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Steve Jobs Almost Received An Honourary Knighthood

A former British MP has revealed to The Telegraph that Steve Jobs was close to being offered a knighthood in 2009 for his services to technology. According to the former MP, the proposal for his knighthood was blocked because Jobs had previously refused to speak at a British political event.

 

The former senior British MP told The Telegraph that he had nominated Steve Jobs for knighthood and that despite reaching the final stages of approval, was inevitably refused by Downing Street. He claims that they explained the refusal was based on Jobs’ refusal to attend an annual Labor conference, just his appearance at the event would have been a big political win for Gordon Brown.

 

The former MP said that he had nominated Steve Jobs because;

 

Apple has been the only major global company to create stunning consumer products because it has always taken design as the key component of everything it has produced.

 

No other CEO has consistently shown such a commitment.

Apple had been aware of the proposal and despite Steve Jobs’ snub, another key player in the technology revolution, Bill Gates, had been knighted earlier in 2005. Bono, the front man of U2 that had previously partnered with Apple for a charity edition of the iPod and friend of Jobs has also received the honour.

The then-Prime Minister refused to knight Mr Jobs in 2009 because he turned down an invitation to speak at the Labour Party conference, a former senior Labour MP said.

 

Mr Jobs was put forward for the honour by the MP for services to technology. Apple is credited with revolutionising the industry in recent years with its iPhone and iPad devices, which have unleashed a boom in mobile internet usage.

 

The former MP, who left Parliament at the last election, said: “Apple has been the only major global company to create stunning consumer products because it has always taken design as the key component of everything it has produced.

 

“No other CEO has consistently shown such a commitment.”

 

Apple was aware of the proposal, he said, and it reached the final stages of approval, but was rejected by Downing Street.

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AViiQ Announces Four New Products For iPads, Laptops, And Mobile Devices

 

Even if I already wasn’t an acclaimed fanboy of AViiQ’s Portable Laptop Stand (review and giveaway), I’d still be excited to announce that AViiQ is pulling out all the stops with four new products tailored towards your mobile lifestyle. The 2011 lineup is impressive, and includes the AViiQ Portable Quick Stand, AViiQ Portable Case Stand for iPad, AViiQ Portable Charging Station, and new shades of AViiQ’s Portable Laptop Stand. From the press release, the Original Portable Laptop Stand will see a price reduction to $59.99, making the cost of entry even lower if you want a foldable stand for your laptop.

 

 

 

The AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand

 

Nothing should be more flexible or more comfortable than your mobile lifestyle. That’s why AViiQ created the Portable Laptop Stand which I had the pleasure of reviewing. It’s designed to be portable, light, yet strong enough to withstand the stress of everyday computing. The AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand compromises on none of these things: imagine slipping a curious fine sheet of aluminum into your laptop bag, only for it to unfold on the table as something uniquely striking. The thin, brushed style of the stand, combined with its sharp looks, simply disappears underneath your MacBook. Inverted or upright, folded opened or closed, we’re giving away a truly fine product from the folks at AViiQ so you too can enjoy the comfort and mobility of the world’s thinnest laptop stand.

 

It’s not nearly as light as a feather (it’s 5.5 ounces), but the AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand comes very close as it shaves down traditional laptop stands into a thin, foldable package. Its origami inspired design reveals a thin sheet of Hylite (a fancy aluminum) that’s super strong and can carry the weight of today’s aluminum milled laptops. I’m not certain about what material is used between the aluminum strips, but it feels like a strong, flexible vinyl or plastic material that hasn’t shown any signs of wear during my intense two-week review. Looks are certainly deceiving: it’s an incredibly strong stand that does not give when unfolded unto a flat desk. Worried about it flexing or coming undone? Using my hand, I pushed down on the stand to see if it would break — the solid design of AViiQ’s stand will not collapse under the weight of your precious laptop when locked in place.

