The Samsung Ace, a new entry level Android phone, looks an awful lot like the iPhone 3G/3GS. Samsung has a history of copying Apple’s design so this really shouldn’t come as any surprise to anyone not living under a rock.

I really don’t have much to say about this except Samsung really needs to put more money into their research and development budget. Oh wait, they probably can’t since it’s all tied up with legal fees for all the other Apple devices they’ve copied, and been sued over.

Source: Cult of Mac

Google Translate, an app that translates your spoken phrases into other languages for you to hear, has been updated as a universal app for iPhone and iPad.

Translate words and phrases between more than 60 languages using Google Translate for iOS. For most languages, you can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations.

• Translate text between 63 languages
• Translate by speaking the text instead of typing it (17 languages)
• Listen to your translations spoken aloud (24 languages)
• Display translations in full screen mode to make it easier for others nearby to read
• Star your favorite translations for quick access even when you're offline
• Access your translation history even when you're offline
• Spell out the translation of non-Latin script languages (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, etc..) in Latin characters to read it phonetically (e.g. Pinyin, Romaji)

Google Translate is available on the iPhone and iPad for free.

• 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.

Apple is sending out refund notices to iPhone users who purchased GameStore, the bizarre Apple app that briefly appeared in the App Store over the weekend.

You recently purchase the GameStore app. The app was made available for sale prematurely. We apologize for the problem and have refunded the purchase amount back to your account. These funds will be applied to your original payment method within 5 business days.

While GameStore showed a release date of Dec. 31, 2011 in iTunes deskstop, the on-device App Store showed a date of June 9, 2009, which suggested it might have been a beta app used to test the iOS 3 in-app purchases feature.

The refund language, however, clearly says “premature”, which would suggest it will be properly released at a later date.

Whether or not that’s accurate, whether or not a new app with the same name but more current functionality, or whether there’s a different explanation remains unknown.

We’re doing a special combined edition of iPhone and iPad Live again tonight, and following it up with a special edition of ZENandTECH with our very first guest — Phil Nickinson of Android Central! So cancel any other plans, grab a drink and some snacks, and get ready for the best darn night of podcasting you’ve ever experienced!

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.)

USA Today, based on sources who have previously worked at Apple, is contributing some more information to the increasingly large Apple television rumor pile.

Apple is said to be looking at a 42-inch or larger LCD TV with built-in Wi-Fi. Inside the locked-down studio of Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, there’s a slick 50-inch TV, according to the source who worked at Apple.

Previous speculation out of China suggested a 32 or 37-inch television with Siri controls.

Although this report mentions that talks with media executives have stalled, it’s apparent that a 42 or even 50-inch model vs a smaller display would likely help Apple get a better foothold during their primary push into this new and already-crowded product segment. And with CES just around the corner, rumors of Apple making a television are only going to get more frequent.

Source: USA Today

While CES is never really a big show for Apple, they do manage to seemingly always find a way to make some Apple news happen during the event. Like always — there is plenty of Apple rumors happening right now but they do seem to get more plentiful as we get closer to CES. Looking to discuss CES, Apple rumors and more? We’ve got a spot just for you in the TiPb forums, you can register now to get started today:

• iPhone 4S Forum: Odd thing at the Apple Store…
• iPhone 4 Forum: Need help fixing an iPhone 4
• iCloud Forum Can’t seem to get PhotoStream working, any advice?
• iPad 2 Forum Just how do you get college books on an iPad 2?
• Jailbreak and Unlock Forum A5 Jailbreak, on it’s way to 5.0.1 users?

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

Adam Satariano from Bloomberg tweeted that Apple has hired away Todd Teresi from Adobe to lead their iAd program.

Apple has hired Adobe’s Todd Teresi to head iAd. Story coming….

Bloomberg hasn’t released any details just yet, but this move could likely be seen as a competitive jab by Adobe. Teresi acted as VP of Adobe’s Media Solutions division, and hiring him away from Adobe could be interpreted as another shot across their bow which, ultimately, lead to Adobe conceding and abandoning Flash for mobile devices.

On the other hand, iAd hasn’t necessarily gained the traction Apple had hoped for, and the recent loss of Andy Miller probably didn’t help much either. This could just be Apple trying to pivot in an attempt to help bolster the fumbled initiative.

Source: @satariano

ABI Research has a new study claiming the iPad App Store has hit three billion downloads since it debuted in 2010.

