Element Case is upping the ante on their iPhone 4 offerings with the Vapor Pro, with more clearance for dock connectors and headphones and a new aerospace polymer to better insulate the antenna from interference. Here are the full specs:

• Wider access ports on top and bottom for compatibility with a wide range of headphones, earbuds and third party charging cables
• A special, aerospace polymer section built over the antenna contact points to eliminate “death-grip” issues and improve wi-fi, GPS and 3G
• A unique, diagonally-attached design with bolts now positioned at opposite corners of the phone
• A beautiful, perforated SIM card slot with accents on the broad side opposite silence and volume controls
• A unique finish in beautiful titanium alloy finishes
• A special hex key tool for removal and installation that can now be carried on your key ring for easy accessibility

The first, collectors edition with a zippered carrying case and keyring for the hex key will retail for $149.9, with more colors and a Verizon iPhone specific model coming later.

But you know the deal TiPb readers — Element Case is giving you the chance to win one right now, for FREE!

Just head on over to the contest thread on the iPhone Forum and tell us you want one!

[Element Case]

Element Case Vapor Pro give away! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Have limited 3G data on your iPhone or iPad and want to know how to conserve it as best as you can? Get that dreaded “You’ve used up 80% of your data for the month” message and there are still weeks to go before your next billing cycle? Overage charges are probably the most expensive expensive items a carrier can bill you for so stay with us after the break to find out how to best conserve your data!

If you’re worried about conserving your precious data the first thing you need to know is how to track how much data you are actually using. Unfortunately, only your carrier is considered 100% accurate when it comes to data tracking but if you just want a general idea you can use the iPhone’s built-in data usage monitor.

Check your data usage

1. Launch Settings.
2. Tap General
3. Tap Usage
4. Scroll down to Cellular Network Data
5. (If you use Tether Data, make sure to include that in your calculations!)

Unless you’re a math whiz with a great memory, set an alarm to remind you to tap Reset Statistics at the beginning of each billing cycle so you have a better idea how much data you’re using during the current month.

Death by streaming

The biggest usage of cellular data is media streaming, especially video. If you have a serious YouTube — or whatever site — video streaming addiction wait until you’re on Wi-Fi to feed it. Many sites now offer streaming HTML5 video for iPhone, from news to video podcasts to entertainment. All of them will chew through your data cap in no time. Learn to avoid them when out and about!

The same goes for audio. If you’re streaming Pandora, internet radio, or podcasts it might sound small to start but will quickly add up.

Other things to avoid

• Anything that streams. We can’t stress that enough!
• Online gaming. All those graphics are costing you data!
• Google Maps. The map tiles are being downloaded.
• App Store. Even though apps are capped at 20MB for cellular data, start downloading a bunch of 20MB apps and you’ll feel the pain.

Settings

Once you’ve gotten streaming under control, conserving data becomes pretty much about how to turn off Settings and shut down apps that use up data, especially those that run in the background. Here are some tips:

• Turn off push email. It’s small but it adds up. Switch to fetching email in manual mode. Go to Settings: Mail, Contacts, Calendar : Fetch New Data and set it to Manually.
• Turn off push notifications. Same deal. Go to Settings: Notifications and set them to off.
• Turn off Cellular data unless you absolutely need it. This will prevent anything from running in the background and adding to your overages. Go to Settings: Cellular Data and turn it to off.

Texting is fine, MMS, Visual Voice Mail isn’t

SMS/Texting doesn’t use data so don’t worry about using them when your data usage is at its limit. However, MMS and Visual Voice Mail use data to transmit pictures, videos, and audio. Stop using them if you’re close to your limit!

Upgrade your data plan if you need to

It’s important to be realistic. If you are constantly finding yourself getting billed for extra data use every month it may be a better idea just to upgrade to a bigger data plan. Try to talk to the retention department. While not always the case they can generally give you better deals then regular customer service reps.

Hope this has helped you out, and if you have any other ideas for conserving your iPhone data usage let me know in the comments!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Daily Tips: How to conserve your iPhone data usage is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

BoomTown reports that Apple will hold their much anticipated iPad 2 event on Wednesday, March 2 in San Francisco, CA.

According to several sources close to the situation, the Wednesday date in a little more than a week is firm and will take place in San Francisco, the scene of many such Apple events.

