How to automatically dial an extension on your iPhone. If you’re anything like me, you have quite a few friends and colleagues that have extension numbers. For a long time I always made a habit of saving extension numbers in the notes field. Then a friend gave me a nice little tip on how to have the iPhone dial extensions automatically on the iPhone.

As we all know, you’ll typically have to listen to some type of message or wait for the answering service to pick up before you can dial. Inserting a pause will allow the phone time to connect the call, then it will dial the extension. If you really want to, you could also add a few additional pauses if you’d like.

• Open your iPhone address book and click edit on the contact you’d like to add an extension to.
• Tap the phone number you’d like to edit and the dial pad should pop up like the picture below

• After you’ve entered the regular phone number, tap the +*# key
• Tap pause and you’ll see a comma is inserted after the number (you may insert more than one pause if you’d like the iPhone to wait a bit longer before dialing the extension)
• Type in the extension number and tap done

You’re done! Your iPhone now dials extensions on its own without you ever having to remember one again! It definitely beats keep them in a contact’s note field and having to look them up every time before calling. If any of you try this, let us know how it worked for you 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…)

Daily tip: How to automatically dial an extension on iPhone is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

Apple’s latest ad wants you to buy a $500+ tablet computer to run App Store apps on. Apple wants to sell you shiny things to make money.

Google’s latest ad wants you to store personal details about your child’s life, from birth, on their servers. Google wants your data so they can sell it (aggregated and anonymized, of course) to others to make money.

Taken in that context, Apple’s ad might be obnoxious and highly commercial, but Google’s is downright creepy.

That’s not an Apple fanboy perspective, that’s a privacy fanboy perspective. And it’s not iPhone vs. Android either. iPhone users use tons of Google services, including Gmail, Maps, and Search, and YouTube built in, and Voice, Latitude, etc. available via apps. Given over a 100 million iOS devices, we’re a huge part of Google’s user base, and a valuable part. And for the record, I haven’t liked some of Apple’s recent ads either.

Think about how each company makes money and what they have to sell to make that money. Apple makes almost all their money selling hardware products — selling to you. Google makes almost all their money selling advertising — selling you. (Or in this case, your child. Seriously — yikes!)

I’m not telling anyone to stop using Google, far from it. I’m all in on Google services. I’m a huge use. What I’m saying is this is not really a good ad. When you stop and think about it, it’s creepy.

(Note: As Apple ramps up iAds, this’ll be a concern for iOS users as well.)

Both videos after the break.

Apple vs. Google ads: What are they selling? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

Judge iPhone Live by the MP3 recording do you? Hmm? Hmm? And well that you should not, for the Live show is even more awesome, and a powerful awesome it is! The chatroom creates it, nurtures it. Its energy brings the hosts and topics together and binds us. Luminous podcasts are these and not just compressed recordings. You must join the Live show and feel it’s force around you; here on TiPb, between you, me, and the other chatters. Even between Apple and the iPhone.

(Happy Star Wars day!)

Time: 6pm PT, 9pm ET, 2am BST!

Place: http://live.tipb.com/live/

(You can watch from iPhone via Ustream Viewer app (here’s how) and iPad (we recommend Duet Browser.)

If you have any questions or stuff you want us to make sure we cover tweet them to @TiPb, email them to podcast@tipb.com, or leave them in the comments below!

Be there!

iPhone Live podcast tonight at 9pm EDT, come chat! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

It’s ironic how the company that brought us the iPod has never really had great speakers (or earbuds!) but Apple might be about to change that in a big way by bringing in the man behind Lucasfilm’s amazing THX audio quality program, Tomlinson Holman. According to Chief TWiT Leo Laporte:

I have it on good authority that Tomlinson Holman (of THX fame) is joining Apple to run audio. Major upgrade.

With HP’s TouchPad getting Beats by Dr. Dre, and even BlackBerry besting Apple when it comes to speaker quality, this can’t happen soon enough. Let’s just hope this is about more than just iTunes audio meeting THX standards, but about giving iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch a complete speaker makeover as well!

Your audience is listening, Apple!

[@leolaporte, thanks Anthony!]

Apple hires THX’s Tomlinson Holman — bring the noise! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

Apple has just released iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone (AT&T/GSM), iPad, and iPod touch and iOS 4.2.8 for Verizon iPhone. This point update, as expected, changes the iOS crowd-sourced location database cache. Apple says it:

• Reduces the size of the cache
• No longer backs the cache up to iTunes
• Deletes the cache entirely when Location Services is turned off

As always, if you’re Jailbroken stay clear until it’s confirmed safe and/or Jailbreak tools are updated to support it.

If you download and install it, let us know how it works for you!

