According to Cult of Mac, Apple’s retail stores are no longer selling slider cases for the iPhone 4 because of what’s been referred to as “Glassgate” – the scratching and cracking of the iPhone 4’s glass due to trapped dirt. Even cases that are part of Apple’s “made for iPhone” program are reportedly being pulled.

Glassgate may or not be real, but it looks like Apple is trying to find out. A source in the case industry has confirmed that Apple is suspending the sale of all slider cases and testing them one by one in a secret facility.

Apple is investigating whether the constant action of sliding cases on and off the glass-backed iPhone can cause scratches and eventually cracks, said the source. The iPhone 4′s back is not made from the same toughened Corning Gorilla Glass used on the front. The Glassgate issue is not affected by snap-on cases, our source said.

This is huge for slider case makers – a huge hit to their bottom line, that is. Even though making the cases is cheap, makers must invest $250,000 for the molds. Many companies have ordered big production runs in anticipation of selling them at Apple Stores, but now they’re left with a bunch of cases and nowhere to sell them. For example, Mophie is rumored to have ordered over 100,000 Juice Pack Airs for iPhone 4.

Not all case makers are buying into the hype. CEO of Hard Candy Cases, Tim Hickman, is not convinced that Glassgate is a real problem, but a perception problem. (Hard Candy Cases are not sold in Apple stores, so this ban does not affect his sales).

I've shipped 22,000 units and not heard a single complaint. If there was a problem, we would have heard about it by now. I'm very suspect that there's a real issue there.

It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds. Will Apple determine that Glassgate is real and permanently ban the sale of slider cases from their stores?

Have you experienced Glassgate to be a real problem? Or do you have a slider case that is working perfectly with your iPhone 4? If you’re a slider-case user, are you discontinuing the use of that case until Apple reaches a verdict?

[Cult of Mac]

Slider cases for iPhone 4 pulled from Apple Stores due to “Glassgate”? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Astronut is a new iPhone game coming this holiday season from the Iconfactory, makers of Twitterrific, Ramp Champ, and other well-known iOS titles. Chock full of cosmic-scale, arcade-style action, Astronut promises 24 levels across 6 sectors, and full support for Apple’s Game Center. And as with most things they put pixel and code to, it looks frakking awesome.

Iconfactory’s Gedeon Maheux told TiPb:

“I firmly believe Astronut is our finest entertainment title to date. We've crafted the game play to be fun and addicting, while creating the beautiful graphics users love to see on the stunning retina display on iPhone and iPod touch. We can’t wait to get it into player’s hands.”

Check out the teaser trailer after the break!

[Astronut website]

Iconfactory teases Astronut for iPhone [video] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Interested in how to speed up your typing by quickly inserting punctuation with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad keyboard? Annoyed at having to press multiple buttons, at having to tap the ‘123′ option and then selecting the punctuation, then needing to press the ‘ABC” option again to continue typing? Well this is the tip for you and we’ll show you how after the break!

Instead of pressing and letting go of the ‘123′ option then selecting the appropriate punctuation, simply tap and hold the ‘123′ option, slide your finger to the desired punctuation, and release. The punctuation you want will be inserted and, upon release, the keyboard will automatically go back to the “ABC” option on its own and you can continue your typing.

That’s it! 1 tap and a quick swipe, instead of 3 taps. We think you’ll quickly discover that this method will save you a lot of time throughout the day, especially if you’re a heavy text user.

Bonus tip: Here are a few more keyboard shortcuts shown off on the iPad!

Let us know how this tip works out for you, and as always, ask any questions you have in the comments below!

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 dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Beginner Tip: How to quickly insert punctuation on iPhone and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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In a report by SquareTrade, a company that sells extended warranties for many mobile devices, Apple’s iPhone 4 was found to be the device least likely to have electronic malfunctions. However, it also had the highest likelihood of breaking when dropped. From TechCrunch:

The year long study looked at 50,000 warranty replacements. The iPhone 4 had the fewest malfunctions not due to accidental damage while Motorola and HTC Android phones tied for second. As for breakage, the iPhone 4 is king of the heap with 9.4%

Not related to the possible Glassgate situation, this news is still rather off-putting in a world where the iPhone 4 is one of the greatest designed phones around — but that design includes glass on both sides.