 

I tested AViiQ’s showcase product with a 13″ MacBook of the 2008 era, when polycarbonate was in style and I just missed the boat on Apple’s aluminum update. I digress, I assume this stand would be perfect for any 13″ or 15″ MacBook Pro owner, though I don’t know if the size (not the weight) of the 17″ MacBook Pro would be an issue. The typing angle is comfortable, and you can inversely use the product when standing so the incline is at reverse fifteen degrees. It doesn’t solve any neck problems as the monitor still isn’t at eye level, but my wrists certainly felt a lot better when I was typing while standing. Sitting, the laptop is propped up, and elevates the Macbook to a comfortable typing angle while putting the monitor at a more appropriate eyeball level.

 

 

 

Portable Charging Station USB 2.0

Devices seem to become less portable when adding up all those chargers.

 

 

With todays on-the-go users carrying multiple mobile devices in need of charging, this adds to the number of chargers one needs to bring. Yet the availability of wall plugs dwindle as users move from location to location.

 

Introducing the AViiQ™ Portable Charging Station. With four USB 2.0 ports all powered with a single wall adaptor, say good-bye to the, sometimes in-vain, search for on outlet.

 

Rest assured that even your larger power-consuming products such as the Apple® iPad™, which requires a 10v charger, is supplied through one of our four ports.

 

If you’re tired of sorting through cable clutter, and the eventual leaving of a cable or charger behind at a hotel or coffee shop, say hello to our solution for the on-the-go user.

 

 

 

 

World's Most Versatile Case Stand for the iPad

 

Aluminum Finish

 

Traditional iPad cases tend to hide the beautiful finish that was created for the Apple iPad. The AViiQ Case Stand retains that finish by duplicating the same qualities.

Thin But Protective

 

Thin But Protective

 

One of the benefits of an Apple iPad is its slim asthetic form which makes it an easy and convenient travel partner. Wanting to keep that intact, we encased the iPad with only 3mm of material. Enough to keep it safe, enough to keep it a traveler.

Internal Legs

 

Internal Legs

 

With two legs that recess into the iPad stand, this case provides the ability for the user to use the stand in all four possible positions.

Lip for Grip

 

Lip for Grip

 

The rear of the Case Stand features a small dip to give the iPad an extrea bit of leverage when using it without the internal legs as well as providing it with more grip when holding it on-the-go.

 

 

 

 

Charging station'as tai awesome išvis. Belekaip. iPad'o stand'as irgi praverčiantis manau būtų namuose.

Cool!

BlackBerry Messenger Coming to iOS?

BGR reports sources close to RIM have told them the company is working on a port of the popular BlackBerry Messenger communication service for Android and iOS devices. While the Android version seems to be coming soon, not so many details have been provided regarding BBM for iOS –no release date or whether the app could be available only for iPhone owners.

Boy Genius Report, however, says RIM has been looking for a way to extend its platform’s capabilities to other mobile operating systems, which have seen the rise of similar services like WhatsApp and Kik recently. BlackBerry Messenger for non-BlackBerry devices might be a stripped down version of the original software with only a few features such as contacts lists and chat. Location, photo and video sharing might remain exclusive to BlackBerry owners as an advantage over iOS and Android counterparts.

Right now, we have heard that Android is definitely a go. But again, we’re not sure on timing, though our sources are confident that it will launch some time this year. RIM chose Android first because of the fact that it could develop and integrate something like this much easier with an open platform, but the plan is to build and deploy an iOS version at some point as well.

There is no secret the App Store is full of applications that allow users to communicate and share media in real time, for free. If BlackBerry is really planning on bringing its vision to other platforms and, perhaps, tablets, then we’re definitely looking forward to that. Maybe in the future iPad 2 owners will be able to communicate with PlayBook users.

Personal Hotspot Lets Another iPhone Connect and Use FaceTime Over 3G

Here’s an interesting feature we didn’t know had been implemented on iOS 4.3 that has been brought to our attention this morning by German blog Macerkopf.de: on the iOS 4.3 GM (released last night) you can start Personal Hotspot and let a second iPhone connect to use FaceTime over 3G.

