As you can tell by the images, you simply write you want to say in a text box. Afterwards, set the timing on how fast you want it to go, and start recording. However, it appears that for now it will simply do voice-over recording rather than you simply just standing there on camera, recording yourself. But if you were going to do voice-overs, this is a pretty handy feature so you don’t have to switch back and forth between a word processor (if your cheap) or have to read it on paper.

What’s also interesting is that this patent also will let you read this off a mobile device or tablet – obviously via Wi-Fi. That means that you simply type up your text on a desktop, and you’ll be able to take your tablet to a nearby Mic stand, put your iPad in front of you and simply read off that rather than the monitor.

You can read the full patent below, if your interested in seeing how it works.

Screenshot of the data dump (Image: 9to5Mac)

Controversial manufacturer Foxconn has been hacked in protest over its working conditions, with the group leaking login details of the staff inside the company. This comes as protesters are demanding Apple to make an “ethically-made iPhone 5″.

Yes, because they are stuck between two problems – remain hipster with the iPhone, or support poor working conditions. I know, it’s a really hard decision. (That was sarcasm, by the way – doesn’t really translate well into text).

The hackers, calling themselves Swagg Security, have claimed that the passwords leaked would allow individuals “to make fraudulent orders under big companies like Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Intel, and Dell” and that they wanted to expose Foxconn. After all, they “enjoy exposing governments and corporations.”

9to5Mac have managed to verify that the passwords are real, adding that the server has now closed by Foxconn.

It is unsure if any internal information was leaked out – though, we’ll keep an eye on it.

The full message is below:

Users of Cyberspace,

So Foxconn thinks they got ‘em some swagger because they work with the Big Boys from Intel, Microsoft, IBM, and Apple? Fool, You don’t know what swagger is. They say you got your employees all worked up, committing suicide ‘n stuff. They say you hire chinese workers ’cause you think the taiwanese are elite. We got somethin’ served up good…real good. Your not gonna’ know what hit you by the time you finish this release. Your company gonna’ crumble, and you deserve it.

Upon switching the radio from Nicki Minaj’s self-enforcing, lack of content, stereotypical song, “Stupid Hoe”; We switched on BBC Radio, the leading source of unbiased material. A short segment on the manufacturer giant Foxconn, came up reporting on the inhuman conditions the workers experience. A few days later an almost viral rumor about an Iphone 5 with a 4-inch screen being manufactured, as claimed by an employee from the infamous Foxconn. Now as a first impression Swagg Security would rather not deceive the public of our intentions. Although we are considerably disappointed of the conditions of Foxconn, we are not hacking a corporation for such a reason and although we are slightly interested in the existence of an Iphone 5, we are not hacking for this reason. We hack for the cyberspace who share a few common viewpoints and philosophies. We enjoy exposing governments and corporations, but the more prominent reason, is the hilarity that ensues when compromising and destroying an infrastructure. How unethical right? Perhaps for the layman who has conformed to a society raised by the government that actively seeks to maintain power and quell threats to their ventures. But to us and many others, the destruction of an infrastructure, the act of destruction that does not affect an individual, brings a sense of newfound content, a unique feeling, along with a new chance to start your own venture.

This is Swagg Security, we aim to to reshape your perspectives, our perspectives, by the inducing of entertainment. A unique approach to spreading a unique philosophy which brings the sought after tranquility. In a way we are “hacktivist”, but in our own views we are Greyhats. We believe there is no reality in hacktivism, even with good intentions. We know those who claim to be “hacktivists” that inside of you, a suppressed part of you, enjoys playing a part in the anarchist event of hacking of an infrastructure. One which at the same time presents a challenge, upon completing reveals an almost unknown feeling of a menacing satisfaction. We encourage not to continue quelling such a natural emotion but to embrace it. Only when embracing what society has taught you to hinder, is when you realize your own identity.

We encourage media, security experts, and other interested individuals to explore our leaks. Foxconn did have an appropriate firewall, but fortunately to our intent, we were able to bypass it almost flawlessly. Of course with funding ourselves we did have our limitations. But with several hacking techniques employed, and a couple of days in time, we were able to dump most of everything of significance. We now appropriately give consent to other individuals reading this release, to scavenge through the leaks acquiring usernames and passwords; while attempting to find if they use the passwords anywhere else. Remember damage is bliss. Without further undue, the leaks.

