Marvel comics has just pushed out a large set of their collected editions to Apple’s iBookstore. The contents is what you’re typically find in their softcover trade paperback editions, and mostly more recent fare, but there’s some great stuff included.

Pricing is decent, between $6.99 for shorter volumes and $16.99 for classic Masterworks. No sign of larger collections (for example, Joss Whedon’s phenomenal X-Men run is offered only as Vol 1. of 4 right now, not the entire 25 issue set that was in hardcover), nor the amazing Omnibuses. But one step at a time, right?

Marvel also says more’s to come, so we have a lot to look forward to. If you’re not sold on the digital format, you can even test drive a free copy of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers Vol. 1 — for a limited time — to see how you like it.

If you’re into Marvel and use iBooks, I heartily recommend Astonishing X-Men by Whedon, Eternals and 1602 by Gaiman, Planet Hulk, Iron Man: Extremis by Ellis, Thor by JMS, Runaways, and Wolverine Enemy of the State and Old Man Logan by Millar. If you have any favorites, add them in the comments below.

Variable – Marvel iBooks Catalog

Full press release below.

Today, Marvel has entered a bold new era in digital comics. For the first time ever, classic stories—from the first appearance of the Avengers to the "death" of Captain America—will now be available for purchase on Apple's iBookstore.

With an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, Marvel fans across the world can now purchase over 80 graphic novels with fan-favorite characters like Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man and more by launching the iBooks app or going to www.itunes.com/marvelgraphicnovels.

Marvel Graphic Novels on Apple’s iBookstore

The following is a complete list of available graphic novels at launch:

• Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1
• Astonishing X-Men Vol.1: Gifted
• Avengers Assemble Vol. 1
• Avengers Forever
• Avengers Masterworks Vol.1
• Avengers: Disassembled
• Avengers: Kree /Skrull War
• Avengers: Under Siege
• Avengers/X-Men: Utopia
• Captain America: The Death of Captain America Vol.1 – Death of the Dream
• Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol.1
• Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol.2
• Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm
• Civil War
• Dark Avengers Vol.1: Assemble
• Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born
• Deadpool Vol.1: Secret Invasion
• Earth X
• Emma
• Ender’s Game: Battle School
• Ender’s Game: Command School
• Ender’s Shadow: Battle School
• Ender’s Shadow: Command School
• Eternals by Neil Gaiman
• Fallen Son: Death of Captain America
• Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman Vol.1
• Ghost Rider Vol. 1: Vicious Cycle
• House of M
• Hulk Vol. 1: Red Hulk
• Hulk: Planet Hulk
• Infinity Gauntlet
• Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Five Nightmares
• Iron Man: Extremis
• John Carter: A Princess of Mars
• John Carter: World of Mars
• Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman
• Marvel Zombies
• Mighty Avengers Vol.1: The Ultron Initiative
• New Avengers Vol. 1: Breakout
• New Avengers Vol. 2: The Sentry
• New Avengers Vol. 3: Secrets and Lies
• New Avengers Vol. 4: The Collective
• New Avengers Vol. 5: Civil War
• Pride and Prejudice
• Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy
• Secret Invasion
• Secret War
• Secret Wars
• Siege
• Spider-Man: Big Time
• Spider-Man: Blue
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day Vol.1
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day Vol.2
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day Vol.3
• Spider-Man: Crime and Punisher
• Spider-Man: Kraven’s First Hunt
• Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage
• Spider-Man: New Ways to Die
• Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Vol. 1
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.1: Power and Responsibility
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.2: Learning Curve
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.3: Double Trouble
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.4: Legacy
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.5: Public Scrutiny
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.6: Venom
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.7: Irresponsible
• Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.8: Cats and Kings
• Ultimate X-Men Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People
• Ultimates Vol.1: Super-Human
• Ultimates Vol.2: Homeland Security
• Venom vs. Carnage
• Wolverine: Enemy of the State
• Wolverine: Old Man Logan
• Wolverine: Weapon X Vol.1: Adamantium Men
• Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• World War Hulk
• X-Force Vol. 1: Angels and Demons
• X-Men: Messiah Complex
• X-Men: Phoenix Endsong
• X-Men: Second Coming
• X-Necrosha

And that's just for starters. Each week, more graphic novels will be added to the expanding Marvel IBookstore library, bringing to your iPad, IPhone, or iPod Touch a truly unique digital comic book reading experience that customers will never forget. But don't take our word for it. For a limited time, customers can read the first full issue of New Avengers Vol. 1: Breakout at the iBookstore…free of charge. For experienced comic book readers or casual fans alike, there's something for everyone: action (X-Men: Messiah Complex), suspense (Secret Invasion), mysteries (Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm), literary adaptations (Pride & Prejudice), children's tales (Wonderful Wizard of Oz) and more!