So mark your calendars, folks! In just a over a week, we’ll know which of the crazy rumors about this device turn out to be true. In the mean time, let the speculating continue and let us know what you expect Apple to reveal next week in the comments below!

Update: The New York Times and other publications are now echoing the March 2 date.

[All Things D]

Update: iPad 2 event set for March 2? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Case-Mate Barely There Case for iPhone 4, Verizon iPhone 4

The Case Mate Barely There Chrome Case is a line of light, sporty cases for the AT&T iPhone 4 or Verizon iPhone 4. These cases are designed to help protect the design of the AT&T iPhone 4 or Verizon iPhone 4 while allowing more of it to show.

Shop Case-Mate Barely There Chrome Case for iPhone 4, Verizon iPhone 4 now!

Case-Mate Barely There Chrome Case for iPhone 4, Verizon iPhone 4 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Earlier this morning we told you about rumors of the iPad 2 being “delayed” until June, but Jim Dalrymple from The Loop claims the rumors are completely false. He states that in addition to the iPad 2 being on track he also doesn’t believe the other rumor making the rounds today — that iPhone 5 would be delayed until September either:

The Internet is buzzing this morning with separate rumors that Apple's iPad 2 and iPhone 5 will be delayed. The fact is, neither rumor is true. From what I've heard this morning both products are on schedule and will ship when they are supposed to. Only Apple knows exactly when that will be, but the products are not delayed.

The Loop usually has fairly accurate sources so we’re going to side with him on this one. With how on-track Apple usually is with their release schedules, especially when it comes to their yearly iPhone updates, these rumors don’t seem to hold much weight.

What do you think, will we still see iPad 2 this spring and iPhone 5 this summer?

[The Loop]

iPad 2 and iPhone 5 still on schedule after all? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

iPhone, iPod touch and iPad all have Wi-Fi radios in them and anything with a radio can suffer from interference. Some causes of interference are relatively simple, such as “holding it wrong”. Others may not be so obvious, such as being close to the microwave. Here TiPb goes through some of the common reasons that your Wi-Fi signal may have issues such as decreased wireless range, decreased network data speed, and even a complete loss of connectivity. We’ll also offer some fixes… after the break!

[Apple Support]

The previous generation of iPhone and iPod touch have 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi radios. Current generation iPhone 4, iPod touch 4 and iPad support 802.11n as well. iPhone and iPod touch only support the 2.4Ghz which is more “crowded” (more different types of devices operate at that frequency and care therefore more likely to cause interference). iPad also supports 802.11n over 5Ghz which is less “crowded”. With older Wi-Fi routers setting them to 5Ghz was great for devices that supported it but meant older devices with 802.11a/b/g couldn’t connect at all. Newer dual-band routers (like Apple’s last two generations of Airport Extreme) let you support both 2.4Ghz for older devices on one band and 5Ghz for iPad on the other — giving the better of both worlds.

So what causes interference on these radios and frequencies and how can you fix it?

• Your hand. Yes, “hold different” has become a bit of a joke but a large, waterlogged object like a big fleshy hand, if wrapped around enough area, could cause interference with the Wi-Fi radio in your device. This shouldn’t be a problem in normal use.

• Using the microwave. If your microwave is close to your Wi-Fi base station you may notice a loss of signal strength when the microwave is working. Test for it by turning the microwave on and off. If the interference starts and stops at the same time, it’s likely the case. Try changing the “channel” on your router (typically a number between 1 and 10) until you find one that eliminates the interference.

• Direct Satellite Service (DSS) radio frequency (RF) leakage. There are certain kinds of satelite dishes which can also cause interference due to the coax cable and connectors used. If there is damage to the cable get a new cabled to reduce the amount of RF leakage.

• Power lines, railroad tracks and power stations. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not these are practical sources of interference for modern home Wi-Fi routers. If you think you may have an issue with them try repositioning your router, or changing channels.

• Other wireless devices on the same frequency. Other phones, speakers, baby monitors, garage door openers, or anything else on the same 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz frequency can cause interference. If you think it’s a neighbor’s device causing the problem, again, try changing the channel on your router.

• Physical barriers Depending on what they’re made of and their RF absorption and obstruction rates, walls and floors and other physical obstructions can cause interference. (We’ve even been told stories of elevators, when they’re on the same floor, causing intermittent problems.) Try repositioning your router or even adding a second router as a bridge if you’re trying to cover a large area.

• Pacemakers Obviously you shouldn’t carry your iPhone or iPod touch in your pocket if you have a pacemaker.

• Hearing aids. iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad may conflict with hearing aids as well.

• Blasting areas. Yes, if you live near an area where a lot of things get blown up the radio signals used could interfere with your device.

Types and potential for physical interference

Have you experienced Wi-Fi interference with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? If so, what caused it and how did you manage to fix it?

TiPb Answers: Causes of Wi-Fi interference is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

A MacRumors reader emailed Steve Jobs about recent fears that Apple’s new App Store subscription policy would hurt Software as a Service (SaaS) apps, and Jobs’ purported response is — no it won’t.

The question:

As a full time iOS developer, I am concerned (and confused) withe the new App Store guideline regarding “Apps offering subscriptions” (section 11.12).

Most of the iOS apps I have developed, as a contractor for other businesses, have been free apps that had login screens to allow the user access to some amount of private data. and/or service. These businesses have all been well established companies that sell some kind of service to their customers (Software As a Service companies) and the iOS app was merely another “portal” for their users to access their data/services (in many times, in a limited i.e. “mobile” fashion)…. for example; SalesForce. I am concerned that most of these businesses will choose to not develop an iOS app for their customers if the IAP & subscription policy was in place.

Would these type’s of free apps be still be allowed in the App Store or will they now be expected to use IAP?

The Steve Jobs response:

We created subscriptions for publishing apps, not SaaS apps.

Sent from my iPhone

Apple has been typically tight lipped about what does and does not qualify as subscription so the confusion is understandable but is a Steve Jobs email enough to clarify?

[MacRumors]

New subscription policy doesn’t apply to Software as a Service – Sent from Steve Jobs’ iPhone is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Developer Marco Arment, whose Instapaper app he believes is a good bellwether of iOS adoption, didn’t see a spike with the Verizon iPhone launch — leading him to believe many early Verizon iPhone buyers had previous iOS devices. Now we have heard Verizon iPhone sales were less than expected. Unlike cyclical AT&T iPhone releases, however, many potential customers are likely still on existing contracts and will wait until their next upgrade to switch over to the Verizon iPhone. That’s a slow, steady pace as opposed to the previous mad June rushes.

Here on TiPb we’ve seen a pretty large influx of BlackBerry users and a fair amount of Android converts, but even if they didn’t own an iPhone before they could have had an iPod touch or iPad to get their hands into the iOS platform.

So let’s ask! Is Verizon iPhone your first iOS device? Vote in the poll up top and tell us which iOS device(s) you previously owned in the comments below. If you did have an iOS device before, did you just load it up with your existing app or did you go on another app shopping spree?

[Marco.org]

Is Verizon iPhone your first iOS device? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

• RoboSockets: This is a juicy mix of tetris, pipes and match 3 game mechanics resulting in the truly unique gameplay. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

• Talking Gina the Giraffe: Your kids can have a fun, pet giraffe! [Free - iTunes link

• WiFi2HiFi: Turn your iPhone into a wireless audio receiver for your stereo system or audio dock. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

• Paypal: Updated to include the ability to manage fundraising campaigns and icon customization. [Free - iTunes link]

• Twittelator Pro: This Twitter app now allows you to configure your own custom URL shortener. [$4.99 - iTunes link]

Any other big apps or game releases or updates today? If you pick any of these up, let us know what you think!

New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Tuesday, February 22 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

According to Yuanta Securities Co., Apple’s iPad 2 may not hit the market until June. With the usual caveat of analysts beings only slightly less accurate than a coin toss, and the clarification that unannounced products can only be “delayed” when it comes to internal time tables, Yuanta cites the reason for the delay as “production bottlenecks” due to Apple making some design changes shortly before the Chinese New Year.

This delay would obviously affect Apple’s typical refresh cycle of releasing mobile products once a year. Interestingly enough we told you that WWDC 2011 is scheduled for June 5-9, which would place the iPad 2 launch just prior to or right after Apple’s yearly event where iPhone 5 should be announced.

What do you think of this rumor, real, fake or really fake?

[ Business Week ]

Analyst claims iPad 2 delayed until June?! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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