The Hackers with Swagger,

Swagg Security

Note: The passwords inside these files could allow individuals to make fraudulent orders under big companies like Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Intel, and Dell. Be careful ; )

Meanwhile, 250,000 protesters visited 6 Apple stores around the world and called for reforms on their overseas manufacturing after the working conditions have been in the mainstream press – though, incidentally when Foxconn workers were jumping off buildings, these people didn’t really seem to care. I think it was until it managed to make an appearance on This American Life that they started to protest.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticising their protests. It’s a valid point that Apple should start protecting their workers – especially when Foxconn has a history of overworking its employees and where minimum wage is significantly smaller than what we get here. It feels, however, opportunistic because of the lack of protest during the other Foxconn problems that were reported on.

Anyway, two groups – Change.org and SumOfUs.org, have managed to get 200,000 and 50,000 signatures respectively on their petition pages – and have already delivered them to Bangalore and London; with Washington DC, San Francisco and Sydney to be next. (Sydney, however, is on today).

However, what I have seen, a simple protest will not work to get people change their minds. If there is anything that seems more effective, it is direct action, as evident in the Netherlands where customers threaten to pull out their money from the bank over executive pay bonuses.

Basically, just stop shopping there, and turn everyone else away. Or better yet, ditch your iPhone or other Apple device.

Earlier today, Tapbots said on their twitter that if this tweet was retweeted 1000+ times, they would release something new… So after around 30 minutes, with people waiting excitedly, they announced TweetBot for iPad. TweetBot for iPhone is known for its looks and functionality, so for many, news that their favourite Twitter iOS app is now available on iPad, is great news.

The iPad version of TweetBot has pretty much all the functionality found in the iPhone and iPod touch version, just on a bigger screen (duh). This includes swiping left and right for conversations and replies, smart gestures (double and triple tapping on tweets and links), multiple timelines and much more.

For those of you who want to try and buy it, it is available for $2.99 here. Personally, if I had an iPad, Tweetbot for iPad would be on it the minute it was available download.

Image: Apple

Last week, Apple pulled the wraps off its latest offerings, iBooks 2 and iBooks author in a publicised event in New York City. Whilst the announcement has proved exciting and potentially world changing, digging a little deeper, there’s probably just as much to be concerned about as there is to be contented about.

I’m just going to start by stating the shallowest of my sentiments – this announcement is darn exciting and will no doubt change the state of education and of course, reading as a whole. But, whether it will change education and reading for the better or for worse is something we can’t be entirely sure of.

Ebooks are certainly the next big thing in reading, but I doubt they’ll ever fully replace paper, not in our lifetime. We will always want books, I will always want the option of an actual book, libraries will never just be online catalogues. It’s not about nostalgia at all, well maybe a little, but certainly not all of it. The reason why books have lasted so many centuries as a technological medium for knowledge distribution is because they simply provide so many practical benefits which are irreplaceable through technological innovation.

Dieter Bohn of The Verge recently published a lengthy feature titled ‘Sorry iBooks, paper books still win on specs‘, which outlines all the books practical benefits which can’t be ported digitally due to the very limitations of technology itself. Here’s a few crucial ones: books don’t crash, books don’t run out of power, books have a consistent user interface, books are compatible with every nook and cranny of our daily lives.

Sure eBooks exhibit traits that are impossible for paper to ever adopt, but that’s how it is, books and ebooks are just compromises of an impossible optimum which is why we still need both.

Image: » Zitona «/Flickr (Creative Commons)

To play the nostalgia card by saying that there is a nothing quite like curling up with a good book, turning paper pages and the smell of an old book isn’t really worthy of awarding a point to the good old traditional book. For the most part, these claims are distorted by a desire to cling onto the past.

People are always afraid of adopting unproven things and letting go of the past, especially when it’s something like the binded book which has served us so well for countless years. In the hypothetical situation that the world regressed from iPads to paper books, we’d look nostalgically back at the swift beauty of swiping to turn a page and puke at the thought of touching paper.