Does this concern any of you iPhone 4 users? Sound off in the comments!

[SquareTrade via TechCrunch]

Report: iPhone 4 least likely to malfunction, most likely to shatter is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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The 2010 TiPb Award for Favorite Navigation App goes to… NAVIGON Mobile Navigator!

NAVIGON MobileNavigator has been at the forefront turn-by-turn navigation apps since Apple brought the functionality to the iPhone. Now, with iOS 4’s multitasking background location services, and the latest updates and enhancements to MobileNavigator, not only does it rival traditional dedicated GPS units, but in many ways surpasses them.

“We’re honored that the TiPb.com community voted NAVIGON MobileNavigator as their favorite iPhone navigation app. This award recognizes our dedication to delivering innovation and quality products to consumers now and into the future. The iPhone has been and continues to be an extremely important platform for NAVIGON. It has allowed MobileNavigator to significantly move the category of navigation applications forward; delivering a solution that is the most feature rich navigation application available." – Bernd Hahn, Head of iNavigation at NAVIGON

Congratulations to NAVIGON MobileNavigator, our 2010 TiPb Award Favorite Navigation App!

[iTunes link]

2010 TiPb Award for Favorite Navigation App goes to…! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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We see quite a few questions in our Jailbreak Forums about jailbreak basics. So, we’ve decided to compile a master list of some basic jailbreak magic right here in one place. Hopefully this will help a lot of you beginner jailbreakers learn the ropes (and maybe even help some of you decide whether the leap to the jailbreak world has its advantages for you). We’ve included common jailbreak lingo, popular jailbreak apps and tools, and videos highlighting some awesome jailbreak utilities!

Common Jailbreak Terms

Jailbreak

The most obvious of all terms, but yet the most confused. Jailbreaking simply allows users to have access to certain core functionality that Apple doesn’t give us stock. A jailbreak also gives users access to applications Apple may have rejected via Cydia. It also allows custom loading of apps (on Android, loading applications yourself is referred to as side-loading, just as rooting is to Android, jailbreak is to iPhone). On the iPhone you can use the SSH method or use iPhone Explorer. Jailbreaking allows customization at its core meaning, but shouldn’t be confused with unlocking.

Unlocking

Unlocking your iPhone allows you to use it on any GSM carrier. Simply meaning, if you have an AT&T iPhone, unlocking it will allow you to use it on T-Mobile USA or even Rogers Wireless in Canada by simply inserting a different SIM card. A lot of jailbreakers will unlock their iPhones not only to use on a different carrier, but to increase resale value. The unlock process can change from firmware to firmware but typically, you’ll need to jailbreak your phone and then install a program via Cydia like ultrasn0w or yellowsn0w, which will then unlock your iPhone.

Cydia

Apple has the App Store, jailbreakers have Cydia in addition to the default App Store. And if you want to be technical, Cydia was THE first App Store. It was available with iOS 1.x and allowed jailbreakers to download apps before the App Store even existed. Those who jailbroke their first generation iPhones on 1.x have seen several jailbreak ideas and concepts become parts of iOS. We would mention Rock here, but seeing as Cydia acquired Rock, there’s probably no point now. Another term you may hear when it comes to Cydia is repos, or repositories. These are simply sources you add in the manage section. ModMyi and BigBoss are two of the largest. They are already added when you install Cydia. You are always welcome to add custom repos if you choose. I highly advise only adding repos from trusted sources. If you have a weird feeling about adding it, I’d probably pass.

YouTube Link

Recovery Mode/DFU Mode

Many people still confuse these two terms. They ARE different. There IS an easy way to tell which mode your phone is in. If your screen shows a connect to iTunes logo with a slide for emergency option, you are in recovery mode. If the slide for emergency option is not there and you only see the connect to iTunes logo, you are in DFU mode (DFU mode can also present as a blank screen as well).

The main difference between these two modes is what they will and won’t bypass for installs. Recovery mode will implement iBoot (basically a portion of the bootloader than runs an integrity check) which will not allow you to downgrade your device. DFU mode will still talk to iTunes but it bypasses iBoot which will then allow you to downgrade firmware. Most jailbreaks will require DFU mode for these reasons. To enter DFU mode, you will follow these steps:

• Turn off your iPhone
• Hold down your power and home buttons
• Release the power button when the Apple logo appears, but continue holding down the home button. You should be presented with a Connect to iTunes logo.
• Plug in your phone and iTunes should yell at you and say you must restore the device before it can be used.