The iPhone took as long as two years before being able to achieve this level of downloads, while the iPad made it within nearly a year and a half.

This would represent roughly 19 percent of all iOS App Store downloads combined, a significant slice of the pie in terms of Apple’s mobile ecosystem.

In comparison, Android tablets only have around 440 million app downloads thus far, or just a little under one sixth of the amount from Apple’s fledgling — but wildly successful — tablet device.

Source: ABI Research

MyGuardianAngel: Allows you to, with the push of ONE button, seek help from your most trusted friends and family, capture video evidence, be tracked by GPS and through streaming audio from your phone update ALL of your emergency contacts (most trusted friends and family) as to exactly what your situation is and what type of help you need.

• $0.99 for iPhone – App Store link

PredictNews: Predict the news, and they’ll tell you which stocks stand to gain from your prediction!

• Free for iPhone – App Store link

Pho.to Lab: More than 450 awesome effects for your photos. You can easily create fun photo montages, cool contact icons, virtual postcards and phone wallpapers.

• Free for iPhone and iPad – App Store link

Pinterest: A Virtual Pinboard. It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find in your life. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Update addressed multiple bugs.

• Free for iPhone App Store link

Fleetly Fitness: The best app to reach your fitness goals. Earn points for logging your workouts, connect with friends and join challenges at all levels, from beginner to pro.

• Free 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.

CloudOn, a free iPad app that offered Microsoft Office functionality with Dropbox support, appeared briefly in the App Store yesterday before going up in a puff of smoke a short time later.

CloudOn has responded saying their app has “sold out”, but we think this may have had something to do with server overload.

Thanks for your support of CloudOn! We’re currently sold out. We look forward to the feedback we will receive as we continue to support the many users that have registered in this first phase.

The fact that CloudOn came with full Dropbox support for storing and managing office files on-the-go was a great idea for power users, and the overall offering is unique in respect to beating Microsoft to the punch at their own game. This could be another reason the app is no longer available, as Microsoft could have called shenanigans if CloudOn didn’t go through the appropriate channels before release.

I gave it a quick whirl when it was actually up and running, and noticed the app was somewhat sluggish from the get-go (probably due to how much it relies on the cloud backend to get things done paired with the influx of users hammering their servers).

We’ll let you know as soon as CloudOn is back in the App Store. In the meantime, here’s its description:

• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your iPad to create or edit documents.
• Rename, delete and manage documents with your Dropbox account
• Display, edit or create charts, change formatting, spell check, insert comments, into any Word, Excel or PowerPoint files
• Track changes while reviewing Word documents
• Use pivot tables and insert formulas in Excel workbooks
• Display and edit animation or transitions in PowerPoint presentations
• Present in full PowerPoint mode (not in PDF)
• Open files directly from your iPad email accounts or Dropbox account
• Automatically save documents to avoid losing changes

Source: CloudOn

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.

Zephyr by chpwn has been updated to version 1.0.2-1 with a few more enhancements. For starters, you can now disable gestures in any app you choose. This is handy for games and apps that may cause you to unintentionally invoke a gesture. It looks as if he’s gotten help with this feature from Ryan Petrich, creator of Display Recorder, one of my favorite jailbreak apps.

Other features added include the ability to enable per-gesture commands as opposed to them all being global by default. So if you want multitasking gestures on your iPhone, you can find Zephyr in Cydia for $2.99.

A newly discovered timestamp security bug may leave your iOS device photos exposed regardless of whether or not your device is passcode locked. Ade Barkah, a Canadian tech consultant, has figured out that changing the time on your device will leave any photo taken in the “future” accessible via the quick camera toggle on the home screen.

The quick toggle is a new feature in iOS 5 that allows you to double tap your home button to access your camera app. From there you can tap into your image gallery. If your device is passcode locked, you will receive a message asking you to unlock your device to view photos. Unless you change the time on your device. Anything taken after that time stamp will be viewable as the phone will assume nothing exists after that point in time.

Turns out Apple's restriction is just a simple filter based on the timestamp when the Camera app was invoked. You're allowed to see all images with a timestamp greater than this invocation time. Yet that leads to an immediate hole: if your iPhone's clock ever rolls back, then all images with timestamps newer than your iPhone's clock will be viewable from your locked phone.

This could be a potential issue for anyone that travels frequently or has a need to change timezones. You can test this by simply changing the time and popping into your quick toggle even when the device is locked. Better get to deleting those inappropriate pictures!