[Thanks everyone!]

Apple releases iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, iOS 4.2.8 for Verizon iPhone – location data fix is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

The BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for iPhone 4 is a skin that sticks to the glass black and stainless steel antenna to change up the look and protect from scrapes and abrasions. They’re not the same as the thin, clear BodyGuardz films we’ve shown you how to apply before, and are actually even easier to apply.

The BodyGuardz Carbon Fiber for iPhone 4 is available from the TiPb iPhone 4 Accessory Store. Check out the video above and follow on for the how-to after the break!

Here’s how I apply the BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for iPhone 4

1. Clean my iPhone 4 screen thoroughly (I use iKlenz)
2. Peel off the back sticker carefully and lightly line it up on the iPhone.
3. Place the edge down, keeping a close eye on the alignment.
4. Push evenly and steadily out from the edge — I use a card to help
5. Check alignment and peel back and reposition as/if needed.
6. Smooth down to secure it in place.

I’ll be testing BodyGuardz Armor out for durability and report back in a review. If you have any tips for applying them, or any questions about them, let me know in comments.

How to apply BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for iPhone 4 [sponsored] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

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!

• My Daily Journal (give-away): Now a universal application for iPhone and iPad, improved animations, 3 new paper designs, design enhancements, and the ability to export to Facebook. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

• Penultimate: Now you can create your own photorealistic paper from any image you have and a new option to include the paper design when sending or printing a notebook. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

• Instagram: Now with a radial tilt-shift mode. [Free - iTunes link]

• picfx: Take a regular photo and apply 36 effects and frames + 13 styles to create a fantastic, unique looking picture. Now with the ability to share to Flickr, new “classic” and space effects and more! [$0.99 - iTunes link]

• Podcaster: Now with AirPlay support and more! [$1.99 - iTunes link]

The good folks at JI Software Company have given us some promo codes for My Daily Journal to give away to our awesome readers! For a chance to win, just leave a comment below!

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

New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Wednesday, May 4 [give-away] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

Let’s be frank — we can’t believe we’re posting this but it just keeps getting sent to us. Firstly, carrier CSRs are typically the last to learn about anything Apple. We’ve actually gone to carriers the day of launch and they’ve known less about it than we have — they’re simply not informed. So please take the below account with a blue and white striped Death Star sized grain of salt. Now, an AT&T customer care representative has supposedly told a customer that Apple had confirmed this to them:

Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe, though there will be a newer version in the future. Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for the new phone. We will release this information on our website when it is available to us.

The answer allegedly came in response to the customers query over why an early upgrade eligibility had been pushed back by over five months.

Again, we would file this one under very sketchy rumor. However, TiPb and other sites keep hearing that there won’t be an iPhone 5 until fall, so while this rumor may or may not be true, the timeline seems to be.

What do you believe?

[MacRumors]

AT&T customer care representative says no iPhone 5 in June or July? [rumor] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

What will the next generation iPhone 5 look like when it’s finally released — likely this fall? Will it be like the iPhone 3GS was, the same casing with faster processors, cameras, etc.? Or will it be an all new design inspired by the MacBook Air or iPod touch? (I’ve gone out on a limb and said my wish is a return of the metal back). Maybe a bigger screen like some of those Android Phones, or a smaller screen, iPhone nano, like the soon-to-be-shipping HP Veer? Or could Apple push the pace of innovation again and finally give us a translucent device, like we’ve seen in Avatar or Iron Man?

If you could sit down with Steve Jobs and Jony Ive, and they asked you what you want iPhone 5 to look like, what would you tell them? Vote in the poll above and then let us know the details in the comments below.

(And watch the video after the break for a funny take on iPhone 5…)

Poll: What do you want iPhone 5 to look like? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

A recent trial of iPads by the Oklahoma State University has delivered some extremely positive results for the Apple tablet. The trial, which took place in the fall of 2010, showed an increase in pace of the course, reaching traditional benchmarks sometimes weeks in advance.

"We put this powerful and creative tool in the hands of faculty and students and the end result reached beyond enhancing the academic experience of our students," said OSU President Burns Hargis. "The report outlines a possible decrease to student and administrative expenses, increased productivity, and how the iPad crosses between academic and personal barriers.

Each class was given the opportunity to use the iPad how they wished, but focus was always on specific measurable outcomes. These included expense impact, viability as an e-reader and overall enhancement to a student's academic experience. After the trial, it was recommended that the university consider full deployment of iPads for all students.

Do any of our readers attend schools or universities that utilize iPads? Do you use your own iPad to help you with your studies? Let us know in the comments!

[Oklahoma State University]

Oklahoma State University find the iPad has a positive impact in an academic environment is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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