If there’s one thing TiPb loves even more than iPhones and iPads, it’s giving cool iPhone and iPad accessories and apps to our awesome readers. This week we have…

RF3 LIVE Natural Wood Stereo Earphones

• Dionte Love

Courtesy of the TiPb iPhone Accessory Store

SPY Mouse HD

• FasTerv
• Yongchaopeng
• J_madlock
• Matthew Muelver
• Makmalreza

App Store link: Spy Mouse HD

SugarSync 30GB subscription

• Grajasekar

App Store link: SugarSync

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

• Dtorrado27
• Jorge Franqui20
• Max Varner
• Dextermorph
• Xeyad

App Store link: Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

GarageBand for iPhone

• Mercerwrxer
• mbern1008
• cguilbeau
• ericthibo
• jcb718

App Store link: GarageBand

More chances to win

Didn’t win anything this time? Never win anything? We know how you feel! Luckily, we have tons more chances for you to win, so hurry up and enter everything!

iPad Live, the best iPad podcast in the universe, is coming your way tonight, so find a hardline and get ready to jack into the Matrix, because if you thought bullet-time blew you away, you haven’t seen anything yet…

Time: 9pm ET, 6pm PT, 2am GMT.

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

If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to discuss, just leave them in the comments then come be part of the show!

(And yes, you can watch from iPhone via Ustream Viewer app (here’s how) — just search for “mobilenations” and iPad (we recommend Duet Browser.)

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great app review, or a killer how-to? We’re not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here — you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! — but we’re carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here. For you.

And hey! — these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us and follow along!

Meta

• Iterate 11: Campaign Monitor
• Did you get a new iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Apple TV on Black Friday? Here's what you need next!

News

• Apple's latest iPad 2 commercial is all about Love
• Rumor: Apple developing J1 and J2 Retina display iPad 3 prototypes
• Sharp set to supply LCD panels for the iPad 3
• Apple removes Big Fish Games subscription based gaming app from App Store

Gift Guide

• iPad vs. iPod touch vs. Kindle Fire: Which should you get?
• 2011 Holiday Guides: iPhone and iPad gifts for gamers
• 2011 Holiday Guides: Gifts for iPhone and iPad geeks

Apps

• TiPb Picks of the Week for November 26, 2011

Jailbreak

• PwnDev Team releases Ac1dSn0w jailbreak tool for iOS 5.0 and 5.0.1
• Want an untethered jailbreak? Help the jailbreak community find one with new Chronic Dev crash reporter tool

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to add Settings shortcuts to your home screen
• Daily Tip: How to gift an iPhone or iPad app

Contests

• http://www.tipb.com/2011/11/25/follow-friday-giveaway-pad-quill-octavo-contega/

The DracoDesign DRACO IV is an absolutely stunning aluminum bumper for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. I tested a limited edition Jewel Beatle on both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 for a couple weeks and came away impressed.

It does take a little bit of work to get the DRACO IV installed. It comes in two solid pieces. You need to properly place all the button caps into the proper cutouts and angle the larger of the two pieces so they don’t fall out while you slide your iPhone into place. (Yes, it took me a couple of tries!) You can then slide on the other piece and secure it into place with two screws. Of course, that also means if you want to take it off you need to remove the screws, so it’s not as convenient as a slide on case if that’s important to you. But oh, the look!

The Jewel Beatle has an opalescent finish that alternates from blue to green to purple. It looks terrific. It also has nicely designed curves and angles that make it easier to grip and hold onto.

All the ports are accessible and widely cut, and fit Apple and most 3rd party dock and 3.5mm cables well. I did have a problem with a few extra thick cables, including a car charger and the POP phone receiver. So while you shouldn’t have any trouble, do check your accessories if they tend towards the large size.

With aluminum bumpers there are always questions about what, if any, effect they may have on reception. In two weeks of use on two devices, iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, I did notice a drop of about 1 bar on average, on a few occasions, 2 bars. That’s compared to other iPhones on the same network at the same time and place. It never caused any dropped calls or loss of data, but if you live or spend time in an area of really poor reception, it’s something to keep in mind.

