It’s safe to say that without Steve Jobs, TiPb wouldn’t be here, and many others may not be enjoying the careers or hobbies they enjoy today, at least not in the same way. So, in honor of the upcoming release of the authorized biography of Steve Jobs, TiPb is going to give away five (5) copies, on us.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below sharing your favorite story about Steve Jobs — your favorite quote, your favorite keynote moment, your greatest inspiration, your fondest memory.

Winners will be picked and announced, and gifts sent out for the US iBookstore edition, on Monday, October 24.

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CNN‘s Brandon Griggs wrote a column speculating as to why most computer generated voices, including Apple’s Siri, are made to sound female.

Research suggests this preference starts as early as the womb, Nass said. He cites a study in which fetuses were found to react to the sound of their mother’s voice but not to other female voices. The fetuses showed no distinct reaction to their father’s voice, however.

Another answer lies in history. According to some sources, the use of female voices in navigation devices dates back to World War II, when women’s voices were employed in airplane cockpits because they stood out among the male pilots. And telephone operators have traditionally been female, making people accustomed to getting assistance from a disembodied woman’s voice.”

Griggs suggests HAL — and I’d add Vader, Cylons, CARR, WOPR, MCP, Agent Smith, and others — have led North Americans to become more than a little leery of computers with boy parts. My take is that North American gadget users are a nerdy computer society, and we nerds prefer a sexy female voices telling us what to do. Economics 101.

Note: In the U.K Siri’s voice is male. Read into that whatever you will.

Update: CNN also took issue with the synthetic sound of Siri’s voice.

“What’s interesting to me is how they seem to intentionally make her speech sound artificial — they could choose to make her speech more seamless and human-like, but they choose instead to highlight the technology,” she said. “That makes you aware of how high-tech your gadget is.”

David Barnard of Tweet Speaker points out one of the more obvious explanations:

Not without dramatically increasing file size!

Source: CNN, @dbarnard

Wondering how to save video attachments you get in Email to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad camera roll? In previous versions of iOS, while you could easily tap-and-hold to save pictures in Mail, Safari, Messages and other built-in-apps, trying to do the same with movies — movies mailed or messaged from other iPhones and iPads! — did nothing. (Except frustrate me. Seriously. I almost dented my iPhone trying!)

iOS 5 changes that. Now, just like with pictures, all you have to do to save a video is:

1. Open the email, messages, etc. that you received the movie in
2. Tap on the icon or preview and hold on it
3. When the Save Video button pops up, Tap it!

That’s it. The video will now be saved to your Camera Roll for you to use as you so wish.

For more on iOS 5, check out our massive iOS 5 walkthrough. Have any other great tips for sharing or saving video on your iPhone or iPad? Let us know!

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they're iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they're fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Instapaper – @sethclifford

This week’s pick was an easy one. Instapaper has long been one of my favorite apps, and I’ve been using it for years. Developer Marco Arment has released an incredible update to the app this week, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) in the lifespan of the app. Instapaper 4.0 has so many new features, I’m not even going to list them here (plus, if my geek-Cylon intuition is right, a certain other TiPb editor is likely to be talking about them somewhere in this very post – if he doesn’t though, you can read about them here in depth). I will, however, tell you that my favorite part of the new update to Instapaper is without a doubt its interface changes.

Marco has made subtle changes to the UI that improve both readability and function without sacrificing anything. I am completely smitten with the extra screen space at the top of saved articles now, as well as the clean, dark theme and the new icon on my home screen. And I haven’t even touched on the incredible changes to the iPad version! (Again, I’m banking on that other editor to go into it.)

If you’ve never tried Instapaper, or perhaps tried it in the past and haven’t seen it in a while, check out the update. It’s substantial, and a great new take on an old favorite of mine. Plus, Marco is a super nice guy and I’m sure he’d appreciate it. Just don’t email him…

[$4.99 - App Store link]

iTunes Movie Trailers – @chrisoldroyd

This weeks pick is iTunes Movie Trailers by Apple. By rights I shouldn’t have this as its only available in the United States and I am in the UK; it is not available outside of the US for whatever reason the movie studios thought of at that particular time. Did I tell you how much I hate the movie studios and how they fail to apply any common sense to the decisions they make?