Personal Hotspot creates a WiFi connection, but we know that’s actually a shared 3G one. Starting with an active 3G connection on the first iPhone running iOS 4.3, up to 5 other devices can connect to the Personal Hotspot, which is recognized in the Settings as a WiFi network. Macerkopf speculates that the fact that iPhones can connect to Personal Hotspot and use FaceTime is new to the 4.3 GM build seeded to developers yesterday.

I’ve tested this with my two iPhone 4s and a Mac running FaceTime, and it works. With the first iPhone, I made sure I had 3G active and created a WiFi network with Personal Hotspot. With the second iPhone 4, I connected to Personal Hotspot and called my Mac using FaceTime. It worked the other way around as well. Video quality and sound weren’t excellent (like I said, it’s a 3G connection) but definitely acceptable.

This is an interesting little detail because Apple doesn’t want you to use FaceTime over 3G. A number of Cydia tweaks surfaced in the past to overcome Apple’s restrictions, like Facebreak and My3G. But if you happen to have two iPhones (say, your wife’s) and you really need to use FaceTime on the go to call someone, Personal Hotspot will let you do that. Even if it’s actually a 3G connection, it appears that as long as the iPhone “sees” the network as a WiFi one, it’s fine. Clearly the second iPhone isn’t able to tell whether the connection comes from 3G or not.

We don’t know if this was possible on the previous betas of iOS 4.3...

Apple Seeking Expanded Access to iTunes Downloads Across All iOS Devices

Apple is said to be actively engaged in negotiations with four major record labels to give iOS device users something they desperately want - expanded access to their digital music across all of their iOS devices. As a result, progress is apparently being made, the eventual outcome of which could be a new agreement between Apple and its largest digital music providers by the middle of 2011.

According to Bloomberg News, multiple sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations suggest that Apple is heavily lobbying the likes of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group to expand their current licensing agreement. Such an arrangement would effectively give iTunes consumers and iOS device users more control and flexibility in accessing their paid-for digital music libraries.

Although Apple and its major label partners aren't formally offering comment on the matter, there could very well be more on the table besides simply granting users access to the same iTunes account across the iPhone, iPod and iPad. It appears that a forthcoming deal could also provide for "permanent backup of music purchases" should the original files somehow become deleted or otherwise damaged and rendered unusable.

Who is Winning the U.S. Smartphone Battle?

The answer depends on whether you’re looking at operating systems or manufacturers.

The battle for the hearts and minds of consumer smartphone owners continues to be a heated one according to data just released by The Nielsen Company. When it comes to consumer marketshare by operating system, Android (29%) appears to be pulling ahead of RIM Blackberry (27%) and Apple iOS (27%). But an analysis by manufacturer shows RIM and Apple to be the winners compared to other device makers since they are the only ones creating and selling smartphones with their respective operating systems. HTC follows with 12 percent of consumer smartphone owners having an HTC Android device and 7 percent owning an HTC device running a Microsoft OS. Ten percent of consumer smartphone owners had a Motorola Android device and one percent owned a Motorola device running a Microsoft OS.



Finally, of the three most popular smartphone operating systems, Android seems to attract more young consumers.

Android On Top In US Smartphone Wars, iOS and BlackBerry Joint Second

It’s no great surprise to anyone who actually thinks about it, but a new report by Nielsen claims that Android is the number one smartphone OS in the United States with iOS and BlackBerry joint second.



Currently Google’s Android accounts for 29% of smartphones while Apple’s iOS and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry both hold a 27% share each. After that it’s a mish-mash of operating systems with Windows Phone (including Windows Phone 7) holding onto 10% of the market.

Of course when you put these numbers into context, it’s no great surprise. Android is found on more handsets than we can name at Redmond Pie Towers and with iOS being a one-phone kinda guy, it’s surely expected that Google’s OS would outpace Apple’s.