Overall, the DracoDesign DRACO IV is one of the most gorgeous cases I’ve used on my iPhone. It has a beautiful, sculpted look and the finish of the Jewel Beatle in particular is just fantastic.

Source: DracoDesign USA

Comparing the pros and cons, costs and features, between Apple’s iPad 2 and iPod touch, and Amazon’s new Kindle Fire

Trying to decide between an Apple iPad 2 or iPod touch and an Amazon Kindle, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else? There’s a lot to consider — the quality and dimensions of the hardware, the features and flexibility of the operating system, the availability and diversity of the content, the difference in cost and value, and we’ll take you through all of it, point by point, to help you decide.

• Full iPad 2 review | buy the iPad 2 now
• Full Kindle Fire coverage | buy the Kindle Fire now
• Full iPod touch review and iOS 5 update review | buy the iPod touch now

Location

The first and easiest filter is simple geography. If you live outside the U.S., Amazon has such limited content support that it might as well be non-existant. Apple by contrast has good support for apps and increasing support for music, movies, and more around the world.

• Kindle is U.S.-centric
• iPad and iPod touch have better international support

Cost

iPad is literally twice the price of the Kindle Fire and while an argument can be made that the iPad is by far a better value, if you only have $200 in your budget, you’re better off considering the Kindle Fire or the much smaller iPod touch.

• iPad starts at $499
• Kindle Fire is $199
• iPod touch starts at $199

Mobility

iPad has a 9.7-inch screen. Kindle Fire has a 7-inch screen. iPod touch has a 3.5-inch screen. The iPad is good for running more expansive apps and immersive content, the iPod touch for more on-the-go, interstitial use. The Amazon Fire is a great compromise between the two size.

• iPad is large and heavy, portable but not mobile, requires a travel bag
• Kindle Fire is medium sized, can fit in most large pockets
• iPod touch is small and ultra-mobile, easy to carry anywhere

Connectivity

If you need to access the internet away from your home, work, school, or other Wi-Fi hotspot, currently only the iPad has a 3G option. If you don’t have easy access to a Mi-Fi or tethering, Kindle Fire and iPod touch go offline.

• iPad has 3G option
• Kindle Fire and iPod touch are Wi-Fi only

Hardware

The iPad has amazing fit and finish and is absolutely best in class in most areas, with the notable exception of the rather pathetic front and rear cameras. The iPod touch is similar, though has a lower screen technology (no inter-plane switching) to keep costs down as well. The Amazon Kindle Fire uses the BlackBerry Playbook chassis which is great but not Apple great.

• iPad is high-quality glass and aluminum with excellent display
• Kindle fire is good quality, re-purposed plastic with good display
• iPod touch is high-quality glass and aluminum with okay display

Software

Apple built the iPad and the iPod touch to fully take advantage of their iOS operating system, including all the great features like FaceTime for free video calls, tons of great built-in apps, and Safari, the best mobile browser in the business. Amazon has built a special version of Google’s Android Gingerbread OS specifically tied to the Amazon store and to best show off Amazon store content. Because it’s a “fork” of Android, it doesn’t get Google’s apps like Gmail, Navigation, or Market.

• iPad and iPod touch run full version of iOS for multi-function usage
• Kindle Fire runs special Amazon fork of Android optimized for buying and consuming Amazon content

Support

Apple has retail stores throughout the U.S. and in many cities around the world. In addition to their online and phone support, the ability to walk into an Apple Store and take a free class on how to setup and use your device, or get a Genius Bar appointment to fix it, can be invaluable. Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer with a stellar reputation for online support.

• iPad and iPod touch have not only online and phone support, but Apple Retail and Genius in-person support.
• Amazon Kindle Fire has online support.

Apps and games

Apple still has the most apps in mobile, including over 100,000 specifically built to take advantage of the larger iPad screen and over a half-a-million for iPod touch. If games are a consideration, the App Store typically gets them first and with the best, most fluid graphics. Amazon has built their own version of the Android market with less content but arguably better curation than Google’s.