Anyway back to my pick, this app looks simple but it looks beautiful too. It’s a grid of the latest movies, you click them and watch the trailer. That’s it basically, the trailers look great on the iPad screen and whet your appetite for the full movie. You can also view trailers in a calendar view; which shows you when the movies will be released as well as a top 25 view of what is currently playing in theaters too. The theaters tab uses your location using GPS or you can manually input a ZIP Code. You can then go and purchase theater tickets which is obviously US only.

Trailers is a universal binary so works on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch!

[Free - App Store link]

box.net – @Alli_Flowers

Another online storage solution, box.net offers the same kind of features you get everywhere else. Unlike the others, box.net is currently giving away 50GB of storage absolutely free, just for installing and using the iOS box.net app.

Access all the files you have stored in your box.net account easily with the iOS app. Upload photos directly from the camera, of browse your library.

I see no reason to limit yourself to a single online storage solution, so I recommend grabbing this while you can get the 50GB. Who can’t use an extra 50GB of storage?!

[Free - App Store link]

My Secret Folder – @andrewwray

My Secret Folder is a great way to make sure all your hidden photos and documents stay hidden. The app locks down any important or sensitive items with a passcode, preventing unauthorized users from accessing your important documents, photos and more. The great thing about My Secret Folder is when someone tries to get access but enters an incorrect passcode, the app will quietly snap a photo of the perpetrator with location information so you know who’s tried to break in.

My Secret Folder also camouflages the app icon to look like a regular folder on the homescreen so nobody will even know it’s an app. What’s more is that My Secret Folder was recently updated to version 1.5, letting you add things like secrete notes, private contacts and bookmarks. There’s even a porn mode browser for those other sites you like to visit, and you can snap photos from directly within the app to help save time. If you’re looking for an effective way to lock down your sensitive documents and photos, this is the app you’ve been looking for.

[$0.99 - App Store Link]

The Early Edition 2 for iPad – @llofte

The Early Edition was the original newspaper that launched alongside the iPad and in my opinion, it was “meh”. However, Glasshouse Apps did a fabulous job with The Early Edition 2 and I think it’s great!

The Early Edition isn’t your typical newspaper of popular news – it’s of news that’s important to you. Basically, it’s an RSS reader that pulls all your feeds together and displays them in the format of a newspaper, but it does it so beautifully.

I’ve said this a million times on TiPb, but I’m a sucker for a good UI, and The Early Edition is some great eye candy. On the iPad 2, it runs butter smooth and it’s all the little details that make it great. For example, if you turn the pages slowly enough, you can see the print on the back of each page. Little things like this make me smile.

Seriously, I’m loving this app.

[$4.99 - App Store link]

Siri – @reneritchie

I was originally going to pick Instapaper 4 or The Early Edition 2 and was having a really hard time choosing between them, but now that Seth and Leanna have removed that dilemma by neatly, preemptively picking both, I can move on to something lamer yet simultaneously even more genuine.

I haven’t used anything on my iPhone 4S more this week than the built-in, artificially intelligent voice control system with the Pixar personality Apple wisely kept calling Siri.

If you’ve tried Dragon Dictate, if you’ve tried Vlingo, you’ve only tried 25% of Siri. It understands relationships. It understands context. It ties into location and the other built-in apps. It doesn’t just listen, it converses.

It doesn’t nail every word or action every time, but it’s not much worse than human generated typos, damn-you-autocorrects, and wrong button/icon presses either. In fact, for most of what I do when I’m on the go Siri is not only fine, it’s extra ordinary.

I use Siri to set location based reminders so I really will call my friend back when I get home (and Siri helpfully pops up the number, ready to call, to make it even more exceptionally convenient.) I use it to send emails and messages while I’m driving and couldn’t safely or legally type them out. I use it to dictate Tweets and quick replies while I’m working on my Mac and don’t want to interrupt the flow by jumping between apps.

The original Mac wasn’t to GUI-based computing what OS X Lion is, and Siri probably isn’t to whatever the mature natural voice interface ultimately ends up becoming, but like the original Mac, it’s finally off to one hell of a mainstream start.

I even used Siri to dictate and mail this Pick of the Week…

Your pick?