But then again, I feel that eBooks do have the capacity to devalue intellect. Despite being a grace to the spread of knowledge, the fact that it is now so easy to publish books with iBooks author and distribute them freely, it eliminates much of what is special to have a book published under your name. Additionally, it potentially makes it harder to find genuinely good books, and easier to stumble across one that someone may have simply published for a school project.

In many ways, it’s comparable to what email has done to letters, making it easier to receive and dispatch letters, yet also a lot easier for spammers to get to you. And perhaps also what blogging has done to traditional paper journalism.

On the education side of things, I can’t be one hundred percent certain that interactive iBook textbooks is truly what education has been looking for. IBook textbooks are indisputably a preferable alternative to the fat textbooks of today – interesting, useful, engaging, it’s all there for the iBook textbook. What’s concerning is having the iPad in class at all.

There’s a reason why cellphones are generally not permitted for use in class despite their potential utility as a learning tool, it’s because electronics are distracting; pair that with the fact that learning subjects that a student dislikes is boring and you have a fairly tasty recipe for procrastination, in class texting, and Facebook-ing. Interactive books will never make a student interested in a subject that inherently bores them in the same way that playing Halo won’t make me a fan of guns.

Apple’s interactive textbook is a double edged sword, empowering engaged students to learn in new and better ways, but for the kids who aren’t really engaged in the first place, it’s just a brand new way to get away from class. By trying to emulate the quick access and fast paced immediacy of current technology in the new interactive textbooks, we’re also emulating the negatives – the constant contingency to lose focus.

If we want to fix education, we can’t simply implement books that move and talk, we need to change the curriculum so that students don’t have to do science or math if they simply don’t give a sh*t.

Interactive textbooks aren’t a step forward for education, but more like a step to the side. IBooks and eBooks are a step to the side for reading too, just another alternative that is appropriate for certain use cases but can’t replace paper books which are appropriate for other use cases. I can’t really sum this up any better than Dieter Bohn did in his article on The Verge, but if we ever want digital to become the dominant medium for books, we need to make sure we can try recreate at least some of the better things about paper into electronics.

Image: Pedro Eugenio Antunes/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Rumours are heating up again just after CES, with a new iPad set to go on sale in March, touting specs that sport a HD screen and will run on LTE. These come, as usual, from “people familiar with the product”.

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has ramped up production of the tablet this month, and full volume is expected to reach February – meaning that they would have enough to start a launch in the US (and possibly selected territories).

LTE was being introduced to the iPad first because of its “bigger battery and can better support the power requirements” of LTE. Also, the display is said to have “more pixels… than some high-definition screens”. It doesn’t specifically mention a retina display, but you can only hope.

In addition, the report claims that it will feature a brand new processor that will be a quad-core chip. That would definitely push it ahead of its competitors – many still run dual-core (a small number run quad-core)

A source is also quoted in saying that Apple’s event on education next week will not make any new hardware announcements, and will specifically focus on electronic textbooks.

Google has just pushed out an update for the Google+ iOS application which brings 3G and Wi-Fi video calling to the iPhone application, beating FaceTime to 3G video calling and also allows iDevices to video call not only other iDevices, but also Android and users on the website.

Also included is a new Photos user interface, which makes it easier to share your phones photos.

So grab your iPhone 4 or 4S, iPod touch 4, or iPad 2 and get ready to video call outside of your Wi-Fi’s reach, something FaceTime cannot do.

Remember the AR.Drone, that fun quadrocopter that you pilot with any iOS device via Wi-Fi? Well, a company has brought that same functionality to your Mac with its Drone Station app – available now at the Mac Store.

While you can’t move the Mac physically up, down or side to side in order to pilot it, you can use your keyboard or mouse. Alternatively, you can use a joystick, Wii Motion Controller with a Nunchuck, or your standard USB Xbox 360 or PS3 controller. Hopefully, the controls are a bit more easier with a controller rather than moving the iOS device.

You can get the app for $10 from the Mac App Store.

LiveScene, a Brisbane-based startup, is promising to help people find live music in local venues, in addition help upcoming bands and artists to promote their gig with no marketing budgets – all from a simple app released today.

With the app, users can scan for any gig happening and can share the venue to their friends on Twitter and Facebook. They can also leave comments and get directions to the venue from where they are, so you’re not lost trying to find where it is – especially if it is in an alleyway in Melbourne.

For artists and venues, promoting the gig or even a performance on the street is easy. Simply send in a push notification just before the event happens, and it will reach users who are nearby. Venues can also add deals to even entice people. For those who have limited marketing budgets to promote themselves, or rely on word of mouth, this app is great as adding an event is free.

However, in order to send a push notification or make it a “featured event”, you’ll need to pay for it. Making it a featured event is less than $1, but sending out a notification is $5.49.

Mini-Review

The interface is easy to use, and the first screen you see is where all the upcoming events around you – or when you zoom out, around that particular region. It is heavily linked in with Facebook, with options to check-in to a particular place, send in a comment and ‘like’ the event. Though, I do hope they expand the check-in feature to include others rather than just Facebook.

However, one criticism is that it hasn’t made a clearer distinction between a user and the artist/venue. There is a manager section where you can list your applications, but promoting it through push notifications or making it a featured event is outside of that – even if I didn’t add the event or manage the venue. There really has to be more separation between the two roles.

Also, you can’t really save locations just in case you are in a poor reception area or, like me, have a iPod touch instead of an iPhone. So, hopefully that feature comes in the next update.

There are a few qualms I have with it, but it is a really good app for those looking for alternative or indie music in Australia, or simply to promote themselves with little to no cost. It is available for free in the iTunes Store.

Correction: The article previously said “LiveScribe” as the name of the company. It was a typo. Apologies.

Apple has announced that it has sold 100 million apps via the Mac App Store within its first year and there are more than half a million in the App Store for iOS devices.

The Mac App Store was launched in early January with a small number of apps, and has rapidly grown to nearly 10,000 applications, according to unofficial estimates. The size from January to today has shown that Apple’s model to distribute apps is catching on with developers – and Microsoft, obviously, wants to do the same for Windows with its own App Store.

The full press release is below, since it’s essentially just PR stuff.

Apple’s Mac App Store Downloads Top 100 Million

CUPERTINO, California—December 12, 2011—Apple® today announced that over 100 million apps have been downloaded from the Mac® App Store™ in less than one year. With thousands of free and paid apps, the Mac App Store brings the App Store experience to the Mac so you can find great new apps, buy them using your iTunes® account, and download and install them in just one step. Apple revolutionized the app industry with the App Store, which now has more than 500,000 apps and where customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps and continue to download more than 1 billion apps per month.

“In just three years the App Store changed how people get mobile apps, and now the Mac App Store is changing the traditional PC software industry,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With more than 100 million downloads in less than a year, the Mac App Store is the largest and fastest growing PC software store in the world.”

“With Autodesk products in both the App Store and Mac App Store, we can reach hundreds of millions of Apple users around the world,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of Platform Solutions and Emerging Business at Autodesk. “With our free AutoCAD WS and the more powerful professional drafting tools of AutoCAD LT, we’re using the Mac App Store to deliver new products and reach a growing base of new Mac customers.”

“The Mac App Store has unparalleled reach and has completely transformed our distribution and development cycle,” said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team. “Offering Pixelmator 2.0 exclusively on the Mac App Store allows us to streamline updates to our image editing software and stay ahead of the competition.”

“In less than one year we’ve shifted the distribution of djay for Mac exclusively to the Mac App Store,” said Karim Morsy, CEO of algoriddim. “With just a few clicks, djay for Mac is available to customers in 123 countries worldwide. We could never have that reach through traditional channels.”

The Mac App Store offers thousands of apps in Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and other categories. Users can browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, see staff favorites, search categories and look up top charts for paid and free apps, as well as user ratings and reviews. The Mac App Store is included with Mac OS® X Lion and is available as a software update for any Mac running Mac OS X Snow Leopard®. For more information visit, www.apple.com/mac/app-store.