Source: Peekay.org via CNET

For today only, the TiPb Store has the Ventev EcoCHARGE Travel Charger for iPhone on sale for only $12.95!. Get them before they’re gone!

Get the Ventev EcoCHARGE Travel Charger for iPhone now!

Apple has now confirmed that January 13 is the official date the iPhone 4S will go on sale on in China, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Uganda.

"Customer response to our products in China has been off the charts," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "With the launch in China next week, iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries making this our fastest iPhone rollout ever."

This comes just a week after Apple finished the necessary steps to obtain approval for the iPhone 4S to go on sale in China, and officially marks the fastest iPhone product rollout in Apple’s history.

Source: Apple

According to an article in British newspaper The Daily Mail, Apple is considering throwing its hat into the bidding ring for the rights to broadcast English Premier League soccer games. The deal is open for a new round of bidding before the end of this season in May.

The Premier League is seen as the type of premium content that will help establish Apple TV in the UK and boost iPad sales, while the iTunes subscription service infrastructure is already in place.

Apple will face some huge competition if it is to get its hands on some form of TV rights for these games. Sky, who currently owns most of the rights for live games, had to pay around £1.6 billion ($2.5 billion) for the privilege. Competition is also likely to come in from Google, ESPN and Middle East Network Al Jezeera.

If Apple did manage to secure some of the rights to live EPL games, it would then have to force consumers to buy an Apple TV if they wanted to see the content on their big screen televisions. This does not appear to make a great deal of sense for the consumer unless of course the deal is just to sell the games through iTunes; in a similar way to its TV episodes.

Source: The Daily Mail

If your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS is no longer holding a charge, and always running out of power, replacing the battery is a moderate level DIY repair. If you’ve got the right tools and parts, it shouldn’t be too difficult to swap out that old battery for a brand new one on your own. It’ll take a little bit of patience and about 30 minutes of your time.

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. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY iPhone 3G/3GS battery swap

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

• A sad iPhone 3G or 3GS
• A new battery
• A #00 Phillips screwdriver
• A suction cup
• A pry tool or spudger
• Sim removal tool or paperclip

Power off your iPhone

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the dock connector screws

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

Remove the digitizer & LCD 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. I highly recommend using the suction cup method unless your screen is cracked above the home button for some reason and you can’t get a proper seal with the suction cup.

Suction cup method (recommended):

The easiest way to remove the digitizer assembly is by using a suction cup.

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):

ONLY use this method if your screen is cracked above the home button. If this is the case, you’ll need to use a razor blade or spudger in order to remove it. And while you’re at it, replace that broken screen!

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 & LCD assembly and set it aside.

Remove your SIM card

Using your SIM tool or a paperclip, either works, remove your SIM card and tray from your device.

Unclip cables from the logic board

1. Towards the top left of the logic board, use your pry tool to pop up the two cables labeled 5 and 6.

2. Towards the bottom of the logic board, 3G owners will only see one cable to the left labeled 4. 3GS users will see two cables (one on each side of the dock connector) labeled 4 and 7. 3G users will just pop up the number 4 cable while 3GS owners will need to pop up both the number 4 and 7 cables.

Remove your logic board

1. Remove the 8 screws outlined in the video that hold the logic board in place. One of the screws is under a Do not remove sticker at the bottom right by the dock connector. Obviously you’ll have to remove the sticker to get to it.

2. Make sure you place the screws in an order you will remember. They are different sizes in some instances so you’ll need to make sure you put them back in the correct order.

3. Notice the screw holding the camera in place has a metal bracket underneath it. Just take care not to lose this as you’ll need to put it back during reassembly.

4. Gently pop your camera up with your spudger or pry tool.

5. Insert your pry tool in the space between the dock connector and logic board and gently pry upward to loosen the logic board.
6. Gently grab the bottom of the logic board and slide it out downwards to remove it.

Remove the old battery

There is nothing holding the battery down but adhesive. Gently use your pry tool to loosen the battery from the back of the device. Run it along the sides and gently pry up taking care not to bend or damage the battery. They are secured with quite a bit of adhesive so you may have to use a little bit of force to remove it. Just take care not to bend the casing either.

Insert the new battery

Most replacement batteries will come with adhesive already on them. Simply remove the backing from the adhesive and place the battery in the device taking care not to trap any loose cables underneath it. Push down firmly to make sure the adhesive stays in place.

