Now we know why Apple didn’t release an updated iOS 4.2 beta for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad last week — they just released the GM (Gold Master) for developers. This is the typically the final version given to developers ahead of time so they can test it on their apps and make sure everything is working before the release goes public.

No word yet on what if any changes or new features might have snuck into this iOS 4.2 build, but if you come across any let us know in comments or drop us a line.

Check out our complete iOS 4.2 beta walkthrough for the features so far.

iOS 4.2 GM for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad released to developers is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

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We’re talking 2 cameras on iPad 2, mute switch switcheroo, Apple’s secret meeting, Facebook’s mysterious briefing, AT&T and Verizon iPad sales a go, and Halloween means costumes, yo! This is iPhone live.

(Psst, Rene and Georgia wore costumes for Halloween, check out the — ugh! Flash-only — AND WITH A HORRIBLE PRE-ROLE AD! FRAK! Sorry! — video after the break!)

And special geek bonus: we re-enact the famous cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7!

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

iPad live podcast #28: Up up and away! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Thanks to everyone who participated in our TiPb Jack O’Lantern carving contest, and congratulations to our two winners:

• JhonnyC
• isaac65

The images above are truly just the beginning so make sure you click through and check out the galleries (some of them are in more than one post, so hunt around — it’s worth it!)

And if you didn’t win, don’t worry. Lots more contests coming your way!

TiPb Jack O’Lantern contest winners! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

It appears as if Apple is looking into an issue between the iPhone/iPod and Monster brand headphones. According to an anonymous tipster who contacted Engadget, Apple has informed their customer service workers of issues that are occurring between Monster headphones that utilize integrated microphones and controls.

The rumored memo to employees reads as follow:

Several Monster headphone models using Apple’s Remote and Mic technology do not meet Apple’s technical specifications. These headphones use conductive flanges, which can result in electrical shorts that can cause an iPod or iPhone to pause and play erratically. Customers may not be aware that the issue is caused by the headphones and may believe that the iPod or iPhone is defective instead. There are no known safety concerns and no known risk of damage to the iPod/iPhone or headphones.

Symptoms of the issue are random pauses and playing and skipping forward or backwards of tracks. There is a list after the break which indicates the affected models (the current model Apple sells in their retail stores is not listed).

Are you having this issue with your Monster headphones? Let us know your take on this apparent problem in the comments below.

[ Engadget ]

Apple investigating iPhone issues with Monster-branded headphones is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

We are keeping the ball rolling on the TiPb Wallpaper Contest we’ve got going on in our forums, and we’re ready to announce our second winner — jphoman. If you jump over to the contest thread, he’s got several versions of these awesome wallpapers posted in many different colors.

As always, if you guys have original works that look great on iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad – post them in our wallpaper contest thread for your chance to win $20 and land your image on the main page of TiPb!

TiPb iPhone and iPad wallpaper of the week! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Have you ever wondered how to quickly type a domain suffix on the iPhone or iPad? The iPhone and iPad keyboard are software, not hardware, so they can re-configure themselves to suit whatever task you’re doing at the moment. When you’re in Safari or Mail, that can often mean entering a website or email address such as “example.com”. To help make things faster, the keyboard gives you a special “.com” key so you can just tap it and save yourself a few precious moments. (Hey, they all add up!). But what if you don’t want “.com” but a different domain suffix? What if you want “.net” instead? Simple:

• Hold down the “.com” button
• A popup will appear with “.net”, “.edu” and “.org” buttons
• Slide your finger to the one you want and let go
• The proper domain suffix will be entered in for you

Bonus tip: If you live outside the US and have an international keyboard setup, you’ll get your region’s domain suffixes instead, i.e. “.ca”, “.co.uk”, etc.

Let us know how it works for you and if you have any questions, ask in the comments!

Tips of the day will 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 news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Tip: How to quickly type domain suffixes on iPhone and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

The 2010 TiPb Awards have begun and it’s time to vote on all your favorites. This time it’s for iPhone turn-by-turn navigation apps. With Apple adding background location to iOS 4, almost every navigation app has had an outstanding update this year. Combine that with refreshed UIs and tons of extra features and the category is stacked.

But there can only be one 2010 TiPb Award winner, so head on over to our iPhone App Forum and vote for your favorite now!

• AT&T Navigator/TeleNav [iTunes]
• MotionX GPS Drive [iTunes]
• NAVIGON MobileNavigator [iTunes]
• TomTom [iTunes]
• Waze [iTunes]

(Don’t see your favorite here? Add it as a write-in on the forum thread!)