SHSH Blobs

A lot of people ask about this one and why Cydia wants to save them. When you upgrade firmware in iTunes, you’ll see at the top when you start a restore “Verifying restore with Apple”. Apple only signs current firmware versions. If you accidentally upgrade and then try to downgrade, your restore will fail. SHSH blobs save you from this headache. It will basically give iTunes a fake hand to shake, which in turn, makes iTunes think your restore has been verified. This can be a life saver if you accidentally upgrade and need to downgrade. TinyUmbrella will save SHSH blobs to the Cydia server as well. I highly recommend saving your blobs for every firmware version in case you ever find yourself in this predicament. We have posted a guide on how to save SHSH blobs via TinyUmbrella.

Baseband

The baseband is essentially the part of your device that controls the antennae. This has everything to do with your service and signal. This is why most unlockers have to be extremely careful when upgrading. If the baseband changes, it can permanently keep them from achieving an unlock. This is the main reason most unlockers tend to favor PwnageTool. It creates a custom firmware bundle for you to upgrade to that doesn’t upgrade the baseband, only the main OS. If you are running on a legitimate carrier and don’t care about unlocking, the baseband it typically less of a concern. Wifi and Bluetooth don’t run on the baseband either, so iPod touch or iPad owners typically don’t have concerns when it comes to new baseband versions.

Springboard

On a desktop you have a desktop, on an iPhone you have a springboard. It’s basically the interface you constantly interact with. Another term you’ll come in contact with is respringing. This is basically the act of restarting the springboard. Some jailbreak apps you install will require you to do this. All changes in the appearance of your phone via Winterboard (explained below) will require a respring as well. It’s nothing more than refreshing your desktop on a computer.

Common ways to Jailbreak

There are three commonly used tools to Jailbreak iPhone and iPod Touch under iOS 4.1 and iPad under iOS 3.2. We’ve got video tutorials for each of them.

• limera1n
• greenpois0n
• pwnagetool

Common Jailbreak Utilities

Winterboard

A lot of people jailbreak for the ability to change the look of their iPhone. Enter Winterboard, which is a free download via Cydia. It’s a necessary utility to install themes and most customizations. Many veteran jailbreakers will remember the days of Summerboard as well. Winterboard took it’s place a few years back and improved upon several things. When you install a theme, all the components will show up in Winterboard. Depending upon how a theme developer decided to bundle their theme, you may have only one package in Winterboard, or you may have several. I personally prefer when developers separate theme elements. Since Winterboard works as a hierarchy, I can select a theme and if I don’t like the sounds, I can download a sound pack I “do” like and apply that in Winterboard. The key is to move it above the main theme so it overrides the sounds I don’t want. I highly suggest jailbreakers to become very familiar and comfortable with Winterboard. If you do, there no limit to what you can do to your phone and you’ll be able to tweak and customize even the littlest details of your springboard.

YouTube Link

SBSettings

This free utility allows you to add quick toggles that will drop down onto your springboard. There are also several plug-ins and themes you can download for SBSettings as well. It’ll also allow you to hide icons you don’t want or use. This is especially useful for hiding stock apps you can’t uninstall. I hide the default weather and stock apps among others that are simply wasting space on my springboard. You’ll also be able to more closely keep tabs on your memory and running processes. This was extremely useful before multitasking. It’s still useful today for freeing up memory and seeing what may be eating through battery or slowing your phone down.

YouTube Link

iWipeCache

Prior to 3.x, iOS didn’t cache icons in a way that created issues. The problem now with 3.x and beyond is the way the file system caches icons. When you switch themes, sometimes you’ll notice certain icons don’t change or they stay stuck on the last theme you had active. Prior to iWipecache, you had to SSH into your phone and delete the cache in certain folders and respring. iWipecache simplifies this process and does it for you on the go. It’s a free utility and something I’d highly recommend to anyone who likes to change UI elements and themes frequently. If there is ever a time iWipeCache doesn’t work, especially under iOS 4.x, try going into Winterboard and toggling Summerboard mode on and off, then respringing. This seems force even the most stubborn icons to change.