Recent success with devices like the original Motorola Droid, HTC’s EVO, Samsung Galaxy and Google Nexus lines of phones, along with the increase in usability and eye-candy of new OS updates like Froyo and Gingerbread are potential reasons for new sales of Android devices. Upcoming dual-core CPU endowed handsets along with huge 4-inch+ Super AMOLED Plus screens also help attract the eye of new buyers.

Hungarian Politician Drafts New Constitution On iPad

Steve Jobs will surely be happy when he gets word that Hungary’s new constitution is being written on an iPad, actually my iPad… The best is I don’t have to wait for minutes to turn it on, like with a normal laptop. I can open it anywhere and can take advantage of every minute. It’s a miracle!

JAM by Apogee Brings Studio Quality Guitar Input to iPad, iPhone and Mac

GarageBand is being released next week and with it, a whole new way of recording audio on the iPad. The iPad 2 includes the same built-in microphone as the pervious version, but recording audio with it hasn’t always produced the best sounding results. If you really want to capture high quality audio, then you have to use another device in conjunction with an iPad to do so. That’s where Apogee’s new JAM comes in. JAM is a studio quality input for iOS devices and it’s also compatible with the Mac as well.

At last Wednesday’s Apple event, you may have noticed that a guitar was plugged into an iPad 2 in the demo video that was presented. This was Apogee’s latest guitar interface, JAM. The unit includes a studio quality instrument preamp with up to 40dB of gain. It also includes a gain control knob on the side of the device for easy adjustments on the fly. This is a plug and play device so you’ll be recording in no time.

JAM has been designed with the guitarist in mind, but it should work equally well with other devices that can plug into a ¼-inch input. The device has also been optimized for use with guitar pickups and features an auto “Soft Limit” so you get the highest quality recordings every time. JAM also features a multicolor status LED where Blue indicates that the device is powered on, but not yet ready for use, Green indicates that it’s ready to record, and Red indicates the recording level is too high, or clipping.




JAM is not just limited to iOS devices, however, as it includes a USB port that can be used with a Mac’s USB port as well. This makes it more versatile than similar devices from other manufactures. JAM is small, light and can easily fit into any musician’s gear bag.

JAM differs from competitors such as IK multimedia’s iRig, by plugging into the iPad’s 30-pin connector. The iRig on the other hand, connects through the headphone jack instead. While this approach does offer the advantage of being able to power the device while it’s recording, it doesn’t offer the highest possible sound quality. JAM features what it calls, “PureDIGITAL technology” that ensures the highest possible guitar tone every time. Apogee’s JAM will be available March 31 for $99, just in time for the release of GarageBand (well almost).

iOS Multitasking: It Doesn’t Need To Be PC-like

In a recent article on his personal blog, Lukas Mathis argues that the iPad’s multitasking doesn’t actually help people get things done and focus more as it forces you to constantly switch between apps. He writes:

a task (or an app) on a computer, and a task performed by a human don’t map to each other one-to-one. In fact, a single task performed by a human can easily make use of several applications running concurrently on a computer.

For example, right now, I’m typing this text in Notational Velocity, and I’m looking at the New York Times in a browser. The computer is showing me two windows at the same time. It is multitasking. I, however, am not. I’m absolutely focused on writing this essay. In fact, the computer’s multitasking is precisely what allows me to focus on writing my essay. I can type text into this window while looking at the Times article in another window without being forced to interrupt my task, and consciously switch between apps.

This is a common point being raised by people curious to try out iOS, but afraid it won’t help them be productive: “can I see multiple apps at once”? No, with iOS you can’t. And the way I see it, there’s good reason to enforce this implementation. First off, let’s consider the devices iOS runs on: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV. The Apple TV 2nd gen doesn’t exactly have apps and I don’t understand why would anyone want to see multiple photos and movies at once. The iPhone and iPod touch? The screen is so small (in spite of high resolution) I honestly can’t believe some people are exploring the possibility of seeing multiple apps on a single screen. It doesn’t make sense.