For a long time now, Apps have been able to access your Camera Roll as long as you give the app permission to access your location. The reason it needs that permission is that there may be geolocation (GPS) date included in your photos, and Apple protects that. Once you grant the location permission, however, the app has unfettered access to your photos and can do pretty much anything it wants with them, including great things like applying filters, doing edits, and sharing via social services. That’s how all the popular photography apps work.

It’s a non-intuitive, and frankly a little confusing way to handle Camera Roll access, but it shows Apple has thus far focused on protecting location data more than other type of data, including your photos. That means, yes, theoretically, a fake, malicious app could be created just to trick you into giving them location permission, and then they could steal your photos.

But that could happen with all sorts of content, with all sorts of malicious apps.

So is it worth pointing out? Absolutely. Is it worth sensationalizing? No, of course not.

This issue with the Camera Roll has been widely known for years. It’s not new. It’s just timely given the recent brouhaha over iOS apps uploading Contact information without permission. (Which was also widely known before the latest outcry.)

Apple has indicated they’ll be adding Contact permission settings in a future update of iOS, perhaps even iOS 5.1 expected to be released next month alongside the iPad 3. However, there’s a greater issue concerning iOS and privacy, and the manageability of privacy options that Apple still needs to address.

So, while nothing new and a tad sensational, it’s good that these issues are getting attention, and that privacy is considered something platform makers like Apple need to keep in mind. Hopefully the renewed attention leads to better privacy protections for everyone.

More: 9to5Mac, New York Times

You’ve decided you’re going to buy an iPad 3, sight unseen, the moment Apple lets you give them your money.  Do you also  want to get a jumpstart on selling your old iPad before the market gets saturated? No problem! If you’re not handing it down to a friend or family member, or keeping it around the office as a backup device, why not get some cash back and put it towards the purchase of Apple’s next big tablet device? It’s a relatively straight forward process, but there are some things to be careful about, so here’s how to get started.

Getting more for your old iPad

You’ll never get back all the money you poured into your current iPad, but there are some things you can do to maximize the value before you sell.

1. Jailbreak: This isn’t as important as it is with selling old iPhones, especially since 3G iPads are unlocked by default, but a jailbroken iPad can still do things a stock one can’t and some buyers will value that. If you are new to jailbreaking we suggest checking out the jailbreak starters guide for the best resources.
2. Condition: The better your iPad looks, the more you’ll get for it. That almost goes without saying, but the difference can be a good chunk of change. Make sure you give it a good cleaning before you offer it up for sale, and if you’re still under AppleCare or warranty, and are having any issues, take it in for repair or replacement immediately. Most fixes are free and will add a lot of value to your iPad. (Even if you’re no longer under warranty, Apple will still sometimes help you out, so it’s always worth trying.)
3. Wipe your data: Before you end up selling your old iPad, you absolutely have to run a full data wipe on it to make sure none of your data is available to the new owner. We’ve done a quick How-To post to help you with the process.

Putting your iPad up for sale

There are several different ways to sell your iPad, ranging from personal deals between friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, to local classified services, to online auctions. Each one has its pros and cons. Here are some things to consider:

eBay

Selling your iPad on eBay is a pretty simple process. However, there are still some things to keep in mind when using eBay to sell your iPad. For instance, eBay charges fees for each auction based on the item you’re selling and how much it sells for, among other things, so here are five quick tips to help you get the most out of your auction:

1. Only ship to the buyer’s confirmed Paypal address if using Paypal.
2. Price competitively if using Buy It Now as an option.
3. Take the best looking photos you can. Humans are drawn to nice looking things.
4. Make sure the pictures include any physical blemishes on the iPad and be up-front in your description.
5. Use a fast shipping service and make sure you include that in your item description.
6. Use keywords in your title and in your item description to attract more potential buyers.