You can also get a Kindle and other Amazon apps — and Google apps — for iPad and iPod touch, but you can’t get Apple apps — or Google apps — for the Kindle Fire.

• iPad has access to purpose-built large-screen iPad apps as well as iPhone/iPod touch App Store apps
• Kindle Fire has access to Amazon appstore approved Android apps
• iPod touch has access to most iPhone App Store apps

Accessories

Both the iPad and iPod touch have been on the market for years and have tons of great cases and other accessories available. Also, Apple allows accessories to connect via dock port, Bluetooth or AirPlay, meaning you can connect your iPad or iPod touch to a wide arrange of gear and gadgets, everything from cars to cameras to Apple TV, to special-purpose scientific instruments. Amazon Kindle Fire is just hitting the market so it will take a while for a lot of accessories to come out.

• iPad and iPod touch have huge variety of accessories available
• Amazon Kindle will take a while to ramp up accessories

Future-proofing

There will likely be an iPad 3 sometime next spring, potentially with a double-density display and other hardware improvements. There was no new iPod touch this year but there might be one next fall. Both, however, are mature, well supported products and if you want either now, you’ll get a great device now. The Amazon Kindle Fire is a brand new device and inarguably an immature one at this point. Amazon will no doubt introduce a new, hopefully much better, hopefully much more internationally supported, Kindle Fire sometime next year. If you’re not dying for one now, you might be better off waiting.

• New iPad 3 likely in spring, but iPad 2 is solid now
• New Kindle Fire sometime next year, current Kindle Fire immature
• New iPod touch likely next fall, but current iPod touch is good now

Bottom line

While this is an iPad and iPod touch blog, and we’re no doubt biased, the Amazon Kindle Fire is so new, so U.S.-centric, and so obviously intended to be little more than a front end to the Amazon Store that it’s tough to recommend. Future versions could be outstanding, but right now you have to really not want an iPad or iPod touch, and really want an Amazon tablet to get the Kindle Fire.

• The iPad is best if the big size is a plus and not a minus for you, if you want the most apps optimized for the most screen real-estate, if you want 3G connectivity, and something that can better replace a laptop or netbook for light computing work.

• The Kindle Fire is best if you live in the U.S. and are a heavy user of the Amazon Store, if you want something smaller, lighter, and cheaper than an iPad but bigger than the iPod touch, and if media focus and pocket-ability is more important than flexibility for your needs.

• The iPod touch is best if you want the smallest, lightest, cheapest, most mobile solution possible, if you want the most app and accessory choice available, if you want something that’s as close to a phone-style experience that possible without being a phone.

Addenda: Other tablets

We didn’t include other Android tablets here because they’re simply not a mainstream alternative at this point, but if you’re a hardcore Android enthusiast head on over to Android Central for a ton of coverage and help choosing between the myriad brands, sizes, and implementations, including the Barnes and Nobles Nook Tablet, which may be something to consider if you’re leaning towards the Kindle Fire.

If you’re a diehard BlackBerry enthusiast, check out CrackBerry.com for all the PlayBook info, and if you’re lucky enough to find a webOS TouchPad still on the market, PreCentral.net has you covered.

It’s been a big day for the jailbreak community with a possible iPhone 4S unlock and the new crash reporting tool released by the Chronic Dev Team. Now the PwnDev Team has released a new jailbreak utility for iOS 5 and 5.0.1.

I'm pleased to announce that we've just released Beta 1 of Ac1dSn0w for Mac OS X Lion (should also work on Snow Leopard). Ac1dSn0w allows you to jailbreak your iDevice tethered. It also provides features like Tethered Boot, Pwned DFU, and Exit Recovery to get your device out of Recovery Loop.

Ac1dSn0w will perform very much like Redsn0w already does. It will tethered jailbreak the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch 4G.

You can download Ac1dSn0w and jailbreak much like you would with RedSn0w already. Ac1dSn0w also includes features such as “Exit Recovery” and “Pwned DFU”.

It’s great to see new tools being released and more developers stepping up and becoming more actively involved in the jailbreak community. I’ll be interested to see how these new tools fair against some of the veteran ones.

Source: Redmond Pie

Just in case you weren’t already getting tired of 4-inch display rumors for the iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple decides to call the 2012 iPhone), here’s Macotara:

According to Asian source, Hitachi Displays, Ltd. and Sony Mobile Display Corporation started to ship 4-inch LCD for new iOS device and LCD for iPad 3. These 2 companies will be merged their business with Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd., as “Japan Display” in 2012 spring.

If Apple does indeed go from the current 3.5-inch screens to a larger 4-inch screen size, in order to prevent fragmentation of their development ecosystem, they’d have to keep the same 940×640 resolution. That would reduce the pixel density, which would get the internet up in arms over “Retina display” labels. However, retina display is a function of both density and distance, so a) the density could remain good enough for Apple to stick with the marketing term, or b) the distance a slightly larger device is held at could render the practical result the same (see the iPad for an example of how far a 9.7-inch display can be comfortably held).

Again, the only other alternative is to box old apps, the way iPhone apps are boxed on the iPad, which would maintain compatibility with old apps, but would still fragment new apps — larger resolutions wouldn’t play nicely on older devices.

Along with LTE radios, however, larger screens are one of the few hardware features Apple competitors use as differentiators. We’ve heard plenty of LTE iPhone rumors, so it’s no wonder the 4-inch rumors are hot on their heels.

Macotara also said a new display technology was in the works for iPad 4.

Source: Macotara

Waiting for an untethered jailbreak on iOS 5? The Chronic Dev Team has just released a crash reporter tool that will allow your to submit your crash reports to them instead of Apple. Crash reports are most likely the way Apple finds exploits in iOS and patches them.

The Chronic Dev Team is hoping to find exploits in the same way for a different reason – a jailbreak for all. You simply install the program to your computer, attach your device to the computer, and click a single button to send your exploits to the Chronic Dev Team. The program is currently available only for Mac users but a Windows version should follow over the next 24 hours.

We’ll update you as soon as we see one go up!

Source: Chronic Dev Team

If you’re a prospective iPhone 4S user who’s patiently waiting for an unlock, you may get one soon. According to Musclenerd, long time member of the iPhone Dev-Team, they’ve got an unlock for the iPhone 4S in the works that looks promising. This is exciting news considering the iPhone 4S is currently the only device that can’t be unlocked with Ultrasn0w.

Crazy Thanksgiving weekend! Very promising 4S unlock is in the works (Not i4, just 4S..that’s crazy part)

Musclenerd posted the above image with his tweet about an iPhone 4S unlock. We’d still need a jailbreak for the iPhone 4S in order to unlock it. A jailbreak is also rumored to be in the works as well. You can help the jailbreak community find one faster by sending your crash reports to the Chronic Dev-Team via their new Crash Reporter tool as well.

Any of you out there holding off upgrading or purchasing a 4S due to the need for an unlock?

Siri can now control Plex media playback using the Siri Proxy. In case you missed it earlier, a developer created a SiriProxy to control a thermostat and then made the code available for others to use.

The SiriProxy stands in between your iPhone 4S and Apple's servers. It then intercepts Siri voice commands. This proxy enables additional commands to be added to Siri's repitoire without any input from Apple. It has been demonstrated as a tool to start cars and even control third-party apps.

The latest video shows Siri controlling media playback on a TV which is hooked up to a Plex enabled system. Plex is multi-platform software to organize and play back local and online media. The developer uses Siri via the Siri Proxy to play movies and TV Shows using the Plex command line interface.

The most impressive part of the demonstration is the speed the media plays after receiving the instruction from Siri. After you watch the video, you will have no doubt that Siri is the future for the Apple TV or of course the often rumored Apple TV set.

Source: 9to5Mac