Replace the logic board

1. Make sure there are no cables in the way. I typically tuck the number 4 cable into the frame (refer to video) so it does not get stuck underneath the logic board.

2. Start by positioning the top of the logic board below where the SIM tray sits and start sliding it upwards into place.
3. Once the top is in place, you can place the bottom of the logic board into its place. Just make sure no cables are stuck underneath the logic board where they should be on top.

Insert your SIM card and tray

The easiest way to make sure the logic board is in place is to replace your SIM card tray at this point. If it slides in easily, you’re right on track. Don’t force it if it doesn’t want to go in. That means you don’t have the logic board lined up correctly. Remove it and try again. The SIM tray will also help keep the logic board in place as you replace screws in the logic board.

Reposition and snap down your camera

Once the logic board is positioned right, you can reposition and snap down your camera again.

Replace the logic board screws

Replace the eight screws your removed earlier that secure the logic board. Just make sure you replace the metal clip over the camera before replacing the screw that holds it in place.

Reconnect cables to the logic board

1. Towards the top left of the logic board, reconnect the two cables labeled 5 and 6.

2. Towards the bottom of the logic board, 3G owners will only see one cable to the left labeled 4. 3GS users will see two cables (one on each side of the dock connector) labeled 4 and 7. 3G users will reconnect the number 4 cable while 3GS owners will need to reconnect both the number 4 and 7 cables.

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 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!

If you followed all the steps above correctly you should be able to power on your phone and be on your way! I recommend you drain the battery completely and do one full charge. You also may notice you’ll need to reset the time and date on your device. Battery pulls tend to reset the clock.

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!

HTML5 and CSS expert Vasily Zubach has put together a quite amazing render of an iPhone 4 created solely using CSS3. Because it was created in this manner, it does not include any images at all, it is all done with code.

This rendering of iPhone 4 and its icons was made in pure CSS3. No images, no base64, no SVG, no canvas, just 3395 lines of CSS code and 335 lines of Javascript code (with jQuery, of course).Viewed best with the latest versions of Safari and Chrome in Mac OS X.

You can see what we mean by amazing, when you visit the full render here. It is not just a render but it also offers a certain amount of functionality too. You can slide to unlock, click the home button and even turn it on and off using the power button. Very clever work!

Source: TNW

As noted by GigaOM, a lot of iPhone 4S and some iPhone 4 users are continuing to experience an issue where they cannot hear anything from the recipient on an outgoing call.

The issue in question is when the iPhone 4S (and according to some reports, the iPhone 4, too) mutes all audio on the caller's end when placing an outgoing voice call. The person on the other end of the line can hear everything just fine, but on the caller's end, there's no ringing sound and no audio from a recipient speaking.

The issue has pushed the Apple Support Communities discussion thread past 110 pages with users expressing their frustration and calling for Apple to do something about it. Two of our editors, Rene and Georgia, have both had their iPhone 4 devices swapped out by Apple when the earpiece stopped providing audio (only the speaker phone would work).

It has been speculated that iOS 5.1 won’t address this issues — assuming it is addressable by software — but we’ll have to wait and see.

If you’ve had the same or a similar problem, let us know, and let us know how it’s been handled so far.

Source: Apple Support Communities via GigaOM

Noted Montreal iPhone photographer and videographer, Martin Reisch, better knows as *safe solvent™ on the internet, used a scan of his passport displayed on an iPad as identification while passing through the U.S. border from Canada. The man was visiting friends in Vermont when he realized that he had forgotten his passport. Luckily he had a scan of it saved on his iPad so decided to use it at the border.

Martin Reisch is certain that if Steve Jobs was alive, the tech innovator would have something to say about him.

"He'd probably say: 'Here's something to work on for the future.' Maybe have some kind of digital certification or encryption to let people travel like this,"

Unfortunately not everyone shares those sentiments. Federal critics claim border officers failed in their duty by accepting digital proof of identity. MP Brian Masse claimed that it was troubling because a scanned copy of a passport is not a secure document and could be altered. He did however accept that electronic passports could be used in the future if the correct safety features were implemented.

After a certain TiPb editor-in-chief bothered Reich about his passport photo missing his trademark hat, Reich also added:

i get in with an iPad, i break technological ground but the comments are about my haircut…

Source: Montreal Gazette

More: about.me/safesolvent, @safesolvent