That leaves the iPad to be considered. With a screen slightly smaller than the average netbook, one could argue Apple should find a way to let multiple apps / windows be displayed on screen at the same time. There is a huge problem, though: how would you enable this technically speaking? By creating desktop-like overlays? Not going to happen on iOS. What about allowing apps to run in split-screen mode? Developers would need to provide a split-screen version of their apps — thus forcing them to design for another resolution / user experience. It’s easy to say “I want the same windows I have on my Mac on the iPad” or “Apple should have done this differently”. Considering the nature of the App Store ecosystem, this PC-like approach is not possible for now.

What about the future? Maybe, but not windows in the way we’re used to them today. I think there’s plenty of room for innovation on iOS and Apple is certainly playing around with hundreds of methods to let users be more productive and access more information on screen easily, but we shouldn’t forget the underlying philosophy of iOS: the device becomes the app you’re running. This helps some people stay focused, but gives everyone the illusion they’re not using a cellphone or a tablet but an “app console”. With this in mind, take a look at Lion and its fullscreen apps and don’t tell me Apple is heavily betting on “the iOS way”. So what about the multitasking Mathis refers to? I think we’ll have a way with iOS 6 or iOS 7 to “merge” apps together to access information with literally one tap. Basing on the current hardware designs from Apple and assuming no revolutions in screen size will happen until 2013, I’d like to throw out some ideas.

Mathis writes:

The fact that the iPad only lets me see one app at a time often does not help me focus. Instead, it forces me to switch between apps constantly, thus preventing me from focusing on my task. Every time I have to deal with the iPad’s task switching, I’m interrupted.

Surprisingly, the problem for many has become “switching” between apps — the feature millions of customers wanted back in the iPhone OS 3 days. Sarcasm aside, let’s play along with the argument. If Apple had to improve the switching experience on a current-generation iPhone 4 or iPad 2, what would the implementation look like? Definitely not windows, for the reasons listed above. An idea: changing the multitasking tray from a horizontal bar of icons to a series of app previews overlaying the main application. Yes, pretty much like the webOS or the BlackBerry PlayBook. A problem comes to mind immediately, though: with low-res screens, the tiny previews don’t really help getting more information without switching to another app. Visual previews with hardware limitations make for a pretty feature, but not a useful one. Plus, the “cards” UI on webOS doesn’t sit on top of the app you were previously using — it’s yet another detached interface to switch between apps.

So here’s another possible implementation: what if Apple found a way to “Quick Look” apps paused in the background? Imagine this: you open the multitasking interface, you double tap on an icon, you get an instant almost-fullscreen, Quick Look preview of that app. With the recent improvements to Quick Look Apple made in Lion, I can see the technology being deeply implemented in the future versions of iOS. Quick Look for multitasking wouldn’t eliminate the need of opening a separate UI, but the “switching” part could benefit from this. But, then again, everything comes down to a bigger problem: a nice way to see more than one app at a time is cool, but what about getting the information into the first app?

That’s why I think the biggest addition Apple could make to multitasking isn’t a new design — rather, the possibility of easily sharing data between applications. In a future version of iOS, apps could become aware of each other and let users share information between them effortlessly without even noticing a change in the UI. By overcoming the need of windows and multitasking objects on screen, apps talking to each other would allow us to share data with gestures, in the same fullscreen mode we know and love, without having to activate a special multitasking interface. You can see a first implementation of this in iOS 4: the “Open In…” menu that lets you forward documents to other apps. Now take the Open In menu, make it system-wide and enabled by default in any app, and think about the possibilities of real communication between apps. I’m talking about things even more powerful than a Services menu for iOS: imagine being able to invoke an instance of 1Password inside Safari without actually installing an extension or bookmarklet. Or MobileMe sharing and uploading functionalities enabled in any app. This, combined with a quick way to preview apps and documents you’re not actively focused on, should provide a great way to be more productive on iOS and not feel the need for “windows” on your screen.

