The Beatles have a close nit relationship with Apple, back in 2010 they made a landmark deal by giving Apple the right to sell all Beatles songs and albums. Apple even dedicated a series of commercials dedicated to the Beatles on iTunes. Even after aside from their big music merger, Apple and the Beatles have also launched an animated eBook of the Yellow Submarine, which was exclusively for the iBookstore.

“Beginning today, fans around the world can, for the first time, can now purchase ringtones for the Beatles hits, exclusively on iTunes,” said an Apple spokesperson.

The Beatles ringtones are about thirty seconds long and can be purchased on iTunes for a price tag of around $1.29. There are 27 hits available for purchase, for the entire list of songs available visit the official iTunes Beatles store.

What do you do when you have a large video library at home, though? Do you revert to the early days of the iPod, where your library outstrips the storage capacity of  your device forcing you to shuffle media between the two? While iTunes Match is a great answer for your audio content, Apple hasn’t even hinted at a video version. Your favorite streaming service may not have the content you’ve accumulated at home, either- especially if you take advantage of software like iMovie to create your own videos.

Well friends, we may have an answer for you in the Plex Media Center and accompanying iOS app. We’ve long advocated Plex for home theater PC systems; our Mac Mini gets far more use than any other component in our entertainment center. Plex is friendly to both technophiles and neophytes- the learning curve for it’s initial setup isn’t steep, and once configured practically anyone can navigate and use it right away. While this makes for a great media solution at home, it didn’t do much for those of us that don’t get to spend much time in the comforting glow of a huge LCD TV.

Fortunately, the folks that brought you Plex have a solution. Thanks to recent additions to Plex you can set up your very own home media server, accessible via the Plex iOS app! The service requires the installation of MyPlex (requiring a router that supports NAT-PMP and UPnP) and some configuration of your network. The MyPlex section of the website lists all steps needed to get you up and running; our initial experience was straightforward and didn’t incur any problems (your mileage may vary depending on your level of technical savvy, but the instructions provided by the Plex crew are direct and easy to follow). Download and install the Plex iOS app, log into your account, and you’re ready to go.

Watching movies and TV shows via the iOS app was great; the streaming service works well and can be configured for use over 3G networks. Video quality rivals that of other paid service like Netflix, and app is dead simple to navigate. The app does more than video: it provides access to everything in your Plex library including music and photos. In addition to being able to access your library when out and about, the Plex iOS app also works as a remote for your home setup. During testing of the app we used MyPlex’s sharing feature with a close friend in Tokyo using both an iPad and iPod Touch to stream saved TV shows with great results. You can share as much of your media with friends (via email invite) as you like, only the content explicitly shared will be accessible.

The best part of the Plex Media Center’s streaming service is the price- free. The media center software has more functionality that we can adequately share with you here; if you have a budding media library (or plan on collecting one) we strongly endorse Plex as one of the best streaming solutions. Plex is compatible with OSX, Linux, and Windows; the Plex app is available for iOS and Android.

An interview with Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet confirmed this theory, “we purchased the land and for an environmental friendly data center.” Other than this little statement, there aren’t too many other details being announced about Apple’s current data center project. The Apple spokesperson did however confirm that the data center was going to be a “green facility”.

This is a picture of Facebook's Oregon data center

The data center is very close to the location where Facebook is currently expanding one of their own data centers. This new build is an attempt for Apple to help maintain the huge amount of storage and data that their new services like the iCloud bring to the table.

The interface is clean and simple, and we picked up on the game almost immediately. Some of the random images loaded were outstanding photos, and as a bonus Instamemory provides the ability to browse and ‘like’ photos that stand out. While the game can be enjoyed by anyone, it is particularly suitable for younger children. Bear in mind that some random photos could be unsuitable for very young players (the iTunes listing for the game warns of the possibility of inappropriate subject matter or themes in some images); we suggest that a responsible adult create a photo set for little ones.

If you’re looking for an app to pass time on long car rides, an easy to play game, or just want to enjoy Instagram a little more give Instamemory a try. It’s available now via the iTunes app store.

This newest iPad 3 rumor clearly shows a significant difference in size from the iPad 2, to the iPad 3 being a bit thicker. The picture below shows the iPad 2 and the iPad 3 cases next to each other, but the angle gives viewers an awkward look.

The website also concluded that the camera lens is slightly bigger in diameter. This would indicate that Apple decided to upgrade to a highly anticipated 8MG camera for their new iPad model.