You may also want to consider insuring your iPad in case anything goes wrong during shipping. Watch out for low-feedback buyers and also keep in mind that Paypal charges processing fees as well.

Craigslist

Selling on craigslist is something to consider if you’d rather deal with people locally and meet face-to-face exchange your iPad for cash. I’ve used Craigslist to sell a number of things around the house, and always follow a few basic rules:

• Don’t ever put your personal or home address in an ad. Ever!
• Putting a personal phone number in an ad is okay, but that’s up to you.
• Some find it easier to text rather than email.
• Meet in a public place, preferably in the daytime.
• Bring a friend or several friends; better safe than ripped off.
• Watch out for email scams, something for which Craigslist is notorious.

It’s always a good idea to use caution when dealing with Craigslist. I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories so really, bring a friend and meet in an open, public area to avoid any problems.

Gazelle

Gazelle offers a service that lets you easily turn most electronic devices into cash. Simply send in your iPad and Gazelle will send you money after confirming the condition. The first thing you’ll need to do is tell Gazelle what you’re selling and what condition the item is in. You can choose from poor, fair, good or excellent condition It’s important to be honest when rating the condition so there’s no hiccups or snags along the way. It also helps if you have the box and original documentation and cables with your item, and the service will check for any water damages before giving you a quote.

The process takes about a week, and although you’re not getting as much money in the end it’s a great service if you don’t want to deal with a lot of hassle. You can have your payment delivered through Paypal among other methods. You can also submit multiple items if you’re looking to get rid of a few more things while you’re at it.

SellYourMac.com

SellYourMac.com offers a similar service to Gazelle by letting you send in your old iPad for payment with little to no hassle involved. In a nutshell, they’ll buy your old Mac or iOS device. You’re required to provide pictures along with a serial number next to your item description and condition. Once SellYourMac.com receives your iPad they clean it, inspect it and verify that it’s in working condition before they turn around and sell it on eBay. Users can receive payment via Paypal and SellYourMac.com even says they give higher quotes than competing services like Gazelle, so you’ll definitely want to compare before making any final decisions.

Apple Recycle Program

If selling your old iPad on any of the services mentioned above doesn’t sound appealing, and it’s not in good enough condition to give away, Apple has set up an iPod and Mobile Phone Recycling Program.

Personal transactions

Just because all these online services are available, it doesn’t mean you can’t still sell your old iPad the old fashioned way — person to person, likely to a friend or acquaintance. Just be sure to follow all the tips suggested above, and remember that accessories like Square can even let you take credit cards right on your own device now, if cash isn’t as convenient.

Bonus tip

Include all packaging, cables and adapters if possible. If you have any extra cases or accessories you want to throw in the deal it can usually net you a higher selling price as a bundle instead of trying to sell them individually.

Any questions?

Whether it’s eBay, Criagslist or any other method for selling your old iPad we hope this article will help you along the way. As always, let us know if you have any questions or additional suggestions in the comments below!

You can also check out our Marketplace Forum for more iPad buying/selling action.

Twitter has just announced that “promoted tweets” will soon be appearing on your iPhone, if they haven’t already.

With our most recent app updates, Promoted Accounts are now in Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android. And in the coming weeks, we'll begin introducing Promoted Tweets in the timeline on these mobile apps.

Initially, a small number of users may see Promoted Tweets near the top of their timelines from brands they already follow. This will help ensure that people see important Tweets from the brands they care about.

• Promoted Tweets will appear in your timeline like any other Tweet, and like regular Tweets, they will appear in your timeline just once; as you scroll, the Promoted Tweet will flow with the rest of the Tweets in your timeline.
• As with Promoted Tweets in search, we will only display Promoted Tweets in the timeline when they are relevant. If you see a Promoted Tweet that isn't relevant to you, you can easily dismiss it from your timeline with a single swipe.
• Promoted Accounts appear in your list of Who to Follow recommendations.

Twitter has been pushing out promoted tweets on their website for quite some time now all in an effort to become profitable. Unless you use the site often, you may not have seen them at all.

Also, because Twitter for iPad hasn’t been updated to the new-new-Twitter yet, that seems to be exempt for now.

Personally, I saw a few promoted tweets shortly after having updated to the latest Twitter for iPhone. When Twitter introduced the whole idea of promoted tweets, I’m sure most folks assumed they would be rolled out across all of Twitters platforms including mobile devices.

Why promoted tweets, though? Why not just in-time-line advertising? Or offer pro-accounts with extra benefits? There are lots of ways to monetize a service like Twitter. Promoted tweets are a curious way to do it.

Source: Twitter; via: AllThingsD

Avid brings the power of a prosumer-level desktop editing suite to the iPad

Avid are well known for creating great editing suites on the desktop platform, and they’ve brought the power of a prosumer editing app to mobile. Simple, elegant, portable. You can make amazing movies, and for the first time you can do it right on your iPad.

Avid imports content from your camera roll and your sync’d video files. Since the iPad 2 camera isn’t the greatest camera in the world, the option to import video from another device is fantastic. Audio content is imported from your Music Library, and you can select from a huge range of sound effects that come with the app.

The primary editing tool is the storyboard that lines up all the content that is in your movie in blocks, to make for easy navigation. When it comes to properly fine-tuning the video, you can turn to the timeline to crop, splice and amend timings. The timeline comes with 1 video track but 3 audio tracks, so you can have sounds play over each other, for soundtracks, sound effects and even a voiceover. Most effects and features are easy to find, but there are some hidden ones — if you drag a video over a video in your timeline, you can add it as a picture in picture or just replace it completely.

All these features don’t come without some flaws though. If you make a certain changes, like move a title or add a transition, your preview video won’t play properly until you render the video. Rendering doesn’t take too long but is a little bit annoying to have to sit through constantly. The app also only supports video formats that the iPad supports, specifically H.264 MP4 files, so you won’t be importing any AVCHD footage from your HD camera, or old AVI or MPG files any time soon.

Nevertheless, Apple has their work cut out for them if they want to recapture the video editor crown any time soon.

The Good

• Clean, seamless interface
• As powerful as a desktop app
• Feature rich

The Bad

• Rendering takes time
• Formats limited to those iPad supports
• iPad only, no iPhone version

The Conclusion

If you want a basic, yet powerful editing suite on your iPad, Avid is currently the best choice on the market, and at an unbelievably good price. Despite the need to render larger changes, Avid makes up for it with it’s sheer amount of functions, and flexibility in making the video how you want it, and not having to follow any set templates.

$4.99 – Download Now

“If you can’t hear anything when on a call, odds are your earpiece speaker is malfunctioning. Luckily, it’s a relatively easy thing to fix.”

Replacing the earpiece speaker in your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS is one of the easier DIY repairs. If you aren’t ready to shell out the cash for a new iPhone just yet, you should be able to easily and successfully replace the speaker on your existing iPhone all on your own.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore 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.

It’s always worth first trying an iOS restore to rule out a possible software issue before performing a hardware repair. If that still doesn’t work and you can’t hear any sound when on the phone, you most likely have a bad earpiece speaker that’ll need to be replaced.

What you need for a DIY earpiece speaker replacement

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 iPhone 3GS
• A replacement earpiece speaker – iPhone 3G & 3GS earpiece replacement
• A #00 Phillips screwdriver
• A suction cup
• A plastic pry tool or spudger

This repair will be performed in exactly the same manner regardless whether you have an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS.

Power off your iPhone

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

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.

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.

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.

At this point you can set the body of your iPhone aside and flip over the front screen assembly, which contains your earpiece.

Remove the LCD assembly

This step is optional and not required but I recommend it. Removing the LCD will allow you to get a better view of the induction flex you’ll need to remove. It’ll also give you more room to maneuver your pry tool around. If you don’t remove the LCD, make sure you don’t apply any pressure to it when removing the induction flex and speaker 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.

Remove the induction flex cable

We will need to remove the induction flex cable in order to get to the earpiece speaker. There’s only 1 screw holding it in.

1. Use your #00 screwdriver to remove the one screw in the top right that’s holding down the flex cable and your LCD. (If you removed your LCD, you will have already removed this screw.)

2. Next, use your pry tool or spudger tool to gently pry the cable on the right side. You don’t want to try and pry it all the way off as it is still clipped on at the top. We just want to loosen it.

3. Next take the pointed end of your spudger (or you can use another plastic pointed object if you don’t have a spudger) and pry up the 2 clips at the top holding the cable down. It should now easily lift from the assembly to reveal your earpiece speaker.

Replace the earpiece speaker

Once the induction flex cable and cover are removed, you’ll have a clear view of the actual earpiece speaker. This is what you’ll be removing and replacing. You’ll just need to pry it loose from the digitizer assembly.

1. Gently pry up the earpiece speaker from the right hand side using your spudger tool. Be careful to remove the entire assembly as it’s easy to only pull up the top portion. Since you’re replacing it, don’t fret if just the top comes up and you have to remove the bottom portion separately.
2. Once the assembly is loose you can pull it out of the front assembly and snap in the new one.

Reassemble your iPhone

Once you’ve replaced the earpiece speaker, you’ll just need to reassemble your iPhone by following these directions in exact reverse order. As a side tip, take care to snap in the induction flex cable carefully. There’s a clip towards the bottom you’ll need to make sure snaps in all the way or you’ll have issues putting the assembly back together.

And… done!

That’s it! You should now have a fully functional earpiece speaker again. And you probably saved quite a bit compared to what it would cost to buy a new iPhone. If you run into problems, make sure to check out our DIY and mod forums below. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device on your own, you can always contact PXLFIX about mail-in repairs as well.

Additional resources:

• How to remove an iPhone 3G or 3G digitizer assembly
• iMore Mod and DIY forums
• Even more DIY repairs and mods

The long rumored Apple TV 3 may finally be unveiled by Apple on March 7 as part of the just confirmed iPad 3 event. According to 9to5Mac‘s Mark Gurman, the device is code named J33, will have “near immediate” availability, and a “mystery accessory” will be available along with it:

We're not sure what it is, but it's called "B82″ internally. The product is likely some accessory, probably ranging from either a cable, cover, or new audio remote. The new Apple TV will include Bluetooth 4.0 capability, so perhaps Apple will ship an improved remote to that takes advantage of that next-generation Bluetooth protocol.

Rumored features of Apple TV 3 include 1080p video playback with potential 1080p iTunes content to go along with it, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and an upgraded processor, either the suspected dual-core Apple A5X or quad-core Apple A6.

Combined with AirPlay on iOS, and the upcoming AirPlay on OS X Mountain Lion, it could finally take Apple TV from “hobby” to necessity. I for one will never be transcoding a video or storing anything in an iTunes library again.

• Apple TV 3 news and discussion forum

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple has sent out press invitations for their iPad 3 unveiling, set of March 7 at 10am PT. The invitation reads:

We have something you really have to see. And touch.

The image shows a finger lingering over the iPad dock, and as with the iPhone 4S invitation, the icons are cleverly used to provide information: San Francisco on Maps, March 7 on Calendar, and Keynote. (They couldn’t include the Clock icon showing the time since iPad doesn’t have a built-in Clock app like iPhone does.)

There’s no Home button visible, but the simplest explanation for that is the iPad is being held in landscape orientation (or upside down). Also, the icons are all rendered very crisply, almost Retina-esque…

The iPad 3 event (if that’s the device name Apple is going with) will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Along with the widely expected Retina display, the iPad 3 is also rumored to be getting a better, perhaps quad-core processor, and 4G LTE networking.

iMore reported the March 7 event date back on February 13.

Source: The Loop

Ready to add yet more quad-core, 4G LTE rumors to your iPad 3 launch list? Well, you better be because CNBC just tweeted the following:

ALERT: Quad-Core iPad 3 with 4G LTE to be unveiled in New York next week. -Sources

iMore reported on a quad-core iPad 3 with possible 4G LTE networking, set for a March 7 announcement a couple of weeks ago, so that part lines up nicely.

A New York unveiling would be unusual, however. The recent education event and last year’s Verizon iPhone launch were both in New York, but every major product introduction in iOS history has been in or around Apple’s home base of San Francisco/Cupertino.

Either way, with March 7 fast approaching, we should find out sooner rather than later.

As to the actual iPad 3 release date, we shared our most recent information with you over the weekend, but we should find out for certain next week.

UPDATE: Um, yikes. Looks like “cable channel CNBC” jumped the gun with that alert. They weren’t confirming iMore’s story, they were copying it and didn’t provide attribution until after the fact. That’s okay, we all make mistakes, but iMore had nothing to do with the New York City part of that story (we didn’t hear it and didn’t report it).

Source: @CNBC

For today only the iMore Accessory Store has the Seidio CONVERT Combo for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 on sale for only $31.95. Get them before they’re gone!

Shop Seidio CONVERT Combo for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 now!

Do you have one phone and multiple cases? Eliminate the need for two different cases with this CONVERT Combo.

Put on the first layer, the Innocase II Surface, when using your iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 everyday. When you’re in tough or rugged conditions put on the Rugged Skin and Skeleton and securely hold your iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 wherever you go with the Seidio Locking Holster. When you don’t need the extra protection, simply remove the Rugged Skin and Skeleton.

This combo includes the Ultimate Screen Guard, Innocase II Surface, a Rugged Skin and Skeleton and the Innocase Rugged holster.

Ultimate Screen Guard

• Only 0.1mm thick and retains your touch screen’s sensitivity and clarity
• Good surface hardness with a 3H hardness rating
• Designed specifically for iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 ensuring a precise fit
• Innocase II Surface

1mm thin case provides scratch protection without adding bulk

• Designed from a hard, yet flexible material
• Seidio’s signature Soft Touch coating
• Simple slide-in design makes installation and removal easy
• Precision cutouts for port, controls, and camera
• Rugged Skin and Skeleton

2.5mm thin silicone case that fits over Innocase II Surface

• All controls are covered to keep dust and dirt out and remain functional
• Ports and camera are covered, but silicone covers can be removed
• Plastic frame fits over the back of the case for tighter fit and added protection
• Innocase CONVERT Holster

Fits up to a 2″ duty or utility belt

• Securely holds your iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 with locking mechanism on top clip
• Swivel clip allows you to position your device in 7 different ways

There’s many apps out there that let you track your human child’s development, but what about your four-legged kid? Enter Caniner Doggy Diary for iPhone. Caniner allows you to not only store important dates and phone numbers for your dog, but also track development, activity, and memories you never want to forget — all in a beautiful timeline view.

This timeline view is what initially drew me to Caniner Doggy Diary because it makes it more than just a database of information; it’s cross between a journal, blog, and social network (without the networking). When my dogs are gone, I’ll be able to come back to Canine Doggy Diary and scroll through photos and activities I enjoyed with them.

Caniner Doggy Diary has support for multiple dogs. You’ll find the profile picture for each dog at the top of the screen in a little circle. This is where you switch between viewing the timeline for individual dogs or for all of them at once.

The toolbar allows you to sort the timeline by play, eat, walk, health, favorites, and all. Adding a photo or activity is a simple as tapping the plus sign and tapping an existing entry in the timeline will allow you to edit it. When creating future events, you can also select to have them added to your iPhone calendar. To see them on your timeline, just pull down on the timeline to scroll up.

If you sign up for a free account, Caniner Doggy Diary will automatically keep your information synced with the cloud so that you never lose your journal. This also allows for multiple members of your family to install Caniner and contribute to your dog’s diary.

If your dogs are not just pets, but members of your family, Caniner Doggy Diary is a must-have.

$0.99 – Download Now

Apple is reportedly working on a new audio format that’s supposedly all about enabling a better streaming and downloading for users of Apple’s iTunes Match service. The new format should hopefully enable Apple to increase the quality of audio being delivered without increasing its file size. The same format could also be an adaptive streaming format so a lower quality audio stream could also be delivered in times of low bandwidth availability. According to UK newspaper The Guardian:

It is believed that Apple will use the new file type to upgrade its iTunes Match service, which allows users to re-download music from iCloud to their Apple devices. A source with inside knowledge of the process says Apple has asked a London studio to prepare audio files for a new streaming format that will adapt to bandwidth or hardware capabilities. “All of a sudden, all your audio from iTunes is in HD rather than AAC. Users wouldn’t have to touch a thing – their library will improve in an instant,” said the source, who requested to remain anonymous.