In spite of several iOS applications still resembling their PC counterparts, leading users to wonder why a specific function doesn’t behave in a certain way, I don’t think the key to iOS multitasking is imitating the PC. It’s never been like that, and Apple’s vision of personal computing is now changing as well. I wouldn’t mind seeing iOS multitasking become something less UI-centric, and more data-based.

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Ne ir vėl.

iOS 4.3 Online ! Jailbreakeriai patariu laukti jailbreko, turetu pasirodyti labai greitai

Tai kad yra tas jailbreak, tik GM.

Jaučiu jau kitos savaitės bėgy bus tas tikrasis jailbreak. Tik aišku tethered bus. Aš lauksiu tik untethered ir lauksiu žinių, kaip laikosi jis. Dabar tikrai update'inčiau, tik keletos appsų naudojamų ir mokamų dabar gaila.

Dar žinių:

Apple Releases iOS 4.3

 

Apple just released iOS 4.3, available for iPhone (3GS, 4), iPod touch (3rd and 4th gen), iPad, iPad 2 and Apple TV. The new firmware is available for download in iTunes (check for updates) or through Apple’s website.

 

iOS 4.3 adds a number of new features such as Personal Hotspot for the iPhone, which allows users to share their 3G connection with other devices via WiFi, USB and Bluetooth; AirPlay support for Mobile Safari and third-party applications; improved Safari performances with the new Nitro engine and iTunes library streaming on a local network with Home Sharing.

 

On the iPad users now have the possibility to choose whether the side switch must act as a rotation lock or mute button, whilst iPhone owners can use Personal Hotspot’s tethering with up to three devices over WiFi, three devices over Bluetooth and one over USB connection.

Ir va dar, surinkau, gal kam reiks:

iPhone 4 iOS 4.3

iPhone 3GS iOS 4.3

iPod Touch 3rd iOS 4.3

iPod Touch 4th iOS 4.3

iPad iOS 4.3

Donate To Red Cross for Japan Through iTunes

Apple has begun taking donations through iTunes, to help the victims of the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that hit Japan on Friday. 100% of the donations will go directly to the American Red Cross and Apple is waiving its usual 30% fee. Apple is accepting donations through the iTunes store in various denominations ranging from $5-$200. Unfortunately, you can't use iTunes store credit to make donations.

Apple has also posted a message on the Apple Store website in Japan that reads: ”To those who have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami, we send sympathies from our heart. In this deep sadness, we are praying for the victims and their families.”

Apple has the largest credit card database of any retailer on the internet. By having all donations go through iTunes, it gives people a quick and easy way to donate money to the relief fund. Donations can also be made directly to the American Red Cross website, as well.

Form Design & Jewellery presents a line of jewelry in Apple style

Form & Jewellery Design has designed a collection of jewelry that Apple would soon be available for sale.



It is the trattad a series of jewelry made from recycled plastic and the same quality as that used for the original Apple accessories. http://www.iphoneitalia.com received a preview of photos of some of these products, we suggest the following:

Steve Jobs Blasted by Rocker Jon Bon Jovi

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi says Steve Jobs is “personally responsible for killing the music business” with iTunes.

In an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, Bon Jovi says kids no longer enjoy the “magical” experience of buying and enjoying LPs because of digital downloads. He hates to sound like an “old man,” he says, but it’s all Jobs’ fault:

“Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it. God, it was a magical, magical time. I hate to sound like an old man now, but I am, and you mark my words, in a generation from now people are going to say: ‘What happened?’. Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business.”

I’m an old man too, but I’ve never enjoyed music more. I much prefer my fantastic Sonos music system than my old record player. I do recall the excitement of buying a new LP every week. I doubt I’d get the same excitement these days, but that’s not Steve Jobs’ fault.

As for killing music, I’d say Bon Jovi has done more on that front than Steve Jobs.