Ready, set, vote!

Vote now for your favorite iPhone navigation app! – TiPb Awards is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

CultofMac has received a tip from an anonymous source that claims Apple might be getting ready to go all in on near-field communication (NFC), with next June’s iPhone 5 potentially leading the way:

"The Mac authenticates with the iPhone, which contains a lot of the information the computer needs, such as bookmarks, passwords and other data," said our source, who asked to remain anonymous. "The system would essentially turn any Apple computer into your own — like you're actually working on your own computer. Same settings, look, bookmarks, preferences. It would all be invisible. Your iPhone would be all you needed to unlock your Mac….Address book would show their contacts, and the user would have full access to their information in the same manner they would if they were working from home. This same behavior extends to even showing the same desktop picture, mouse and keyboard settings, and would eventually extend to software licenses and passwords for websites such as Facebook….When a person walks away with their iPhone and away from the communication link with the Mac, the original settings of the Mac would be restored. All communications and storage of passwords stays on the user's iPhone, leaving nothing stored on the computer….This functionality is extended to access a user's home folder, which will be stored and accessed either through storage on MobileMe or by using the Back to My Mac feature to connect to the user's home folder."

The source also states that this technology has been toyed with by Apple for quite a while and it may never see the light of day. They also note that transfer speeds are not that great, and may depend on wifi or bluetooth after the initial handshake with the device.

NFC technology has been picking up speed in Asia but has yet to really see the light of day in the US. Lenovo offers this option in a few of their ThinkPads but NFC has yet to gain a foothold. If Apple adopts it, that may change.

NFC basically allows users to utilize their device as an electronic passport. Your iPhone would store your personal settings, bookmarks, keychain passwords, and desktop settings. When you’re in range of an NFC compatible Mac or other device, it could essentially turn that Mac into your desktop. Similar to remote desktop. The difference is that you don’t have to initiate a login or store local data. If you walk out of range of the Mac or NFC compatible device, your information would no longer be accessible. The device would simply go back to its previous state and no traces of your information would be stores locally on the Mac or device.

Is this a feature you guys think would be useful to you?

[via CultofMac]

iPhone 5 may implement NFC technology for eWallets and electronic passports is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Redsn0w — the lightweight, multi-platform jailbreaking, unlocking and customizing tool for the iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 1G, iPod touch 2G, and iPod touch 3G — has been updated to 0.9.6 Beta2, which allows Custom IPSW installation with Windows. Missing from this update is iPad and AppleTV support, which is currently supported by pwnagetool for OSX, but word is that chpwn is working on a windows version of pwnagetool.

Redsn0w can be used to install custom IPSWs that will keep your baseband firmware from updating and allowing you to unlock with ultrasn0w. Redsn0w works by putting your device into a special DFU mode which is required for installation of custom IPSWs.

The iPhone Dev-Team has also posted an update on redsn0w+limera1n fun:

It looks like geohot's recent limera1n exploit for iPhone3GS/iPhone4/iPad/ipt3g/ipt4g/atv2g will be very beneficial to jailbreakers and unlockers for the next few months (at least). geohot's limera1n program and the alternative greenpois1on program both use his same exploit (although greenpois0n refuses to tell you that, FWIW), and hopefully SHAtter can be saved for some later device.

Were you waiting for a Windows version of custom IPSW installation or are you waiting for iOS 4.2? Let us know…

[Redsn0w, Dev-Team Blog]

Redsn0w (0.9.6 Beta2) updated to allow Custom IPSW installation with Windows is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Between now and November 10th, we’re partnering with Waze to give away an iPad (or a Galaxy Tab if you’re feeling Android-y). Here’s how it works:

1. Download and install Waze from the App Store
2. Drive around with Waze and collect “Road Goodies” – which basically just means drive over the TiPb logos as you move about your city. As you can see above, they are everywhere.
3. It’s a competition between iPhone users, Android users, and BlackBerry users – which is to say you’re up against the kids from Android Central and CrackBerry.com. Whichever site whose users collect the most Road Goodies will win and be able to give a tablet away to one of their users – selected randomly from amongst the top 25 collectors. Remember – you only get credit for driving over the iPhone icons.
4. That’s it! Use Waze, collect Road Goodies, and stick it to those Android and BlackBerry users while automatically getting a chance to win an iPad or Tab

What’s Waze, then? It’s a free social mapping tool: you can get directions, find out where the traffic is, ping other users, and generally find your way around while helping other Waze users get better location and traffic information. Check out the full details on the Waze Blog.

Win an iPad from Waze and TiPb! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog