Apple has just been granted a patent that it applied for 6 years ago that would allow them to turn the Apple TV into a cable box of sorts. This means instead of simply being able to stream content from iTunes, Netflix, and now Hulu, you'd be able to watch regular tv as well.

The US Patent and Trademark office today approved a patent that was originally filed back on October 12th, 2006. The patent describes a product simliar to what we know as today's Apple TV with one big addition - live TV and DVR capabilities.

The patent application, originally filed Oct. 12, 2006, has mock ups of screenshots with various TV programing, including CBS, ABC, FOX, and HBO. There are several screenshots depicting a Letterman segment and other popular shows. Another screenshot shows a list of recorded shows. The patent applications also has images of search and browse functions, so it seems like the new features will be fully integrated with the old system.

Even though Apple was granted the patent it doesn't necessarily mean they'll use it anytime in the near future or at all. While many of us may dream of a world without evil cable and satellite providers, whether or not that will eventually become a reality is anyone's guess.

Source: CNET

Rene and Marc iterate through Apple vs. Samsung, Metro name changes, and Safari 6 sRGB, and interrogate Luc Vandal of Edovia, and Thomas Unterberger about Screens, Napkin, and the Çingleton Symposium. This is Iterate!

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If you've got an AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 and the earpiece doesn't seem to work or gives bad feedback, a DIY repair should get it back in working order. An earpiece replacement isn't an extremely difficult repair to perform and only takes about 20 to 30 minutes or so. It'll also cost you a lot less than a trip to the Apple Store for a new or replacement iPhone if you're out of warranty and not eligible for an upgrade.

Follow along and we'll get you back up and running in no time!

Disclaimer: As with any repair, neither 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.

What you need for a DIY GSM iPhone 4 earpiece 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. You will find links to the specific parts you'll need for this repair in the list below.

• GSM iPhone 4 (please note there ARE internal differences between the GSM and CDMA models)
• Replacement earpiece speaker - Link to part

You will also need the following tools which are also available via eTech Parts.

• SIM removal tool (or a paper clip)
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has 5-point security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

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

Remove the back

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Remove your SIM card

Use a SIM removal tool or a paperclip to remove your SIM card and tray. Set them aside.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you'll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You'll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. You will notice a tiny grounding clip sitting underneath where you unscrewed the battery. Set this aside for replacement during reassembly. This is a grounding clip for your antenna. Make sure you put it back in place before reconnecting your battery.

Remove the Dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

1. There is a shield held on with two screws covering the dock connector cable. Remove the two screws holding it in place and set the shield and screws aside, remembering where they came from.

2. Next, use your pry tool to pry up the actual dock connector cable. Be careful as there is adhesive holding the cable in place as well. Peel back the adhesive gently to free the cable.

Remove the top logic board shield

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place. Remove the 5 screws holding it in place. Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I always keep them in order of how they came out.

2. Next you'll need to remove the shield. There is a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Pop it up with your pry tool and you should be able to slide the shield up fairly easily. Just take care not to bend it or break off a clip.

Disconnect the 6 cables from the top of the logic board

1. There is only one connector holding the camera to the logic board. Remove this cable in the picture above using your pry tool. Gently lift upwards and it will pop right off.

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You'll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.
3. Next pop up the LCD and digitizer cables to the right of where the camera cable was connected. You pop them up in the same direction.
4. The 3 cables further to the right will need to be disconnected as well. They pop up in the opposite direction.

Disconnect the cellular antenna

To disconnect the cellular antenna, just pop the round cable up from the logic board holding it in place. It is connected to the speaker housing so just leave it where it is for now.

Remove the logic board

1. Start with the 2 screws holding the logic board down in the middle and at the bottom left. Both use your #00 Phillips screwdriver. They are the same size. The one on the right of the logic board in the middle of the device has a water sensor over it you'll need to remove.
2. The second screw is located where the logic board meets the speaker assembly towards the bottom left of the device.
3. The third and final screw holding the logic board in is located at the top of the logic board off to the right. It is the only cross-head screw in your device. Use a small flathead screwdriver to carefully remove it.

4. You should now be able to remove your logic board. Holding it at the bottom, gently pull it upwards. I use my other hand to lift up at the top where the rear facing camera used to be.

5. Take note that there is a small rubber piece that sits at the top of the logic board. You will need this for re-assembly so make sure it doesn't fall off. If you lose this, you could see reception issues.

Remove the broken earpiece assembly

1. Carefully use your pry tool to pull up the earpiece assembly from the midframe. It is held in with a foam type of adhesive. When removing the earpiece, be careful not to pull the sensor cable underneath it up with it.

2. Once you've removed the earpiece assembly you can move on to the next step.

Insert the new earpiece assembly

1. The new earpiece assembly should come with adhesive and foam already installed. Just peel the backing off of the adhesive.
2. Place the earpiece assembly carefully into the iPhone making sure you're placing it the correct way so the prongs are pointing in the right direction.
3. Gently push down on the earpiece to make sure that the adhesive has attached on the underside.

Reassemble your iPhone 4

Now that you've replaced the earpiece it's time to finish putting your iPhone back together. To do so, you can either follow these directions in exact reverse order or watch our reassembly video above. The video is a complete teardown so you won't need to watch the entire thing but rather start from around the 4:40 mark. From this point on will guide you through reassembling your device.

And ...done!

Now that your iPhone 4 is completely put back together, push the power button to turn it back on. Place a test call and if all went well, your earpiece should be back in working order again. If for some reason you're still getting bad feedback, it's possible you need to replace the noise canceling mic or the dock connector in order to replace the other two speakers. It's not very common that this happens but on occasions it does.

If it does happen to you, we've got you covered and you can check out our tutorials on both.

• How to replace the dock connector and lower mic in a GSM iPhone 4
• How to replace the power button and sensor cable in a GSM iPhone 4

Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com.

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!

Additional Resources:

• How to replace the Home button in a GSM iPhone 4
• How to replace a shattered or broken screen in a GSM iPhone 4
• Mod and DIY forums
• Even more iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch DIY guides and tutorials

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The AR.Drone's accompanying iPhone app, FreeFlight, has recently been updated to version 2.0 (2.1 at the time of this writing), and is now new and improved, with easier to use navigations, overlays, and sharing options. So what, if any difference does it make to new and old Droners alike?

If you're not familiar with the original AR.Drone, it's and iPhone-controled flying contraption with a design that wouldn't look out of place in a James Camera film like Aliens or Avatar. It has a front facing camera that is viewed in real time as well as a downward facing camera for when you want to take some cool aerial shots.

The AR.Drone also comes with 2 different Hulls -- a minimal and highly visible hull for outdoor, use and a more protective Hull for indoor use. I quickly noted that these hulls can also be classified as "I love my Kids and want to secure their safety", and the "I don't have or care about kids". So, I typically stick with the "safety" hull even for outdoor use.

After placing the battery in the charger, I waiting for the LED to show full. In the meantime, I searched the App Store for the FreeFlight 2 update. I say searched because there are now two versions of FreeFlight available. There's FreeFlight 1.0 which is compatible with the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, and the original AR.Drone, and the regular FreeFlight which is now on version 2.1 and compatible with pretty much everything, including the original AR.Drone Parrot and the new AR.Drone Parrot 2.

If, like me, you haven't had the app on your phone for a while, be sure to select the appropriate one. (Parrot could have labelled these apps much better, or simply stuck with a single, cross-compatible app.)

To put Parrot's claims of a even better ease of use with FreeFlight 2.1 to the test, and to see how much the navigation was really improved, I conscripted the help of a special flight team...

Getting going is simple enough. One the AR.Drone is on, it in effect becomes a Wi-Fi hotspot to which you connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. That establishes an IP connection to the AR.Drone from your iOS device.

Once I started the FreeFlight 2.1 app, I was presented with an option to update the AR.Drone Parrot's firmware. The process is straight forward except, once the firmware is loaded, you're asked to restart the drone, and there isn't any indication of how long the firmware update will take. I simply waited about 10 minutes before I tried to use the device.

Once updated, I used my little helpers to put it to work. There was a stiff cross wind but the AR.Drone was able to compensate and kept its stability. I was quite impressed. The charge lasts for only about 20 minutes but this was plenty for my team to run it through its pace.

In pilot mode their are more options such as a trim to balance the AR.Drone for take off, A swap button to swap from front camera to underbelly camera, and limiters to limit speed and height from the ground.

The FreeFlight 2.1 app also has various game modes that you can follow once you have upped your flying skill level. You can view and share your recorded flights and easily share to Facebook or Twitter.

The AR.Drone website has a multitude of how to videos to teach you how to pilot from beginner to more advanced techniques as well as a store to purchase spare parts, batteries, Hulls, propellors and more.

Which you may need, depending on how vigorous your own team of testers proves to be.

Overall, the FreeFlight 2.1 update makes a fun iPhone or iPad toy even better. The controls are smoothed out, the social sharing is there if you want it, and the games are better implemented. Personally, I still find simply flying the AR.Drone and coming up with my own activities far more enjoyable than following some pre-established game, but if you like your fun more structured, there's definitely more structured fun to be had.

AR.Drone hardware - $200+ - Buy now

FreeFlight app - Free - Download now

Apple has added a (PRODUCT) RED option to their usual selection of iPhone 4/iPhone 4S bumpers, available through the Apple Store. Other than the color and the charity associated with it, and with which Apple has had a longstanding relationship, the bumper is identical to the previous colors first launched with the iPhone 4 in 2010 and updated for compatibility in 2011.

9to5Mac's Mark Gurman first reported the story last night, and as he pointed out, the timing is odd:

With Apple's redesigned iPhone coming in less than a month, it seems hard to believe that Apple would release a case for the iPhone 4S/4. However, it seems likely that the iPhone 4S/4 will stick around, so perhaps that is why Apple is set to release the new red iPhone Bumper case.

If and when the iPhone 5 is announced on September 12, if Apple stays with recent patterns, the iPhone 4S should drop to $99 on contract.

The real question here, however, is why did it take Apple over 26 months to add a (PRODUCT) RED bumper to the product line?

$29 - Buy now

There has always been an argument over whether the iPad was a truly mobile device; well the folks from Double Robotics have certainly put an end to that particular debate. Say hello to the Double teleconferencing robot, it aims to take teleconferencing to a whole new level. Its main feature is the fact that it is a mobile teleconferencing system that is controllable from one iPad while a second iPad sits on top and becomes the systems eyes and ears. It then portrays images and sound as if you are there in person. It could be used for virtual museum tours, advertising and even visiting the in-laws without actually having to be there.

Double is the simplest, most elegant way to be somewhere else in the world without flying there. The minimalist design and intuitive touchscreen controls allow you to freely move around without inconveniencing others. You can stay at eye level, whether sitting or standing, by adjusting your height remotely, which makes conversations fluid and real. Retractable kickstands will automatically deploy to conserve power when you are not moving around. Efficient motors and lightweight design give Double the ability to last all day without recharging the battery.

Modern teleconferencing would be perfect if every important conversation happened in the conference room. Double allows you to move around and join people in any location, so you can participate in the conversations that happen in the lunch room or at the water fountain. Because Double simply improves upon existing teleconferencing, you can use it in all the same places as those old systems too.

The Double will set you back around $2499 when it becomes available at the end of this year. If you are prepared to pre-order you can get a piece of the action for just $1999.00. When you consider what you are getting, the price really isn't that bad. Batteries are included in this particular robot but what you do need to remember is that iPads aren't.

Could you see a usage case for the Double? Can you see these types of robotic teleconferencing systems taking off in Schools, Museums etc?

Source: Double Robotics via The Verge

Double by Double Robotics - Pre-order Now from Double Robotics on Vimeo.

A couple weeks ago, Digg v1 hit the web and the App Store and one of the immediate complaints was that in order to user any of Digg's special features, like bookmarking articles, saving to your favorite read-later service, or digging an article, you had to be logged into Facebook. The good news is that the folks at Digg were listening and have removed that restriction for bookmarking articles to Digg's Reading List, Pocket, and Instapaper.

The update also introduces a new feature called "Paperboy". This allows you to set your home location so that whenever you leave home, Digg automatically updates with the latest stories. Additionally, Digg now also supports offline reading.

Although you no longer need to login into Facebook for save an article for later, if you want to "digg" a story (equivalent to a "like" or thumbs up), you must still login to Digg with Facebook. Although this is annoying, it's not nearly as restrictive as before and was a very smart move by Digg. Many of our readers chose not to even download Digg once they heard that you couldn't save articles for later in any way, shape, or form without logging into Facebook.

Now that you can experience more of Digg's features without Facebook, are you planning to give Digg a second chance? I am. Other than the Facebook restriction, I have been impressed with Digg's ability to gather interesting articles covering many ranges of topics.

Free - Download Now

Found an interesting article you want to share with iMore? Have a burning question about that feature you just can't figure out? There is ALWAYS more happening just a click away in the forums. You can always head over and join in the conversation, search for answers, or lend your expertise to other members of our community. You check out some of the threads below:

If you're not already a member of the iMore Forums, register now!

Sleet is a new iPad Twitter app by Inglorious Apps that allows you simultaneously use up to four Twitter accounts using a split-screen interface. You can view your timeline, mentions, direct messages, lists, favorites, search and customize your views according to your needs.

If you don't have multiple Twitter accounts, you can still use Sleet to view different sections of your Twitter account at once. For example, in the top-right corner you can show your mentions, in the corner below that, your direct messages, and the entire left column can be used for your main timeline. You can have any combination of one to four different accounts and timelines displayed on the screen at once.

Just like many other Twitter apps, Sleet displays in-line photos and let's you view conversation with a single tap. Tapping on a Tweet will give a popup of options include replying, retweeting, marking as favorite, and copying the Tweet. If you tap on a photo, it will open up nice in a big in a popup and external links give you the option of opening in Safari or a popup.

I really like the idea of Sleet, but I admit that it still needs a little work. The features and design is there, but the performance is not. Scrolling isn't smooth and it was a little confusing to add a second Twitter account since I was already logged into a Twitter account. I look forward to see what Inglorious Apps does with Sleet and updates that improve performance.

$0.99 - Download Now

Siri was a bit of a tease on iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S -- while it could send Messages and Mails, it couldn't send status updates to Twitter or Facebook, and it couldn't even open an app. With iOS 6, however, Siri is not only launching on the iPad, but it's launching you into any app on your device, and posting tweets and updates like a social champ.

Here's how Apple share's Siri's new status:

Siri makes social networking that much more fun — and easy. Update your Facebook status, post a comment on your Wall, or send a tweet using just the sound of your voice. You can get the word out faster — all without having to type a single word.

With iOS 6, you can ask Siri to open apps for you. If you arrive early at the cafe Siri helped you find, just ask to play Where's My Water so you can kill time while you wait. Or ask Siri to launch Facebook and see what your friends are up to, or take a look at the latest posts on your Wall.

Siri's newfound social acumen and app access are only available to beta testers right now, but Apple did show it off during WWDC 2012, so we have some idea of how it works.

• Create, take dictation for, and post tweet to Twitter
• Create, take dictation for, and post status to Facebook
• Launch an app or game

Here are some examples of how it works:

• Say "play Temple Run" and Siri will launch the Temple Run game, just as if you'd tapped the app icon on the Home screen.

• Say "Post to Twitter: Shopping on Robertson... just saw whatshisname from the doctor show."

• Say "Post to Facebook: I like pina coladas. But I really hate getting caught in the rain."

Siri's an assistant who already took your Messages and Mail, so updating your Facebook and Twitter is both familiar and a great extension to functionality. Being able to launch apps is okay too, though in situations where your hands are too busy to tap an icon, they're probably too busy to tap through an app once Siri's done launching it.

iOS 6 is scheduled for release this fall, perhaps as soon as September 19.

For more on iOS 6 and Siri, check out:

• Siri: The ultimate guide
• Everything you need to know about iOS 6
• iOS 6 discussion forum