A couple readers let us know recently about the status of their 1st gen iPod nano replacements, and while Luc was simply told there’s a huge backlog and to sit tight, Dave got some more information out of Apple:

He said that problem has been resolved and that according to the latest memo he could find, we can expect to start receiving our replacements 6 weeks after the date Apple received your device.

For more on what exactly the problem was, and how Apple is resolving it, hit the source link below.

Source: MyCapsRule

Microsoft today released their SkyDrive app for the iPhone and iPod touch, giving users access to their free cloud storage service and allowing 25 gigabytes worth of space for storing files, photos and other media types.

SkyDrive from Microsoft is the place to store your files so you can access them from virtually any device. With SkyDrive for the iPhone, you can now easily access, manage and share files on the go. You can also upload photos or videos from your iPhone to SkyDrive.

• Access all of your SkyDrive content including files shared with you
• View recently used documents
• Upload photos or videos from your phone
• Share a link to any file using email
• Create folders. Delete files or folders

New to SkyDrive? If you use Hotmail, Messenger or Xbox LIVE, you already have a SkyDrive account. If not, sign up for a new account at SkyDrive.com and then easily upload files from your PC or Mac to access them on your phone.

The app is available now for the iPhone and iPod touch for free in the App Store.

• App Store Link

Although Apple is planning to include control over individual photos within Photo Stream in iOS 5.1, jailbreak developer Evan Coleman was able to whip up a useful tweak that keeps iOS screenshots from being added to your iCloud Photo Stream.

Keeps screenshots out of your Photo Stream. This tweak prevents screenshots from being uploaded to your iCloud Photo Stream.

This is personally great for me, as I frequently capture screens from my iPhone for Tips and How-To posts for TiPb but often find my Photo Stream clogged up with a bunch of screenshots I don’t need after I’m done. Even though the mod doesn’t allow full control over individual photos in Photo Stream, this is a good stopgap until iOS 5.1 is released to the public.

Check it out!

[Free - Cydia Link]

Source: Evan Coleman

The National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] has recommended that the American states prohibit any and all non-emergency use of smartphones in automobiles. That’s right, they want you to keep your hands and eyes off your iPhone and on the wheel and road. While that might make some superficial sense, it also ignores how multifaceted modern smartphones truly are — for example, running a GPS turn-by-turn sat nav app, or playing music, the same functionality built into a lot of modern vehicles.

The safety recommendation specifically calls for the 50 states and the District of Columbia to ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers. The safety recommendation also urges use of the NHTSA model of high-visibility enforcement to support these bans and implementation of targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new law and heightened enforcement.

The trouble is, smartphones can run software designed to support driving tasks, but they can also run highly distracting software like SMS/IM or Angry Birds.

And, of course, it does nothing to deal with other driver distractions like food, makeup, reading papers while driving, etc. etc. (Sadly it’s very touch to draft a “don’t be dumb and drive law”, so they fall for easy-to-identify blanket bans.)

We’re co-opting our sibling site, Android Central‘s poll on this one, so add your vote above and sound off on what you think below!

Source: NTSB via AP via Android Central

Apple has announced they’re rolling out the iTunes Store to Brazilian and a number of Latin American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.

iTunes in the Cloud is available today for free in Brazil and Latin America and iTunes Match is available today for a $24.99 annual fee in Brazil.

The iTunes Store in Brazil offers over a thousand movies to rent or purchase, with many in stunning HD, from major studios including 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures. The iTunes Store in Brazil now joins the revolutionary App Store™, which offers more than 500,000 apps to consumers in 123 countries, reaching hundreds of millions of iPad, iPhone and iPod touch® users around the world. Customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps to date.

Brazil before Canada or the UK? Oh Apple, you tease. Hit the source for the full press release from Apple. Any Brazilian or Latin American readers excited to finally be included in the Apple ecosystem?

Source: Apple

Georgia and I had a lot of fun with iPhone-controlled helicopters a few weeks ago on TiPb TV — so much fun the TiPb Store folks got jealous and went and stocked some iSuper Helicopters of their own. They’ve got two sizes, large and small, so you can choose how big you want to roll fly.

All you have to do is grab an iSuper Helicopter, download the free app, and take to the skies.

• Get the iSuper Helicopter (Large)
• Get the iSuper Helicopter (Small)
• Get the iSuper Heli app

Features

• Built-in gyroscope for stable control
• User-friendly interface
• Durable metal frame
• Record and playback functionality of flights and patterns
• Safe landing function
• Emergency landing function
• Play music while flying

The popular Kinect for Xbox 360 game Kinectimals by Microsoft is now available for iPhone and iPad. This iOS version can be used as a standalone app or you can bring your pet that you already have on the Xbox version with you wherever you go and also unlock 5 new cubs on the console.

• $2.99 – App Store link

This irresistible mobile experience gives you the chance to use your phone to visit the island of Lemuria and play with, care for and fall in love with your very own cub. Bring your pet with you wherever you go! If you've already experienced Kinectimals on Kinect for Xbox 360, your phone becomes the key to unlocking five new cubs on your console. Stand-alone mobile game features Kinectimals' signature visual quality, delightful animation and brand new ways to play with your cub!

Giveaway

We know that all of you would love your very own pet Tiger, so we’re gifting Kinectimals to 5 lucky readers! For a chance to win, just leave a comment below letting us know what you’ll name your tiger!

Kinectimals is available on the iPhone and iPad for $2.99.

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.

Aiko Island: Holidays: Use your wits and skill to smash blocks, destroy the evil Red Aiko, and return the cookies to the friendly Blue Aiko. But be careful not to lose any Blue Aiko in the process!

• Free for iPhone – App Store link
• Free for iPad – App Store link

Ventrilode: Connect to your favorite Ventrilo servers. It’s the best way to stay connected with all your gamer friends on the go!

• $2.99 for iPhone – App Store link

Hex Empire: Conquer the World! To accomplish the goal you have to use your armies to capture all the enemy capitals and defend your own. Contains 54 challenging maps.

• $2.99 for iPhone and iPad – App Store link

Aztec, The Three Sun Pyramid Game: An original strategy board game based on a pyramid, a totem and tribes challenging cruel and powerfull Gods. Lead your own tribe one goal head: be the best score tribe on the way to the top of the pyramid, and win the right to lead the revolution for their freedom.

• $0.99 for iPad – App Store link

System Monitor with Battery Max: Frees memory, boosts battery performance, monitors your system memory, CPU utilization and disk utilization.

• $0.99 for iPhone – App Store link

Any other big app or game releases or updates today?

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.

Japanese news site Macotakara reported last week that Apple has supplied Made For iPhone accessory makers with a new authentication chip using Bluetooth 4.0 and the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol, making it easier to setup and authenticate devices for use over the dock connector and Bluetooth with a specific push for fitness and health-related apps.

It was previously speculated that this new authentication system would support Bluetooth for carrying content over AirPlay, but The Verge was able to squash the rumor with a bit of clarification from Apple. Instead, Apple wants more MFI accessory makers to use the new spec in devices like the recently-released Jawbone UP and similar hardware. The process will make it easier for users to configure wireless devices by connecting to WiFi networks and grabbing Bluetooth configuration information, ultimately requiring little effort on the user’s part to get everything up and running.

The Bluetooth Accessory Protocol was introduced in iOS 5, but only around 2 percent of MFI accessory makers are actually utilizing the new stack. Hopefully this new authentication chip will bring wider adoption to less tech-savvy iOS users, but we’ll have to wait until we start seeing supporting hardware pop up in the market.

Source: Macotakara via The Verge

Shattered the glass on your iPhone 3G or 3GS, or have a touchscreen that has stopped responding, and wondering how easy a screen replacement is to DIY? Well, you’re in luck — a screen replacement is a relatively easy repair to perform. You’ll just need a few tools and a new digitizer assembly to make your broken iPhone 3G or 3GS good as new!

Disclaimer: As with any repair, TiPb nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It's also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don't feel comfortable opening your device, don't. Never use any type of conductive tool to pry or lift cables. Always use a plastic pry tool or spudger. And of course, make sure your device is powered off before beginning any repair work.

What you’ll need

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have the proper parts and tools for all your repair needs.

• A broken iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS
• A new digitizer assembly (while the steps for this repair are the same for both phone models, the part is different so make sure you order the correct assembly for your device
• A #00 Phillips screwdriver
• A suction cup
• A plastic pry tool or spudger
• A metal spudger/spatula or razor blade (you’ll only need this if the suction cup method won’t work depending on where the glass is cracked)

Power off your phone

First things first, power off your device. Hold down the power button and slide to power off. Once the device is completely off, move on to the next step.

Remove the dock connector screws

Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the 2 screws located on each side of the dock connector.

Remove the old digitizer assembly

This part can be a bit tricky so please do this with extreme care so you don’t tear any cables during the process.

Suction cup method (recommended):

The easiest way to remove the old digitizer is by using a suction cup to pull up the old screen.

1. Position the suction cup on the screen directly above the home button.
2. Using your other hand, hold down the frame while gently pulling up on the suction cup.
3. The goal is to get the bottom of the digitizer loose. Do not pull directly up. There are 3 cables attached in the top right of your iPhone. You do not want to tear these. Just pull up until the bottom of the assembly pops out.
4. After you have the bottom up you can remove the suction cup.

Spudger/razor blade method (only use this method as a secondary method):

If your screen is cracked above the home button, a suction cup may not create a seal strong enough for you to pull the digitizer up. If this is the case, you’ll need to use a razor blade or spudger in order to remove it.

1. Starting in the bottom left hand corner, insert a plastic spudger and gently pry up. Once the first side is starting to pop up, do the same on the bottom right side.
2. Run your pry tool along the bottom of the device in order to pop up the bottom of the assembly. Take special care around the home button area.

Remove the cables that attach the digitizer assembly to the logic board:

Once you have the bottom of your digitizer assembly popped up we can remove the cables attaching it to the logic board.

1. Gently lift up your digitizer enough to have a clear view of the 3 cables in the top right of your iPhone.

2. With your plastic spudger or pry tool, you’ll need to pry up the first two cables that attach the digitizer and LCD. They should be labeled with orange stickers numbered 1 and 2. Simply pop them off the logic board gently.

3. Underneath these cables you’ll see one other labeled as cable 3. This one is a bit trickier as it is clipped down. You’ll need to gently pop up the clasp holding it into the fastener. It is a tiny white clip. Simply pop it upwards and the number 3 cable should then slide right out.

4. Remove the digitizer assembly and set it aside for LCD removal.

Remove the LCD from the old assembly and place it in the new assembly

1. There are 6 screws holding the LCD in place. They are all the same size. Three on the left side of the frame, 2 on the right side of the frame, and 1 on the top right holding down the induction flex. Remove all 6 screws with your #00 Phillips screwdriver and set them aside.

2. Next use your pry tool to slowly work the LCD out of the old assembly on the left and right sides. It should come out fairly easily. Just take special care not to scratch it while removing it. The LCD and back plate will remove in one piece as they are glued together.

3. Re-position the LCD and frame in the new assembly and replace all 6 screws in the new assembly. Make sure to remove any protection film on the inside of the new assembly before putting in the LCD. This is also a good time to check for dust between the LCD and new digitizer. I use air duster when necessary to make sure none gets stuck on the inside of the device.

Reassemble the digitizer

1. Begin with the number 3 cable that clips down. Getting it seated can be a bit tricky. Use a plastic spudger to guide it in the opening if needed. Then push back down the clip that holds it in place.

2. Next push down the number 1 and 2 cables onto the logic board.
3. To snap the new digitizer assembly back in place, start at the top and make sure it is lined up. Once the top is pushed down and flush, snap the bottom into place on each side of the home button.
4. Replace the two dock connector screws.

And… done!

That’s it! You now have a brand new digitizer on your iPhone 3G or 3GS! Turn your iPhone back on and test the digitizer. If the touchscreen is unresponsive, remove the digitizer again and verify that the number 2 cable is pushed down all the way onto the logic board and seated correctly. Also test your proximity sensor while making a call and make sure it is functioning properly.

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we’re cool too!

For today only, the TiPb Store has the Marware SportShell Convertible for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 on sale for only $22.95!. Get them before they’re gone!

Get the Marware SportShell Convertible for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 now!

Not content with having one of the most popular apps in the history of iOS, Facebook launched a second — Facebook Messenger. While Facebook was diversifying, LinkedIn was differentiating, releasing a new version of their app with their own, finally unique take on the social experience.