Musician Neil Young claimed back in January that modern digital music was so highly compressed that 95 percent of the audio content was lost. He believed that Steve Jobs was working on a solution to the problem. The recent Mastered for iTunes seems like the first steps towards that. Maybe this new audio format is another?

Source: The Guardian

I’ve been sucked into yet another puzzle game – this time it’s Circadia. For me, what makes a puzzle game great is if the objective is very simple, yet achieving that goal is challenging, but not impossible. Circadia has found the perfect balance.

Each level has a constellation of colored dots. Each color is assigned a sound so that when you tap the dot, a circle grows around it with the dot as its center. It’s as if the circle represents a sound wave leaving its origin. Not all colors are treated equal, however; the circles for lower notes grow slower than for high notes.

The goal? Get the color bursts to converge on the white dot at the same time.

Simple premise, yet very challenging. Circadia does a great job of easing the player into more challenging levels, but not at a snail’s pace that makes you lose interest. It wasn’t long before I was working on levels that included three colored dots per level. These were pretty challenging, but then Circadia went and scaled it back down to only two colored dots — and a moving white dot. Moving! Screenshots show that Circadia does eventually introduce 2 white dots into the levels and I’m willing to bet there’s a level set with both dots moving.

Oh, and did I mention that the simplicity and vivid colors make this a very visually stunning app?

I made it to level 40 before deciding that I needed to stop and write this review. If you pick this one up, I’d love to hear how far you get!

$0.99 — Download Now

Popular video sharing service Vimeo has added iPad support to their App Store app so now you can upload, edit and manage all your videos natively on the bigger screen. I’ve played around with it, and it’s very nice.

You also have the ability to simultaneously watch a video while browsing other clips, which is great, and if you’re looking to discover something new, Vimeo provides “meticulously curated” channels, based on your interests.

If you’re making your own movies and looking for a soundtrack, the editor now has Vimeo Music Store integration, which means there are 45,000 tracks available for you to choose from right on your device.

Vimeo claims their latest update also gives you the ability to browse featured channels without logging in or signing up. Despite this claim, I did have to create an account before viewing any videos, otherwise the app would crash. Once I signed up, everything worked like a charm. Hopefully that gets fixed soon.

Overall it’s a great update for anyone wanting an easy way to store, spice up, and share their videos online, or simply enjoy new and original videos on their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Free – Download Now

Prior to iOS 5, Apple’s iPhone and iPad notification system desperately needed updating. Since the advent of Push Notifications and background multitasking the old, outdated model alert system had become more interruption than notification, more annoyance than advantage. But are you using it?

The challenge was to make alerts powerful enough for advanced users while keeping them simple enough for Apple’s mainstream user base. Like with folders and fast app switching, they chose to make it a hidden layer of the iPhone’s interface, something that could be called up by users who know where it is, but could be just as easily ignored by users unaware or uninterested in its functionality.

And it does a pretty good job. Banners alert you to any incoming messages, far less obtrusively than the old style pop-ops (which still remain for more attention-demanding alerts like appointments and alarms). Notification Center provides you with a pull down shade listing all your recent alerts, and can do so on the Lock screen as well as in apps and on the Home screen. It also stays out of your way when you’re not using it, for the most part.

But such compromise is inevitably compromised. For advanced users, there’s still no quick settings access, message previews, in-app replies, or widget support beyond the built-in Weather and Stocks apps. For mainstream users, there are banners that cover their buttons and shades that drop down after inopportune swipes with long lists of messages that are difficult to dismiss. (Tiny tap targets much?)

So is it the right compromise, or just the right compromise for now? If you jailbreak is it good enough to replace IntelliscreenX or LockInfo? If you come from Android or webOS, how does it compare? If actually using Notification Center is the best way to judge the usefulness of Apple’s implementation, how often do you actually find yourself using it?

Thanks: @pinhodaniel

Once upon a time pundits proclaimed that Apple simply had to make a netbook, or low cost, low margin laptops from competitors would destroy them in the PC marketplace. More recently, they said Apple just had to make a discounted iPad or cheap, content-subsidized (in theory) tablets from Amazon would quickly overtake them. Today, and not for the first time, the call is coming for Apple to make a cheap pay-as-you-go iPhone to compete with the bargain basement Android offerings taking financially savaged parts of Europe by storm.