Apple: Donate Your Old iPads to Teach For America

Apple is asking US customers to donate their old first-generation iPads to Teach For America on its official Retail webpage. By visiting this link, you’ll notice a box on the right that says:

Your old iPad can help teach kids a thing or two. Donate your old iPad at an Apple Retail Store, and Teach For America will give it to a teacher in a low-income community.

As noted by Macnn, there’s no mention of tax deduction for the donation, but Teach For America is a corporation listed among those that provide tax deductions for direct donations. So if you’re interested in donating your old iPad for a good cause, give your nearest Apple Store a call to get more details. I wish there was such a program in Italy.

iCarbons Wood and Carbon Fiber

So if you’re sitting there wondering how you can spruce up your now-half-as-magical iPad 1… we’ve got you covered!

And when we say “we’ve got you covered,” we mean iCarbons does. And when we say “you,” we mean your iPad. Or your iPhone. Or your iPod. Or even your AppleTV!







Actually, iCarbons makes a skin for just about every gadget you have. Yeah, the AppleTV seems a little funny to skin, but have seen how easily that thing scratches?

First of all the iCarbon’s quality is excellent, since it’s cut from durable 3M DI-Noc / Scotch Print vinyl. Installation/Application ranges from easy, to moderately difficult depending on the size of your gadget – skinning iPhones are pretty simple but iPads are tricky.

Luckily that adhesive is just forgiving enough to be removed and repositioned… sort of. It feels like it’s never gonna come off, but just start pulling slowly and it will peel back. Then you can try again.

On our test iPad, we had to peel and reapply the backside iCarbon three times to get it ‘just right.’ Maybe you’re not as picky? But if you aren’t picky, maybe you’re not into the iCarbons.

What really sets the iCarbon skins apart is their authentic texture to match each design. This is not just some cheap paper sticker. The ‘carbon fiber’ design catches light from different angles and really sells the effect. These skins are amazing looking and solid. Most sets include edge strips and an Apple logo in a contrasting color to finish things off in style (see the black/white carbon fiber application above). I left those off and let the glossy black Apple logos on the products shine through the cutouts rather than cover them up.

The material doesn’t just look authentic, it feels authentic.



We received review samples of the very awesome carbon fiber style, but what really blew us away is iCarbon’s new ‘Wood Edition.’ Both light and dark wood designs are beautifully finished with a very convincing textured woodgrain.





“It’s the wood that makes it good.” – Kenny Rogers

And the natural wood combined with the high-tech elegance of an iPad or iPhone is a striking contrast. So striking, that people ask (really) “whoa… how did you do that?”

“Well it’s made from wood. iWood.” Hmm… maybe they should name them ‘iWood?’ I would.

iCarbons can be applied atop screen protectors but they do warn that removing the icarbon skin will “probably remove the screen protector” along with it. For this reason they suggest cutting a screen protector to fit inside the frame of the front skin.



I just put the iCarbon skin (very carefully) right on top of my existing screen protector and it came out great. You do need to be VERY careful peeling and repositioning any areas of the skin that have cutouts (like the Apple logo or front home button cutout), because the vinyl can (will) tear as you try to peel it back, just trust me on that.



Other than that, these skins are an amazing way to freshen up your iDevice and make it your own!

I Want This Tetris-like Stand For iOS Devices On My Desk

 

This product will likely never see the light of day on retail stores’ shelves, but it’d be so perfect on my home desk next to my iMac. The Polyply is a multi-device stand designed by Andrew Kim, and it’s made out of acrylic plastic and birch plywood. Realized as a two-week project by Kim to see how such an accessory would fit on an Apple’s fan desk, all parts were cut on a laser cutter. The Polyply could easily keep in place an iPad, an iPhone, and iPod and a stylus. It’s got room to plug in your Apple 30-pin dock connector and it even lowers for a better typing angle.

 

The design is simple and clean and, in spite of the times, it’d be just right for my desk that is daily cluttered by iPad, iPhone and, yes, an iPod Classic.