Path also released a new version with a bold, breathtaking new user experience and slightly more picturesque and timeline based focus. Apple added yet another separate social network to their portfolio, this time Find my Friends which offers very fine grained privacy control wrapped it more stitched leather than a puffy couch. And Google got into the game in a huge way with Google+.

Twitter for iPhone shed it’s Tweetie heritage and while power users howled, it just might have become more usable for the mainstream. Luckily power users had plenty of places to turn with Tweetbot offering an entirely different take, with that trademark Tapbots look and increasingly deep functionality, and Twittelator Neue offering eye-popping animation and amped up interactions.

Verbs also did the remarkable by showing how simply and elegantly instant messages could be handled on mobile.

Incredibly different, incredibly rich, it’s hard to pick just nine, never mind one — but that’s your job. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

The LunaTik Touch Pen is currently seeking Kickstarter funding and before you assume that it is just another stylus, it does offer something quite unique. The stylus is actually a rollerball pen but with a click of a button, the ink point disappears and it becomes a capacitive stylus for your iPad.

Paper and pen will never be replaced. However, more and more people are embracing their iPads and tablets to take notes and capture ideas in a new hybrid analog-digital workflow. These users continuously switch between paper and touch screen during the day. This means they require both a traditional ink pen and a digital stylus.

The pen / stylus combination has been done many times in the past for resistive touch screens but I haven't seen one for a capacitive touch screen. This could certainly come in very handy. The project has already garnered over $40,000 of pledges with 59 days to go. Expect this one to hit the market in April next year.

Source: Kickstarter

 

Jan-Michael Cart, noted for his iOS user interface concept videos, is heading off to work at Apple.

And like that, my time has come — I am now a member of the Apple community. I will still update my website with random small portfolio additions. I will also open up the blog portion of my website to document my day-to-day happenings in Cupertino. Stay tuned!

Several of Cart’s UI videos focused on notification handling, making him the latest in a series of notification-centric designers brought in by Apple, including Rich Dellinger, known as the father of webOS notifications, to Peter Hajas, who developed the Jailbreak MobileNotifier package.

Curiouser and curiouser. Check out a few of Cart’s videos, below.

Source: Jan-Michael Cart via iPhoneinCanada.com

According to a report from TechCrunch, Apple has entered into some kind of relationship with Digitude Innovations, seemingly one of those delightful non-practicing entities fondly referred to as a patent troll. Based in Virginia, founded in 2010 and working off $50 Million from Altitude Capital Partners, Digitude has filed patent infringement claims with the International Trade Commission (ITC) against the likes of RIM, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony, Amazon, and Nokia — but notably not Apple — all with what appear to be patents previously held by — none other than Apple. The patents noted are:

• USPTO #6208879 — Mobile Information Terminal Equipment and Portable Electronic Apparatus
• USPTO #6456841 — Mobile Communication Apparatus Notifying User Of Reproduction Waiting Information Effectively

Transferred to a shell company called Cliff Island LLC earlier this year, these patents were then, at some point, transferred to Digitude Innovations whose sole basis of existence seems to be to buy technology patents and then sue companies with said patents until they give into licensing fees or cross-licensing agreements allowing Digitude to sue even more companies over more patents.

Techrunch offers two possible explanations:

• Apple could be hiding behind Digitude to avoid the bad press that’s been surrounding patent suits as of late. (Although they had to figure this would become known — as indeed it has — and make them look even worse?)
• Apple was forced to settle with Digitude and offer the right to litigate these patents as part of the settlement. (Although why would Apple settle so quickly and quietly when they’ve fought so vigorously in the past?)

Apple and Digitude Innovations have declined to comment on the situation, but it goes without saying — it’s looking pretty shady on Apple’s part right now. Hit the source link below for much more on the situation.

Source: Techcrunch

UK mobile network O2 has started offering the iPhone 4S on a new service which it is calling O2 Lease. The O2 Lease service, according to O2, is unique in the fact that it offers customers the option to rent an iPhone 4S with no upfront costs. The deal would run for twelve months after which you can return the phone back to O2 or renew the deal for a newer iPhone model.

Sally Cowdry, marketing and consumer director for O2 UK, said: "This is the first time a UK mobile operator has adopted a leasing model. We know that customers and small businesses are used to leasing everyday items from cars and washing machines to photocopiers and office space. They understand how it works and what the advantages of a leasing are. We have simply taken this idea and applied it to the smartphone market."

