Radio Shack is offering $50 in savings on the purchase of a new iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS at their retail locations (i.e. offline only) until December 11. Better yet, if you have a good condition iPhone 3GS or iPhone 3G you want to trade in, they’ll give you another $75 or $125 off respectively. Darren Murph of Engadget does the math on that:

you could walk in today, hand over your 3GS, and walk out with an iPhone 4 for $25 (plus activation fees)

Apparently they’re eating the discount to gain some marketing attention for their wireless business. But chances are you don’t care why — they had you at cheap. Anyone taking them up on the offer?

[Engadget]

iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS $50 off at Radio Shack is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

As everyone waits patiently for an untethered 4.2.1 jailbreak, I thought I’d let you know about some popular Cydia iPhone app updates including Bytafont, Barrel, Scrollingboard and more. Read on for the updates!

Bytafont 1.1

Bytafont got a much needed update and is now the app that most were hoping would be released. As with fontswap before it, this app can now individually skin different parts of your device (System, Lockscreen Clock, Notes, etc.) with the font of your choice. Simply download fonts from Cydia and skin away! This app is free on Cydia! Note: This app is NOT 4.2.1 compliant. If you are on this firmware hold off until an update is released!

Barrel 1.1

This springboard tweak gives your springboard pages a 3D cube transition and has now been updated with two new modes: Scroll down and scroll up. This app is available on Cydia for $2.99.

Scrollingboard 1.14

This extremely powerful springboard app allows for scrolling folders and dock apps similar to infinifolders and infinidock respectively. It has been updated to allow for custom dock icons which would allow you to place Sbsettings toggles directly in your dock! This app is available on Cydia for $1.49.

More

Some other apps that are now 4.2.1 compliant: Infiniboard, Gridlock, Infinifolders, Infinidock, DisplayOut, MyWi

Any comments or questions about these Cydia apps? Let us know by leaving a comment below or in our new Jailbreak App, Hack, and Theme Forums!

Bytafont, Barrel, Scrollingboard, and more Cydia iPhone app updates! [Jailbreak] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

Should you get an iPhone 4, iPod touch (2010), or iPod nano (2010)? Or more specifically, who should get an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPod nano? That’s a question we get a lot from people considering their first iOS device or a second device for their family, and that’s the topic for the fourth episode of our new, conversational video show, TiPb TV!

Rene and I go over the strong and weak points of each device, always on internet connectivity vs. the cost of a data plan, sleek and thin vs. smaller camera sensor, cheap and highly portable vs. no video and apps. Sure there’s a lot of overlap but there are a lot of differences too.

Maybe you already have a phone or smartphone, maybe you need a phone or a second media player or workout music. If you’re thinking of picking up a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPod nano this holiday season — for yourself or for that special someone — then check out the latest episode of TiPb TV and we’ll help you decide!

TiPb TV 04: Should you get an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPod nano? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

Some of Apple’s more interesting recent patent applications and grants for iPad and iPhone include spiraling, radial menus, an actual radio app, 3D displays without the need for annoying glasses. As always, just because Apple patents something doesn’t mean we’ll ever see it in production hardware or software, so just take these for what they’re worth — glimpses into Apple’s thinking about the future.

Radial menus would be use in lieu of drop downs and possible in place of popovers:

"…The novel radial menu techniques of some embodiments include (i) non-uniform spacing of menu items, (ii) the use of shading or highlighting within a region associated with an item to indicate the present selectability of the item, and (iii) the use of radial gestures for opening sub-menus and the subsequent display of the sub-menu." [unwired view]

The Radio app is just another hint that Apple might one day activate the FM radio built into the iPhone’s chipset, but this time with handy location-based station mapping:

In Apple’s patent FIG. 6 noted below, we see that an FM radio receiver (104) is associated with a future version of the iPhone. The iPhone’s smart radio program is capable of presenting you with an FM radio list or a unique map with icons of the primary FM stations (e.g., 204a, 204b, and 204c, collectively referenced as 204) in the neighborhood. [Patently Apple]

Manufacturers and content producers are desperately trying to make us excited about 3D but the need for special glasses might keep it from being mainstream. Apple specializes in mainstream so is it any surprise they’re looking into 3D sans goggles?

Apple’s invention provides a three-dimensional display system having a projection screen having a predetermined angularly-responsive reflective surface function. Three-dimensional images are respectively modulated in coordination with the predetermined angularly-responsive reflective surface function to define a programmable mirror with a programmable deflection angle. [Patently Apple]

Any of these have you particularly excited about the future of Apple devices and apps?

Radial menus, location-based radio, 3D displays – iPhone and iPad patent round up is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

Since the iPad doesn’t have a USB port or SSD card slot (can I say “grrrr!’ again?) Apple sells a Camera Kit that’s supposed to let you plug in your camera or card and transfer your pictures and video — but also used to work for low power USB keyboards and Skype/VoIP headsets. I say “used to” because with iOS 4.2 that no longer seems to be the case.