You're part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on twitter or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

A band claims to be the first to have shot a music video using just a couple of iPhone 4S’s. With every release of a new iPhone, someone claims to be the first to have shot something in its entirety using the phones video camera. This time we have a band called Turnback who managed to get hold of a couple of iPhone 4S's on launch day and set about shooting a music video.

On October 14th, 2011 we received 2 brand new iPhone 4S smart phones. On Sunday October 16th we shot the video at the famous NYC nightclub Webster Hall. Over the next several days, with little sleep and lots of coffee, the final video was finished.

The video was for the bands new single, Cellophane Sky and was shot using just the 1080p video camera in the iPhone 4S. It was later edited on a Mac using Final Cut Pro. We don't know if this is the first music video shot entirely with an iPhone 4S but we do know that the results are really impressive!

Source: Razorianfly

Whale Trail is a new iPhone and iPad game where you help Willow the Whale flight through a colorful rainbow world collecting bubbles, dodging angry thunderclouds along the way.

This game is great! It has a very simple controls and is fun to play. Kids and adults alike have the potential of getting hooked to this little gem.

Help Willow the Whale fly high through a magical rainbow world, dodge the angry Thunder Bros and escape the clutches of the evil Baron Von Barry.

• Simple & intuitive one finger flight gameplay
• Amazing Whale Trail soundtrack by Gruff Rhys of the ‘Super Furry Animals’
• Beautiful & colourful Retina graphics
• Kill Thunder Bros at will in Frenzy mode
• Hit speed boosts to reach secret heights
• Challenge your friends on Game Center leaderboards
• 43 Game Center achievements to challenge your flying skills to the MAX
• New gameplay modes coming soon

Whale Trail is available on the iPhone and iPad for $0.99.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

New to iOS, worried about the security of your iPhone or iPad, and wondering how to set a Passcode Lock for better protection? While the current version may not be perfect, it provides a number of real advantages over just leaving your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad unlocked. It’s also easy to set up. here’s how:

Simple 4-digit Passcode Lock

To simple, 4-digit Passcode Lock:

• Open Settings
• Tap on General
• Tap on Passcode Lock

• Tap Turn Passcode On

• Enter a four digit passcode

• Re-Enter the same passcode again to confirm

Strong alphanumeric Passcode Lock

If 4 numbers just doesn’t make you feel secure enough, you can switch to a stronger, alphanumeric Passcode.

• Open Settings
• Click on General
• Click on Passcode Lock
• Slide Simple Passcode to Off
• Type your new passcode in the box, this can now be anything you like

• Re-Enter the same passcode again to confirm

Siri and Passcodes

The iPhone 4S’ voice control system, Siri, has the ability to bypass Passcodes for some functions, like making calls or sending messages. If you consider this a security risk, you can toggle it off from the same screen.

Erase Data

At the bottom of the page, you have an option to Erase Data in the event of ten incorrect passcode entries.

If you have small children who think it’s a fun game to tap away at the numbers while your phone turns red, you may not want to enable this or you’ll be restoring your phone a lot. Security is constantly at war with convenience, make your choice.

Data Protection

Once you’ve enabled a Passcode Lock on an iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch 4, or iPod touch 3, you get the added benefit securing the hardware encryption keys. This makes everything from email to App Store apps more secure.

Daily Tips 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…)

Less than a week since Google Voice voluntarily pulled their iPhone app from the App Store, it has already returned and is ready for iOS 5.

Google removed the the app earlier this week because of an incompatibility issue that was causing Google Voice to crash at sign in.

Google Voice is available on the iPhone for free.

[App Store link]

Source: @googlevoice

The folks over at Red Pepper Land came up with an ingenious way to get Siri to pour you a cold glass of beer, completely hands free, using Twitter, an Arduino controller and an R/C toy car. They call it Beeri, and I want it..

When Beeri sees a new Tweet containing the word "pour" she triggers the sequence of preprogrammed pour commands (go, stop, adjust) that interface with the truck's circuit board to control her movement. Her route is preprogrammed (drive straight) until her two proximity detectors sense her moving away from the puncture wall after impact. This allows her to halt the driving sequence and adjust to a 6 inch depth in order to get the beer to enter the funnel. With a clean pint glass underneath to collect the liquid gold, the only thing left to do is enjoy your tasty beverage.

Hey, no one promised you the cool new future wouldn’t be a little messy, right?

Source: Red Pepper Land