A new model home in Overlook, Lone Tree's Heritage Hills has been equipped with two iPads to enable the use of home control and automation. The iPads can control the homes lighting, motorised sun shades, multi-room music system, television and video systems, baby monitors and closed circuit security cameras.

The iPads, featuring 10-inch screens, are designed to remain docked in the wall but can be removed. The dual iPad control system costs roughly $5,000, said Travis Deatherage, a partner with Denver-based Solstice Multimedia, the company that built the system. Audio, video, security and other equipment takes the overall cost to about $60,000. “The iPad has brought the entry-level price point down significantly, because an 8-inch in-wall touch screen before cost upwards of $3,000 or more,” Deatherage said. “Now we can get a $500 iPad and still provide most of the functionality that an in-wall touch panel can give.”

The iPad's communicate with a central mechanical control panel via WiFi and overall control can be done via a third device; which could be another iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. This would be done via an application designed for the purpose. The system can run everything in the home including the heating and cooling systems and even a swimming pool.

Home automation has always been a high cost luxury item. Maybe with the use of iPad’s we could see it becoming more cost effective to install and enable us to control our energy usage and overall running cost of our homes.

[Denver Post]

iPad set to invade the home automation business, reduction in cost the driving factor! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Cydia may be getting some competition from a new browser-based alternative called Lima. The development team behind the jailbreak installer, named Infini Dev Team, says the new package installer will be fully functional from Mobile Safari and let users install unapproved 3rd party apps and extensions just like Cydia.

Lima is going to be a browser-based dpkg Installer. Meaning all you have to do is visit a website in safari and you have a fully fucntional package installer!

The Infini Dev Team recently put out a working version of Icy, a Cydia alternative from Rip Dev that hasn’t been in development for some time now. Icy was a fast, lightweight package installer that many users preferred over Cydia, and Infini Dev is apparently taking a very stripped-down approach with Lima as well. We’re not exactly sure how the technology behind Lima works or when it will be available, but things appear to be functioning as described. Check out the video after the break to see Lima in action!

Would you be open to the idea of a browser-based package installer, or would you rather stick with Cydia as a long-trusted option? Let us know in the comments!

[Infini Dev Team]

New browser-based Cydia alternative called Lima coming soon [Jailbreak] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

• i.TV: See what's airing on TV, available on Netflix, Hulu, and iTunes, schedule your TiVo DVR, and look up show information on IMDb and Wikipedia. Now a universal application for iPhone and iPad with a new interface and many new features. [Free - iTunes link]

• Graphing Calculator: Turn your iPhone into an intuitive high-resolution function plotter and scientific calculator. Now with the ability to graph inequalities and piece-wise functions. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

• Starbucks Card Mobile: No longer need to login to check your stars. [Free - iTunes link]

• TweetyPop: A new, fun and intuitive way to experience Twitter. As tweets appear, they sort in the chronological space-time-Twitter continuum. As you read each tweet, grab it with your finger and fling it off screen. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

• La Koketa Style Advisor: This app will help you look fabulous and confident in your own clothes on any given occasion. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

Any other big apps or game releases or updates today? If you pick any of these up, let us know what you think!

Check out a video of TweetyPop after the break!

TweetyPop – Your Twitter Universe, Reimagined. from TapFactory Apps on Vimeo.

New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Monday, May 2 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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TiPb’s developer spotlights are like DVD/iTunes Extras for the App Store — a weekly look behind the scenes at the programers and designers that bring you the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games you love. This week Rene talks with Luc Vandal of Edovia.

What’s your name? Luc Vandal

What’s your company? Edovia Inc.

Where are you based? We’re based in Montréal, Québec, the french speaking province of Canada.

What’s your web address?* http://edovia.com

Where can we find you on Twitter? @edovia for stuff about Edovia and @lucvandal for everything else.

What apps do you develop? Screens, TouchPad, NumPad, Currencies and Warships.