Mark Gurman from 9to5mac has done some tests:

The essence of the issue with the connection kit and iOS 4.2 is that connected devices that require power of more than 20mA will no longer work. That means that many USB keyboards (Apple's included) will no longer work with the iPad, as well as USB flash drives. When the user connects a device that is not self-powered and requires more than 20mA of power from the iPad they get the following alert: "The connected USB device requires too much power."

Support for those devices was unofficial but it was useful. Worse news for photographers, power-hungry cameras seem to be having issues as well. And really, what good is a Camera Kit if your camera won’t work as you’ve come to expect? Hopefully this is a bug and Apple will fix it in iOS 4.3 (I’m adding it to my list!)

We spoke about this on the last iPad Live podcast, and we’ve gotten some angry emails and tweets about it already but if you’re having any issues with your iPad Camera Kit, give us the details in comments.

[9to5mac]

iOS 4.2 bugs: iPad Camera Kit no longer supports as many USB devices? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

CallLock is a new tweak available for Jailbroken iPhones that does exactly what it says — it locks your phone once an incomming or an outgoing call is connected. If you are like me and your iPhone 4 is still having proximity sensor issues issues then this will prevent you from ever face dialing, muting and ending calls ever again.

The setup is also simple. Once you have it installed just go into Settings and you will find CallLock. Select it and you have two options: Manually Lock and Automatically Lock. Manual lock allows you to press the lock button to lock your phone without ending the call. Automatic lock will lock your phone once your call is connected, no button press needed.

To download this tweak visit the Cydia store and simply search for CallLock. It is currently available and it is only $0.99.

If you have an iPhone 4 with proximity sensor issues and decide to try CallLock out, leave us a comment let us know how it works for you!

CallLock fixes proximity sensor bug [Jailbreak] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Engadget continues to rake in scoop after scoop on the “PlayStation Phone”, which I deliberately place in quotes because it looks like what should be the PSPhone, the next technological marvel from the company that once brought us Walkman, is actually… an Android app.

No, that’s not a joke. The PSPhone or PlayStation Phone or Zeus or whatever Sony ends up calling what should be their premiere mobile device runs on top of Google’s Android platform. Android 2.3 Gingerbread to be precise.

That’s awesome for a whole lot of reasons. It’s a huge boost for Google and fantastic news for Android enthusiasts who want great gaming on the platform. (At least for those who are willing to use Sony Ericsson’s version of it.) It’s great for Apple iPhone lovers because strong competition breeds a better market for everyone. Who knows, maybe someday they’ll even make a PlayStation app for iOS too. (I don’t think they will but that won’t stop me from dreaming about God of War and Grand Turismo on my iPad…)

It might even be great for Sony in the sense that it avoids them having to write a telephony stack and Smartphone OS from scratch, something they’ve never seriously undertaken on their own (they’ve previously used Android, Windows Mobile, and Symbian). It probably gets them to market faster, especially considering how slow to market they’ve been. (The iPhone was released in 2007, the App Store in 2008, and the PSPhone won’t hit until 2011. That’s positively glacier in modern terms).

It’s bad for them in that it means their iconic PlayStation line, for the first time, is dependent on someone else’s platform. That Android is open source and Sony could always fork it and take it in-house somewhat diminishes the risk. (Unlike RIM who’s mortgaged the soul of their new PlayBook tablet to Adobe for the jumpstart of a Flash/AIR UI and development layer.)

But it’s really bad for SONY. For the consumer electronics powerhouse. Like I said, for the company that made the walkman and the PS2.

For that Sony, the SONY of the 80s and 90s, it’s surrender. It’s the equivalent of releasing the PS3 as a Steam-like Windows program. It’s almost humiliating, or would be for that all-cap SONY of a decade ago. While not identical, I can’t help but think of SEGA who once made the Genesis and DreamCast and is now just one of a multitude of development houses and — much as I love Sonic — not even an industry leading one. (And yes, I owned a SEGA CD, what of it?)

Can you imagine if instead of the iPhone Apple made an iPod app for Windows Mobile? If instead of webOS Palm had simply repackaged their emulator for BlackBerry? With Facebook and Mozilla abdicating mobile OS innovation at the concept stage, Sony was one of the few companies I hoped could be the next Apple, the next Palm. Sure they were content on the PC side to resell Windows but mobile is the next big thing and a chance to start over — just ask HP.

So instead of a PlayStation Phone we get a phone that runs PlayStation. We get an app. And if you’re Sony and one of your highest value brands is reduced to an app on someone else’s platform you’re doing it wrong.

[Engadget via Android Central]

PlayStation Phone… is an Android app?! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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