Good 1. Pasistatai ir grožiesi...

New Apple Patent: Flat USB & FireWire Cables with LEDs

Of all the designs and inventions Apple patents and trademarks every week, some are really interesting and provide good indication of things to come in Macs and iOS devices. Whilst we’ve recently seen several complex patents detailing social functionalities and smart location features coming to iOS, image editing capabilities for iPhones and a “safe deposit box” for cloud storage, a new patent design uncovered by Patently Apple last week seems to provide a simple solution to a minor, yet annoying problem: cables.

Apple sells a variety of cables on its online store: these cables are usually meant to connect Mac computers to external peripherals like monitors and hard drives, or to devices like iPhones and iPads. From HDMI connectors and FireWire 400 or 800 cables to most standard USB ones and 30-pin dock connectors (the ones that also come bundled with a new iOS device), these cables have one thing in common: they’re not flat. They tangle, they’re difficult to put away and carry around, they’ll very likely break over time as you twist them and, overall, simply use them. This happens because the standard cable circuitry used in the tech industry includes one or more wires placed within a non-conductive enclosure that result in a circular connector — the cable. The problem with a circular cable is that sometimes it’s meant to be used in a specific orientation, and if the cable bends in the opposite way (example: when you tangle it to put it away) the internal wires or external enclosure could break.

Apple’s patented solution addresses the issue with flat USB and FireWire cables that use a “flexible circuit” to prevent internal wires from breaking over time.

Instead of using wires, a cable can be constructed using a flex as the conductive material between the connectors. Such a flattened or ribbon-like cable could be less prone to tangle, could roll more easily for storage, and can provide controlled bending in two directions (e.g., as opposed to unhindered bending in all directions).

If you’ve ever used flat cables, you know how much comfortable and resistant they feel, as opposite to standard circular cables. I own several flat audio jack and Ethernet cables and I can say they’re incredibly better to carry around and untangle than common USB or FireWire cables. But Apple’s patent doesn’t stop at redesigning the enclosure and internal structure: it appears that the engineers at Cupertino are also studying a way to embed LED indicators into the flat cable to convey information such as successful connections, or data transfers:

Apple states that circuitry 710, related to patent FIG. 7 above, could perform any suitable operation for the cable including for example detecting and controlling power usage (e.g., block power surges or shorts), encrypt or decrypt transmitted signals, multiplex received signals for a single channel (e.g., when providing signals between a connector having few pins and a connector having a larger number of pins), repeat received signals for transmission over larger distances, provide an indication of signal transfers to a user (e.g., via a LED), indicate whether a cable could be safely disconnected (e.g., using one or more LEDs), or combinations of these.

A cable redesign might sound like a solution to a problem that’s a simple annoyance, but I believe it’s in Apple’s philosophy to make a better user experience starting from the smallest details. Flat USB, FireWire and, perhaps, Thunderbolt cables with embedded LED indicators are those details I’d expect from a company like Apple in a couple of years.

Happy 35th Birthday Apple!

Today, 35 years ago on April 1st 1976, Apple Computer was established by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne so that they could later sell their Apple I computer kit. Interestingly Wozniak, who hand built the Apple I decided to permanently leave the company in 1987 – but is still technically an employee and receives a paycheck.

The other, more unfamiliar founder, Ronald Wayne, assisted Jobs and Wozniak in drawing the first Apple logo (seen above), writing the manual for the Apple I and writing the original partnership agreement. He however decided to leave the partnership just two weeks later and declined Jobs’ attempts to recruit him back years later.

It’s been a truly fascinating 35 years for the company and over the past decade in particular it has transformed the technology industry with the iPod, OS X, exceptional design in all its hardware and of course the iPhone and iPad. Here at MacStories we can’t wait to see what the next year will see Apple bring, let alone the next 35 years. As always Wikipedia provides some great reading about the early years about Apple that I thoroughly recommend if you’re curious and what to read more about those early days of Apple.