What did you think when Palm announced their tablet would be called TouchPad, given that one of your apps has been named that for years? I actually found it amusing and TouchPad has actually seen a sales increase since then. On the other hand, it made me realize the importance of making sure you protect your brands adequately and took measures in that effect soon after, just in case things turned sour. But for now, I’m not concerned about it.

What apps, other than your own, are currently among your favorites? Twitterrific, Instapaper, Reeder are pretty much my most used apps besides my own.

How long have you been a developer? Started programming on a Commodore 64 back when I was twelve, so about 25 years but more officially for about 12 years, which about 5 of them have been pretty much iOS/Mac exclusive.

How long have you been an iOS developer? Since early 2008, when Apple released the iPhone SDK.

Do you develop for any other platform in addition to iOS? If so, which one(s)? We have some projects for the Mac going on and we’re currently porting Screens Connect on Windows but we have no plans for now to develop for other platforms.

What primary computer setup do you use for your iOS development? I used to rely on only a late 2010 MacBook Air. While I love the machine, it’s a little slow when using Xcode 4 so I’ve recently purchased a max-out i7 iMac (SSD/HDD combo, 16GB RAM, etc.), which is more appropriate for development purposes. So at the office it’s all iMac and at home I use the MBA with a 27″ Cinema Display but in clamshell mode. I don’t like multiple-monitors setups. Hurts my neck.

What iOS device(s) do you personally use most often? My iPad 2. I don’t use my iPhone 4 very much unless I leave the office or home.

What mobile devices, other than iOS, do you currently use? Does a calculator count? Seriously, none. Might be tempted to by a non-iOS tablet eventually, should there ever be one worth my time and money.

What’s your favorite thing about developing for iOS? The development tools are pretty amazing. I also love Objective-C (used to be a MFC guy while I was working at Corel) and just the quality of the OS and devices, the amount of time Apple puts into details. The community is also pretty amazing.

What’s your least favorite thing about developing for iOS? The 100 devices limit, which is pretty dumb since Apple releases at least 2-3 new devices each year and most people upgrade. You end up out of spots very quickly. I don’t understand the thinking behind this.

What feature would you most like Apple to add to the iOS 5 SDK? Good question. A Bluetooth connection API to allow us to connect an iOS device to a Mac. TouchPad and NumPad would really benefit from it. Improved cloud and synching support. A solution resulting of a mixture of MobileMe and DropBox would be awesome.

What feature would you most like Apple to add to the App Store? Upgrade system for current users but this will never happen. I think Apple’s philosophy on this is lower your price and charge the full price every new major version.

If we were to eavesdrop on you while you were coding, what curse word would we hear you use the most? “Tabarnak” or “Câlice”, which are pretty common french canadian swear words! Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabarnak for more info.

What do you do when you’re not coding iOS apps? I ride my bike, try to get back at skateboarding, watch movies, drink good alcohol with friends, spend time with the girlfriend and the dog, travel.

**What should we look for from you next? ** We have no plans for the future, we’re screwed… Nah, a couple of our iOS apps will make it to the Mac. One of them is pretty obvious to guess really but the one is a surprise! It’s pretty much a small project to experiment with the Chameleon framework. As for new projects, we always have ideas but nothing concrete for now!

I tend to scratch my own itch when I develop a new app so projects are very spontaneous and unplanned at Edovia so it’s hard to tell what our next project will be!

Thanks Luc!

[Photo credit: Ken Aspeslagh]

Developer Spotlight: Luc Vandal of Edovia is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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BGR has been leaked iOS 4.3.3, the upcoming firmware we first heard about as part of Apple’s location data Q&A. Apparently, this is what we’ll be getting:

• The update will no longer back up the location database to iTunes.
• The size of the location database will be reduced.
• The location database will be deleted entirely when Location Services are turned off.
• Battery life improvements.
• iPod bug fixes.

Anything else they should be fixing?