Now these pictures aren’t the first iPad 3 case’s to pop up, sites all over the web are posting their pictures of the what seems to be the exact same looking shell. As Apple boosts up for the expected March launch, more and more pictures are going to start leaking from the factories of Foxconn, you can be sure of this.

Sources:
http://micgadget.com/22234/the-ipad-3-rumor-roundup/
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/20/side-by-side-photos-of-ipad-2-and-ipad-3-back-casing/

Tonight, ABC nightly aired the exclusive visit to this place where pretty much all of Apple’s wonderful iOS devices are made. What was shown wasn’t all that shocking, but it did shed some light into the lives of the people who make the Apple iPad.

The Foxconn factory workers work long 10 hour days for less than a dollar fifty an hour. That doesn’t seem a lot considering the devices they create can sell for around $800. But in a country with over a Billion people, I guess a $2 an hour job is better than no job.

Of course Foxconn knew that Nightline was coming for the visit, so they obviously had a chance to hide anything that western media would seem unfit. During the visit, only a few employees had enough courage to speak about the harsh working conditions at the factory. The most negative thing they said about their employers was the long work hours and that after the long 10 hour shift they were extremely tired.

The ”iFactory: Inside Apple” aired tonight on ABC at 11:30 Eastern Time.

Apple and Google, after all the fighting and competition, have figured out way to make the world a safer place. The story stems from Oregon, where a local news company KVAL aired a story about a 57 year old Chinese man who was injured in a car accident due to a diabetic attack.

Unfortunately when emergency responders came to the scene, they didn’t know what was wrong with the victim because he only spoke Chinese and not English. But thankfully, due to the quick wit from one of the medical responders, the man was saved. The med tech pulled out his iPhone and launched Google Translate, this gave him the ability to understand the man’s condition and treat him accordingly.

This just goes to show that if Apple and Google tried working together instead of constantly battling each other over patent rights, they might be able to accomplish bigger and better things (World Peace)!

You can check out the original news video on the KVAL website.

Source: 9to5mac

“We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release,” said Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr.  “Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines.”

Apple has already begun testing their new iOS dubbed iOS 5.1, but reports suggest it won’t be released until the iPad 3 is officially launched. However, it’s not certain if Apple is going to address the address book during this update, all we can do is wait and see.

Rumors suggest that Apple has plans to launch the iPad 3 sometime next month, but of course these are only speculations and we will just have to wait and see. The wait will be well worth it, because with all the expected updates, the future of the iPad is looking brighter than ever!

This all stems from a trademark dispute over the term “iPad” in which Apple lost a lawsuit to a Chinese company called “Proview Technology”. Proview is now suing Apple for almost $40 million dollars, and if they win Apple could be banned from selling “iPad’s” in China.

An Amazon spokesman was quoted for saying that “the removal of the iPad was a direct request from Apple.” Although reasons for this decision are still not clear, it would seem that this nobody company in China is definitely creating some tough times in Cupertino. Of all of the monster corporations that have sued or are currently suing Apple, “Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, etc”, this tiny company from Shenzhen is actually winning.

How would Asian consumers feel if they no longer had access to this amazing tablet? I would love to hear your thoughts..

The first offering is the Desk and Table Mount, compatible with both the iPad and iPad 2. The universal mount adheres to your desk with a surprisingly effective suction cup like device; place the mount on a flat clean surface, toggle the activation lever, and you’re done. If you’d like to move the mount merely lift the activation lever to release the mount and start anew. The mount holds your iPad securely in place with soft rubber lined fingers and can rotate 360 degrees for use in portrait or landscape mode. The articulation arm is also adjustable, allowing for a variety of positions and uses.

The next accessory for review is the 10″ Heavy Duty C-Clamp. The device is as utilitarian as it’s name implies; the 10″ adjustable aluminum arm uses a C-clamp to affix to whatever will fit inside the clamp- tables, desks, or whatever flat surface tickles your fancy. The Heavy Duty C-Clamp uses the same tablet cradle as the Desk and Table Mount allowing for 360 degree positioning. Two lockable articulation points on the aluminum arm further expand the possible configurations of the mount.

Both mounts were reviewed with an iPad 2 but are compatible with any 7-12 inch tablet (with or without case). We were particularly impressed with the Desk and Table Mount; the accessory was easily removed and repositioned on our desk, kitchen counter (we are huge fans of the iPad’s culinary apps), and bedside table. The aluminum construction of the C-clamp mount is very sturdy and would lend itself to a number of professional uses. While not glamorous or flashy, Arkon’s line of mounts provide a great mix of utility and practicality. Whether you need your iPad mounted for work, play, or hobby you can’t go wrong with these mounts.