But Apple doesn’t do cheap.

Under Steve Jobs and now Tim Cook, they never have. They’ve thought differently, changed the game, and somehow they’ve managed to survive.

Most north Americans and some western Europeans are far more familiar with the idea of a post-paid phone, if not the term itself. Basically, it means you get the phone up front, heavily subsidized, and in exchange agree to a long term service contract (2 years in the U.S., sometimes less in Europe, 3 years in Canada). You save roughly $400 on your new iPhone, but you’re paying roughly $1000 a year for service, so the carrier makes their money back and then some.

In pre-paid markets, you typically pay full price for your phone up front, then pay-as-you-go for service, without any contract or long term commitment. Because you have to pay full price for the phone, however, without any subsidies to defer the cost, cheap phones end up being attractive to far more users. And Apple doesn’t have an answer to the ultra low end, uber cheap, bargain basement $100 Android phones that are increasingly dominant in pre-paid markets.

Now Apple doesn’t like to leave money on the table, but they love to leave “no money” on the table. They value saying “no” far more dearly than saying “yes”.

So far they’ve said a resounding “no” to high volume, low margin markets.

The Wall Street Journal posited today that Apple’s reliance on carrier subsidies were “a crutch” and offered this statement from John Lagerling, Google’s director of Android partnerships:

“Our competitors are much more dependent on such subsidies. From a sustainability standpoint, if you have very expensive devices as the only ones available to access your ecosystem, then that can come with a pretty severe hangover in the long run.”

Returning again to the theory that past behavior is sometimes the best indicator of future behavior, however, we can look at the aforementioned netbook market for precedent.

Apple’s first answer to the netbook wasn’t a crappy, creaky, barely usable Mac with a tiny screen and cramped keyboard. It was the MacBook Air. It was a premium product that two generations later became 11- and 13-inch marvels that, while 5 times (or more) the cost of a netbook, to this day has competitors struggling to match its quality and value at the same price point.

Apple’s second answer to the netbook was also the iPad. Still a premium product but one that started at half the price of the Air and, while not doing everything a traditional laptop did, was carefully and precisely aimed at doing several important, mainstream tasks better than most laptops could. Certainly better than netbooks could.

Turns out it was a killer strategy. They divided and conquered. The MacBook Air has become a trend-setting laptop, owning a key part of a lucrative product position. And the iPad has become virtually its own product category. Neither are typically subsidized.

Compare the success Apple has had with either of the those products to the results competitors have seen from devalued, depressed, and demoralized netbook offerings, and it’s hard to imagine any of those pundits are still in a position to pund (punditize?) let alone keeping punding (punditizing?).

While it’s dangerous to draw parallels between the very different PC and mobile spaces, Apple’s ability to earn tremendous amounts of profit while owning only a tiny percentage of the market should show how their priorities are aligned. (And is something other companies, like RIM, need to think about carefully if they consider attempting to be successful with small amounts of market share.)

Even when it appears like Apple is selling the iPhone “cheaply”, they’re really not. They’re selling it with massive carrier subsidies. An iPhone 3GS is “free” on AT&T because AT&T is paying Apple hundreds of dollars for it, making it up over the course of the 2-year service plans customers agree to when they get the subsidized phone. An iPhone 4S is only $299 – $499 on contract. It’s $49 to $849 off contract.

That’s not cheap.

If it means Apple doesn’t do as well as $100 off contract Android phones in pre-paid markets, right now it looks like they’re fine with that. As fine as they were in not doing well in the $300 PC netbook market.

Apple doesn’t have to do well in every market, it only has to do supremely well in the most valuable markets. Sometimes the best way to win is not to play every game.

And if Apple one day decides they do need to present an answer to Greece and Portugal, to emerging markets, and to carriers who balk at subsidizing a flagship Apple device, it probably won’t be with a cheap iPhone. It will be to the cheap phone market what the iPad was to the cheap netbook market.

Something thought differently. A game changer.

Source: The Wall Street Journal