App Store. Just recently, it was revealed that the app uploaded contact information from an iOS device to its servers without informing the user it was doing so. But, Petrich has created a viable solution to this problem… Read more …

Sprint Sells Nearly 2 Million iPhones in Past Quarter

Earlier this morning, Sprint reported their fourth quarter earnings for 2011. In the lengthy report, the carrier noted that they had sold a total of 1.8 million iPhones during the quarter, with 40 percent of them being to new customers. In comparison, AT&T reported 7.6 million activations and Verizon Wireless 4.3 million activations in the same quarter. Sprint is still behind, but it seems that customers are switching over just because the iPhone is available on their carrier…  Read more …

Path for iOS Uploads Entire iPhone Address Book to its Servers

Developer Arun Thampi has discovered that Path uploads the entire iOS address book—email, phone numbers, and all—to their servers. This behavior is obviously a significant privacy concern, especially considering that the app does not ask for permission or give any notice. Path’s CEO David Morin has responded, mentioning that the data is used for connecting with friends and family… Read more …

Siri Accounts for One-Quarter of Wolfram Alpha Queries

Part of the brains behind Siri that make possible answering some of the more complex questions is Wolfram Alpha, a “computational knowledge engine”. Wolfram, released in 2009, is capable of some impressive calculations, but the service has flown under the radar of most average users… Read more …

iTunes Hosting Streaming Paul McCartney Concert

Apple will be hosting an online Paul McCartney concert at 7 p.m. PST this Thursday in celebration of the musician’s new album, Kisses On The Bottom. The stream will be beamed live from Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, and available for free on iTunes. If you’re a fan of this former-Beatle, make sure to tune in!

Kisses On The Bottom, which comes out Tuesday, February 7, via Hear Music/Concord, is a collection of standards McCartney grew up listening to, plus two new McCartney compositions — “My Valentine” and “Only Our Hearts” (which feature guest turns, respectively, from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder).

[Guitar World]

Apple Updates iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro EFI on 2010 Models

Late today, Apple released an EFI update for their 2010 iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models that adds Lion Internet Recovery to the devices. More specifically, Apple has enabled Lion Recovery over the Internet on the mid-2010 iMac, late 2010 MacBook Air, and the early 2010 MacBook Pro. If you have one of these models, then it is recommended that you check Software Update and download the EFI update as soon as possible. If you prefer to download the updates directly, then you can find them in the links after the break. Read more …

Zeppelin Updated, Sets Custom Carrier Icons Instantly

Last week, iOS developer Alex Zielenski released a Cydia tweak called Zeppelin, which allows for you to easily replace your carrier logo text with custom icons. Today, Zielenski had updated Zeppelin to version 0.9.9, eliminating the need to respring your iOS device or tap the apply button when setting a custom icon. Zeppelin 0.9.9 is available for free from the ModMyI repository in Cydia.

The update also gives Zeppelin a proper icon in the Settings menu, makes the tweak use less memory, fixes issues with installing, adds the ability to use no icon whatsoever, refines the etched Batman logo, and fixes safe mode issues. One of the only downsides to Zeppelin when it was originally released was that it had only about a dozen custom icons to choose from. Thanks to several third-party icon packs that have surfaced on Cydia, however, this is no longer an issue. Check them all out after the jump… Read more …

Apple Store-in-Store Concept Coming to Sam’s Club?

Last month, we reported that Apple would begin expanding into smaller markets by launching “store-within-a-store” outlets at select Target locations in the United States. It appears that Apple is looking to build upon this idea, as the Cupertino-based company is allegedly in contract talks with Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of Walmart, to bring the same mini-stores concept to the wholesale retail chain. If the plan falls through, however, there is a Plan B… Read more …

Apple Requires iPhone Developers to Provide Retina Screenshots of Their Apps

Today, Apple informed their iPhone developers that the corporation is now requiring them to submit screenshots of their applications at the Retina resolution (960 x 640 pixels) as means of forcing developers to move towards the more HD specifications that the Retina display offers users. Updates to current apps must also include these new enhanced Retina screenshots. So, if you’re a developer then it’s recommended that you optimize your app for the Retina display and update it as soon as possible. You’ll get better ratings and Apple will actually allow you to keep it in the store as well.

Required iPhone & iPod touch Screenshot Upgrade for Retina Display

When you create or update your apps in iTunes Connect, you must upload screenshots that are high-resolution. We require your screenshots as high-resolution images so that your app is optimized for the Retina display.

The requirements for high-resolution images are 960 x 640, 960 x 600, 640 x 960, or 640 x 920 pixels. Images must be at least 72 dpi, in the RGB color space, and the file must be .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .tiff, or .png. You can update your screenshot files at any time in iTunes Connect.