Of course, as there is no upfront cost, the monthly payments are a little higher than normal. If you decide that the lease model is right for you, expect to pay £55 ($85) a month for an iPhone 4S 16GB model or £65 ($100) a month for the 32GB model. These monthly costs include 750 minutes of talk time, unlimited text messages, 500MB of data and insurance.

Source:  O2 PR

 

iPhone or iPad feeling kind of sluggish or an app freezing up on you and wondering how to manually force-quit multitasking apps to free up memory? iOS 5 does a great job automatically pausing or killing background tasks, but once and a while a big game, rogue process, or similar situation can drain resources or tie up memory. Luckily, iOS 5 makes it easy to quit these apps any time you like.

1. Double click the Home button to bring up the multitasking Fast App Switcher.
2. Touch-and-hold an app to put it into ‘jiggly mode’.
3. Tap the red minus-sign icon that appears at the top left corner of the app.
4. Watch the app close and disappear from the Fast App Switcher.
5. Hit the Home button again to exit jiggly mode.
6. Hit the Home button one more time to return to your Home Screen.

That’s it! Next time you notice you’re iPhone or iPad is acting strangely or running slower than normal, just close a few of the apps you have running in the background. Problem solved!

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.

With another week now kicked off, we’re excited for what this week will bring and hope you’ll join us for it all. Thus far, Apple has given us a new iOS Beta to play with and if you’re looking to discuss it some more — we have just the spot. The TiPb forums. You can register now to get started today and make sure you check out some of threads below:

• iOS 5 Forum: iOS 5.1 Beta 2 is out. Discuss
• iPad Forum: How to remove ALL contacts from iPad?
• Jailbreak and Unlock Forum: iOS 5 Untethered Jailbreak
• iCloud Forum Sync 2 Photostreams to one PC?
• iPhone Apps and Games Forum Om Nom Plushie Giveaway!

If you’re not already a member of the TiPb Forums, register now!

Apple has updated iTunes to version 10.5.2, fixing an audio distortion issue when playing or importing specific CD types as well as adding improvements to its iTunes Match service.

What's new in iTunes 10.5.2

iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.

Apple has been vague on the improvements included to their iTunes Match service, so let us know if you see any specific changes in the comments. You can grab the update from the Apple Software Update Utility or as a direct download from the website.

Source: Apple

Twittelator Neue is a gorgeous Twitter client for iPhone. We have listed Twittelator Neue as one of the Top 10 best alternative Twitter apps for iPhone and we’re excited to give it away!

As Rene said, Twittelator Neue is pure eye candy. Everything about it is just gorgeous and it’s by far my favorite app for browsing Twitter. One of my favorite features is the way it displays in-line photos. Most twitter apps show a tiny thumbnail of the photo, but Twittelator Neue shows a slice of the photo that’s just as wide as your timeline and as you scroll through your timeline, the image also scrolls in the background so that you slowly pan through the image through that slice. My description doesn’t give it justice – it really is beautiful. Even the sounds are cool.

Twittelator Neue is lacking in a few features like native push, but it’s only at version 1.0.5 and I look forward to what’s to come.

Where other Twitter clients think alike, we chose to think different. There’s the all-new Timeline Photos, which actually lets you see what your friends are tweeting about. Then there’s Multiple Timelines, which lets you easily keep up with what’s up. Perhaps you have a blog, band, or other alter-ego that has tweets of its very own. Multiple Accounts in Twittelator Neue will handle them all with ease; SimulTweet makes posting the same tweet from all of your multiple-personalities a breeze. The innovative features in Twittelator Neue are sure to delight.

• Timeline Photos
• Multiple Timelines – Add lists, searches, and other tweets alongside your Main Timeline.
• Multiple Accounts
• SimulTweet
• Conversation View
• Website Previews
• Drafts
• ReadItLater, OmniFocus, and Instapaper support
• Post images and movies to your choice of media host
• Tweet with your location
• Support for Tweet Marker
• And a whole lot more!

Giveaway

The good folks at Big Stone Phone have given us promo codes to give away Twittelator Neue to 5 lucky readers! For a chance to win, just leave a comment below!

Twittelator Neue is available on the iPhone for $1.99.

• 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.