[BGR]

iOS 4.3.3 coming soon, will fix location database is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Our good friend CrackBerry Kevin has just gone hands-on with the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, the new touch-enabled flagship phone from RIM. BlackBerry has always excelled at the front-facing QWERTY, and the Bold 9000 series has been the be very best of their best — and now with the 9900 and 9930 it’s going touch. Not touch like the Storm — thank Odin for that! — or even like the original underpowered Torch. No, this is doing it with BlackBerry OS 7, a 287dpi 640×480 screen, and a 1.2GHz processor.

Some questions remain, however. Can BlackBerry really do touch? The PlayBook says they can but this phone still runs BBOS, not the new QNX platform. Is the touchscreen and keyboard, like the old Palm Treo line, the best of both worlds or twice the compromises? And will “super apps” stop being a lame marketing quip and become truly killer software for BlackBerry?

The Bold 9900/9930 will debut this summer, which would typically put them head-to-head with a new iPhone, but this year iPhone 5 might only debut in the fall. Will that help RIM out? Will anyone get a Bold Touch to hold them over? Hit the link below, watch the video, and tell us if Apple and iPhone 4 have anything to worry about.

[CrackBerry]

BlackBerry Bold Touch hands-on [competition] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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iOS 4 finally gave us Folders in which to group our apps, but do you use them and if so, how do you use them? Do you have only the default Utilities Folder or have you made Folders for virtually all your app categories and sub categories? Do you keep Folders all on one home screen page or are they spread out across every page? If you have both, do you organize things differently on your iPhone than you do your iPad? Do you put any Folders in your dock, and if so, which apps get that exulted position?

If you joined us for iPad Live! last night (of course you did, right?) you heard that I used to be very organized with my Folders but after being bitten by the exploding folders bug once too often, I gave up and now there are random folders — some with only 1 app in them! — strewn across my iPhone home screens. (I don’t use Folders on my iPad, haven’t even thought about it really.) I’m trying out the FolderEnhancer Jailbreak tweak and maybe that will motivate me to clean up. (But I’m not going to lie, until Apple offers an easy way to save home screen layouts, it’s still going to be hit and miss with me.)

So TiPb Nation, let me know — how do you group your Folders?

TiPb asks: How do you group your Folders? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Research in Motion has announced BlackBerry Enterprise Server support for iOS — namely BES and RIM’s newly acquired ubitexx technology, will soon be able to provide management and security features for iPhone and iPad.

"The multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution is designed to address a growing market and respond to requests from enterprise customers who want a secure multi-platform device management solution from a company that already delivers the gold standard for enterprise mobility," said Peter Devenyi, Vice President, Communications Platform Group at Research In Motion. "We recognize the opportunity to continue leading in the enterprise market by providing customers with a common platform to help simplify the management of a variety of mobile devices."

iOS — and Android for that matter — won’t get all the fancy features BlackBerrys on BES enjoy, including the new BlackBerry Balance feature which silos work from personal content, but they’ll get enough to make it very interesting for IT departments.

Microsoft once faced the choice of keeping ActiveSync a competitive advantage for Windows Mobile, hurting their platform but helping their devices, or licensing ActiveSync and gaining infrastructure share at the expense of device share. They chose the latter and now ActiveSync is a key part of iOS, Mac OS X, GoogleSync, and many Android devices. RIM had chosen to keep their technology for themselves… up until now and it begs the question — if they’re going to let BES go cross-platform, could BBM follow?

And what if any increased competition will Apple’s new “iCloud” services offer in the enterprise space?

Full BlackBerry World PR after the break! Anyone counting the days until you can hook your iPhone or iPad into BES?

[CrackBerry]

RIM Announces Multi-Platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for Smartphones and Tablets Device Management Solution to Provide Security, Management, and Control of BlackBerry Devices, Plus Secure Management for Other Mobile Devices

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM, TSX: RIM) is announcing today plans for a multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for managing and securing mobile devices for enterprises and government organizations. The solution will make available the market-leading management, security and controls of BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express for BlackBerry® devices plus, through RIM's pending acquisition of ubitexx (creator of the ubi-Suite device management solution), the solution is expected to incorporate secure device management for Android and iOS based devices and tablets, all managed from a single web-based console.