OpenSSH

Open SSH is a utility that allows SSH access to your device. You can then use an SSH client to access your device’s main file system for editing. Simpler utilities now exist, such as iPhone explorer which you’ll download to your PC or Mac. When you plug your iPhone, iPod, or iPad in, it will bring up the file system and you can edit without SSH access. I recommend using a utility like iPhone explorer over SSH as it’s safer. SSH can open you up to hackers and give others access to your file system if you forget to disable it. SSH is also a huge battery hog. The only benefit is that you don’t have to have your phone plugged in to SSH. You must be plugged in to use a utility like iPhone explorer. If you decide to use the SSH option, make sure to change your iPhone root and user passwords. You can visit our Jailbreak Forums if you need help doing this.

Notification Replacement Apps

There are more than a few choices when it comes to selecting a notification app. LockInfo, Intelliscreen, and Notified Pro are all acceptable selections. Most offer trials so it’s really up to personal preference. I’m a major fan of LockInfo and find it much more user friendly than Intelliscreen. Notified Pro has also been gaining some ground and continues to add many improvements as well. Since Apple has yet to improve upon their notification system, I highly suggest checking these out and implementing one of them. You’ll be happy you did. I’ve already posted a guide to setting up LockInfo so be sure to check that out as well.

SMS Apps and Add-Ons

There are many apps that improve SMS capabilities as well. I personally use BiteSMS but apps such as TLert and iRealSMS are more than acceptable candidates as well. QuickReply for SMS is also a good app but be warned that the developer has decided to not continue with it. It’s rumored to go free (if it hasn’t already). So if you’re okay with the current bugs and don’t expect updates, it may be an acceptable option for you. Most of these apps allow you to reply quickly to texts without it interrupting your work-flow. They’ll also allow you to create gestures on the springboard which will allow you to quickly send an SMS without ever leaving the current app you’re already in.

MyWi

Many users are left bitter when certain carriers want to charge them an additional fee just for the privilege of tethering. MyWi is a wonderful little app and in my opinion, a major reason to jailbreak on its own. MyWi alllows you to create a wifi hotspot with your iPhone. I have a wifi only iPad and I never even considered purchasing the 3G version. I simply tether my iPad to my iPhone. Just be wary of doing this if you don’t have an unlimited data plan. As of writing this, MyWi currently costs $19.99. It may seem like a hefty price tag but you’ll pay that in data and/or tethering fees in less than 2 months. You’ll only pay for MyWi once. You do the math.

My3G

Similar to MyWi, this app is a tweak that allows you to lift certain restrictions carriers and Apple have in place. It will allow you to trick your phone into thinking you have a wifi connection when you are really on the carrier network. This trick comes in handy if you need to download an app over 20MB and aren’t in range of wifi. It also allows you to use FaceTime over 3G as well. There is also another app called 3G Unrestrictor which will also allow you to make FaceTime calls over 3G.

As always, if you guys think of anything awesome you think should be on this list, shoot me an e-mail to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or post it in the comments below!

Jailbreak basics: Everything you need to know for iPhone and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Hitachi Displays out of Japan have been working on a new type of capacitive display technology that Apple could use in the next-generation iPhone 5 coming in 2011 that allows for interacting with the screen without direct skin contact, such as when using the device with gloves. From Patently Apple:

The new touch panel is still a projection design, but could be operated even while wearing gloves. The new panels range from 3 to 10 inches in size, covering Apple’s current lines of iOS based devices. Considering that Apple is a pioneering leader in this field, we’re likely to see this technology come to iOS based devices in the coming years.

This is a really neat idea. I can’t tell you the number of times during the winter months when I’d appreciate such a technology as this (as opposed to spending $20+ on a pair of special “iPhone gloves”, pictured above). This would also be great for using a non-iPhone specific stylus if you’re still into using technology dating back to the late 90’s.

How about you, would you be happy seeing this integrated into future iPhone or iPad displays, or would you not notice the added value? Let us know what you think in the comments!

[Patently Apple]

Future iPhone to allow capacitive touch with gloves on? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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TaskPaper is a simple paper-like application that allows you to write out tasks in a list, strike them out when done and for good measure add some tags to keep things straight. This type of task management is almost the polar opposite of David Allen’s GTD methodology (see my GTD with Evernote post here).