[Mac Rumors]

Sitting Down with Jailbreak Developer Filippo Bigarella

iFans had an opportunity to sit down with jailbreak developer Filippo Bigarella, an Italian student that has released over a dozen tweaks, mods, and utilities on Cydia. Just last year, Bigarella was involved in Ryan Petrich’s TweakWeek event that required him to develop and release one brand new Cydia tweak per day for one week. Bigarella is perhaps best known for his release of Springtomize, a tweak that lets you customize nearly every aspect of your iOS device. Check out what Bigarella had to say ahead… Read more …

Square Off: iOS vs. Android

Every Tuesday, iFans picks two controversial topics to debate about in the weekly “Square Off” column. This week, we’re starting off on a grand scheme by setting two major mobile operating systems against each other. Square Off Archives

We recently asked our Facebook followers if they preferred Android or iOS as their mobile operating system of choice. Unsurprisingly, there was no definitive answer and both Android and iOS supporters alike had interesting viewpoints for why they preferred their respective operating system.

To allow for more people to voice their opinion, we have decided to bring the debate to the iFans forum. The question is simple, Android or iOS? We’re talking features, ease of use, the app ecosystem, and everything else under the umbrella. We’re looking forward to hearing your opinions, but please use common sense and remain respectful with your viewpoints. Let the argument begin.

Rogers and Bell Want in on the Apple Television Action

According to sources for the Globe and Mail, Canadian telecom giants Rogers and Bell are looking to become launch partners with Apple for the rumored iTV. One of the main concerns surrounding the TV is whether or not Apple can secure content deals, but if they loosen up just a bit, they should have no problem signing major networks… Read more …

Motorola ‘Demands’ 2.25% of All iPhone and iPad Sales

According to a report today by the Wall Street Journal, Motorola last October 17th “demanded” that Apple provide them with a 2.25 percent cut of their iPhone and iPad sales — which would add up to be in the billions of dollars. (FierceWireless notes that the iPhone sales alone would be more than $1 billion.) In other words, Motorola is attempting to obtain a substantial amount of compensation for the patents that Apple infringed. Both Apple and Motorola refused to give a statement on the matter, according to WSJ.

Motorola Mobility was acquired by Google on August 15th of 2011 for $12.5 billion and Google hoped to use them as a “dedicated Android partner” that would receive updates to newer versions of the mobile OS much faster than others, though updates still seem to be taking a while to roll out to popular handsets like the RAZR and Bionic.

[Wall Street Journal via FierceWireless]

iFans Giveaway Mondays: “The Callet” and “RingO”

Every Monday, iFans is pleased to giveaway Apple-related products and software, ranging from accessories for iOS devices to Mac App Store apps. This week, we’re excited to be giving away “The Callet” and “RingO” accessories for the iPhone and iPad respectively. Giveaway Archives

The Callet” ($19.99) is a stylish all-in-one smartphone case and wallet for all iPhone models dating back to the iPhone 3G, along with several BlackBerry models. It is made from durable, yet flexible, gel-polymer. The Callet is easily accessible and has ultra-convenient slit pockets to hold your cash and cards. Best of all, it has a bulk-free design in pink, blue, black, or white and is perfect for your pocket.

Vogel’s RingO ($119.99), on the other hand, is an all-in-one tablet case designed for easy mounting wherever you need it. The all-in-one pack includes one tablet holder, one wall mount, one stand, and a car mount. Vogel’s RingO, specifically designed for the iPad and iPad 2, is available through Apple online and in-store. Find out how to win ahead… Read more …

High-DPI Cursors Found in Lion 10.7.3

Apple has slowly been sneaking high-dpi features into OS X since the release of Lion, including a hidden “HiDPI” resolution in System Preferences. A post today by Daring Fireball points out the addition of high-dpi cursors in the recent update to Lion, 10.7.3.

As Gruber mentions, the simple answer is that Apple is catering to Universal Access users who frequently zoom in on the desktop, but it is also very possible that the Cupertino engineers are planning Retina-quality displays on the desktop. The change easiest to notice is the updated camera icon when taking screenshots of application windows (cmd + shift + 4, space), but small changes can be found throughout the system. Retina displays are still too cost prohibitive to be feasible on screens much larger than the iPhone’s, but we expect that they will be commonplace a few years down the road.

[Daring Fireball]

TinyAssistant: “Siri, Can You Take Up Less Space Please?”

TinyAssistant is a jailbreak tweak that minimizes the size of the Siri interface, making it equivalent to the space that the multitasking app switcher bar takes up in iOS 4 and beyond. To account for the extra space, the “what can I help you with” slogan is removed from above the Siri activator button.

While some people will probably find this tweak utterly pointless, it’s fair to assume that others will appreciate the functionality and usefulness of this simple modification. TinyAssistant can be downloaded for free from the BigBoss repository in Cydia, and is compatible with the iPhone 4S running iOS 5 or later. Better yet, it also works with jailbroken iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G models that have a Siri port installed such as Spire or SiriPort.


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