"The multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution is designed to address a growing market and respond to requests from enterprise customers who want a secure multi-platform device management solution from a company that already delivers the gold standard for enterprise mobility," said Peter Devenyi, Vice President, Communications Platform Group at Research In Motion. "We recognize the opportunity to continue leading in the enterprise market by providing customers with a common platform to help simplify the management of a variety of mobile devices."

The single web-based console is being designed to provide IT administrators with a simple and efficient way to distribute software and manage policies, inventory, security and services for BlackBerry devices, as well as other mobile devices. IT administrators will be able to manage devices over-the-air, including activating devices, distributing software and applications, locking or wiping devices, enforcing and resetting device passwords, setting IT policies, and managing optional mobile applications for end users. Certain features are expected to remain exclusive to BlackBerry devices because such capabilities are built into the design of a device's operating system. Examples include RIM's industry-leading push technology, network and data usage efficiency, behind-the-firewall access to enterprise applications and systems, and many of the over 550 IT policies available through BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The recently-released BlackBerry® BalanceTM technology (see separate press release issued today), which supports the use of a single smartphone for both work and personal purposes without compromising the security of corporate content or the privacy of personal content, will also remain exclusive to BlackBerry devices.

Overall, as is largely understood in the enterprise market today, organizations can expect a range of security, manageability and controls depending on different device platform capabilities, with some devices further limited by the design of their operating system.

The multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution will be comprised of optional architectural components based on the configuration of an organization's mobile deployment and their operational needs. Optional components will include BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express for BlackBerry devices, and a separate, secure device management server for Android and iOS devices (based on the foundation of ubi-Suite from ubitexx). It will be possible to deploy multiple components in a virtualized environment on a single server. Note: Registration for a product preview of the ubitexx solution is open today at www.ubitexx.com/preview. The multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution is planned for general availability later this year.

RIM announces BlackBerry Enterprise Server… for iPhone and iPad! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Geohot has accepted a challenge from p0sixninja to see who can dump the iPad 2 bootrom first. The iPad 2, with its new Apple A5 chipset, still can't be Jailbroken and iPhone hacker p0sixninja recently noted that it's a demanding, time consuming and difficult task very few have the patience, time and skill to do.

Damn, this is one of the slowest progressing jailbreaks ever. I think I kinda miss geohot a bit

The challenge was thrown down via twitter and, according to p0sixninja, Geohot has accepted the challenge (although he doesn't have an iPad 2 yet.)

This is great news as it can only help in finding a solution for everyone with an iPad 2 that wishes to jailbreak. We will keep you up-to-date as things develop. How many of our readers are desperate to jailbreak their iPad 2′s? Let us know in the comments!

[p0sixninja]

Geohot accepts challenge to help jailbreak the iPad 2 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Verizon Droid Charge initial review Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc initial review Casio G’zOne Commando initial review Droid Incredible 2 initial review	First BlackBerry PlayBook commercial finally airs! BlackBerry 6.1 is now named BlackBerry 7! (and no, it is not QNX based) Review: OtterBox Defender series case for the BlackBerry PlayBook
The white iPhone 4 has (finally!) arrived — Here’s everything you need to know! Unbaked — Are Android and BlackBerry giving us cookie dough instead of cookies? TiPb TV 19: The iPhone 4 case rocket	FCC: Pre 3 with webOS 2.3, Wi-Fi TouchPad, and Bluetooth webOS keyboard Developer Spotlight: M. Saleh Esmaeili App Catalog update pushed as an app update; adds promo code support

Is "Xbox Live Music" the future of "Zune"? More Verizon Windows Phone rumors: training begins, launching May 12th? Microsoft bringing check-ins to Windows Phone this fall

Best of Smartphone Experts, 1 May 2011 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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