Hog Bay Software has done a fantastic job of capturing a more simple task management system that is based on Mark Forester’s AutoFocus system. When you launch the app you have a nice “Welcome” document that teaches you the basics of interacting with TaskPaper. You can make notes, tasks and projects. So, I jumped right in and made two projects: AutoFocus Oct 2010 and AutoFocus Nov 2010. My goal being, every month I would create a new list of tasks. This is a great way to keep things in a concise list, other wise your list would grow to crazy proportions.

Next, you start making your tasks. According to AutoFocus, just begin listing everything that comes to mind. I made quite a list at first. With AutoFocus, you simply browse your list do “what feels right”. I know, it might be foreign to some, but as you browse the list, you really do know what needs to get done via your, what I call, internal constraint clock. To complete your task, swipe from left to right on the task and TaskPaper gives you a very satisfying strikethrough that includes an @done tag and date you completed it. As you move though the system you start to amass completed tasks intermixed with active tasks. This can be somewhat annoying if you have a really big list. To accommodate for this, TaskPaper allows you to Archive @done tasks and groups them at the bottom of the page so you can focus on your active tasks.

TaskPaper has two tags by default; @done and @today. The @today tag can help you pick 3 or so tasks that you want to get done today. You can create as many tags as you like, just add “@” and they work anywhere in the task. You can then filter via the @ button on the bottom toolbar. With your @done tasks out of the way, you can rearrange tasks as you see fit by tapping on the task and holding it. Then, simply drag to a new location. If you need to select multiple tasks, hold any button on the toolbar (say, the @ button) and simultaneously tap on the tasks you want to highlight.

You can easily navigate between projects and rename, delete, tag as you see fit. One thing folks might want to know is that if you do have separate real work projects, I recommend making a separate TaskPaper project for each and list out your tasks as needed. I know to many this may sound bizarre, but if you work on projects with a lot of small pieces without a lot of date constraints, the system works pretty well.

I really don’t have much to say as a take-away for TaskPaper. It is simple and does things well. The developer is promising DropBox integration in an upcoming update (similar to their other product PlainText). Occasionally I would tap on a task I did not want and it would disappear or something, but nothing a quick shake of the iPad/iPhone wouldn’t undo.

If you are looking for a simple task management system, look no further than TaskPaper, I really like it a lot and is close to becoming my daily-driver task management solution

[$9.99- iTune Link]

Pros

• Simple interface
• Uses concepts from AutoFocus
• Syncs across multiple devices
• Switching to DropBox in a future update
• Built-in search

Cons

• Interface can be a little “twitchy” when selecting items

TaskPaper for iPad – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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The Otterbox Defender Case for iPad is serious armor plating for your precious iPad, but like any suit of armor it can be a little bit of work to figure out just how to put it on (or take it off!).

Check out the video above to see me give a try. Just promise to laugh with me and not at me, okay?

A few pictures of the final results, after the jump!

[Sponsored: If you want an Otterbox Defender Case for iPad of your very own, pick one up at the TiPb iPad Accessory Store.]

How to put on (and take off) an Otterbox Defender Case for iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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According to 9to5 Mac, Apple has acquired Wi-Gear which is a small Bluetooth headphone designer from San Francisco. Previously Wi-Gear had made A2DP stereo headphones known as iMuffs along with Bluetooth adaptors for older generation iOS devices that did not support Bluetooth 2.0 and A2DP. Wi-Gear products were always aimed squarely at iPod devices.

Wi-Gear co-founder Michael Kim is now known to be on the team at Apple under the title of iOS Bluetooth Engineer. Will this acquisition lead to Apple releasing their own branded headphones using the knowledge and experience gained from Wi-Gear, or will Kim simply be helping Apple make a better Bluetooth stack to support 3rd party headsets?

Having used A2DP headphones many times in the past, the experience with music has never been great compared to a high quality wired pair, however listening to podcasts and spoken word is more than acceptable. Maybe Apple will find a way to deliver a great wireless music experience too, when this finally comes to fruition.

[9to5 Mac]

Apple buys Wi-Gear, Bluetooth headphones on the horizon? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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