Mac developers set the prices for their apps, keep 70 percent of the sales revenue, are not charged for free apps and do not have to pay hosting, marketing or credit card fees. To find out more about developing for the Mac App Store visit, developer.apple.com/programs/mac.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Apple’s appeal to the High Court has failed today, meaning that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet – long sought after by many – will now be officially sold in Australia just in time for the Christmas shopping season.

This will mean that Samsung’s tablet could be on sale by Monday – and the company has already announced its pricing. The tablet will be sold for $579 for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only version; and $729 that comes with both 3G and Wi-Fi.

“Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased with today’s judgment by the High Court of Australia to deny Apple’s request to appeal the decision of the Full Court,” the company said about the statement. “The Full Court of Australia decision on November 30 clearly affirmed our view that Apple’s claims lack merit and that an injunction should not have been imposed on the GALAXY Tab 10.1.”

Both companies are at loggerheads in a patent war, with Apple and Samsung engaged in lawsuits around the world. Coupled with the news that the tablet will not be banned in the United States, Samsung is getting a very early Christmas present.

The court also decided that Apple should pay Samsung’s legal fees.

So, Samsung’s attempt to make the Christmas shopping season is getting slimmer and slimmer with the Australian High Court extending the for its ban until next Friday. So, if you’re planning to get this tablet – you can send all your fury to Apple.

The extension was to allow Apple to have its case heard in the High Court.

Samsung, obviously, is annoyed by the result – as it had planned to start shipping the product one minute after the injunction was lifted.

“Samsung believes Apple has no basis for its application for leave to appeal and will vigorously oppose this to the High Court,” it said in a statement.

However, according to ZDNet Australia speaking to patent lawyer Dr. Mark Summerfield, it could be in vein. “If the High Court thinks [the full bench decision] has been misinterpreted, it may be disposed to hear an appeal,” he said.

“However, on the basis of the factual findings, it does not seem that it would make much difference, even if the High Court wants to correct the full Federal Court’s legal reasoning. Three out of four Federal Court judges who have looked at the case have found no prima facie case of infringement.”

So, Android lovers, you’ll have to wait another week.

The tablet that is in the middle of a patent war between Apple and Samsung - The Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Image: Samsung)

UPDATED: Apple’s injunction against Samsung has been overturned by the Federal Court of Australia, meaning that the South Korean electronics company can now sell their Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.

The decision – a unanimous decision by the full bench – also sees Apple paying all costs for the appeal. It also does mean that Samsung’s long awaited tablet, which was meant to go on sale on Vodafone’s network, will not miss the Christmas shopping season.

Samsung has said it is pleased with today’s result.

“Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased with today’s unanimous decision by the Federal Court to lift the preliminary injunction on sales of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1. We believe the ruling clearly affirms that Apple’s legal claims lack merit,” the company said in a statement.

“We will make an announcement regarding the market availability of the GALAXY Tab 10.1 in Australia shortly.”

Apple won the injunction in October, after Justice Annabelle Bennett sided with Apple’s claim that it infringed on its patents. She told the court, according to ZDNet Australia, that Apple would likely walk out victorious based on the evidence if it was presented in a full trial.

Apple, however, unsurprisingly (and possibly unable to admit defeat) is taking this to the High Court. The company asked and was successful to get a stay of orders by Justice Foster so it could file its appeal. It is to last until 4pm Sydney time on Friday.

We’ve asked Apple for a comment. They have not replied at the time of publication.

15:31 – This post has been updated to add Samsung’s statement.

IN BRIEF: It appears my Twitter feed has been a flurry with this story, but I always love a story that screams “Apple hater”. The story: An iPhone 4 self-combusted during a Regional Express flight from Lismore to Sydney on Friday.

It was noticed by a flight attendant after it started emitting a significant amount of smoke, followed by a red glow. The flight attendant was able to extinguish it, and all passengers and on-air crew were not harmed. The phone has been handed over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis. The airline has also notified the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

You can read the press statement below:

MEDIA RELEASE
MOBILE PHONE SELF COMBUSTION

Regional Express (Rex) flight ZL319 operating from Lismore to Sydney today had an occurrence after landing, when a passenger’s mobile phone started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow.

In accordance with company standard safety procedures, the Flight Attendant carried out recovery actions immediately and the red glow was extinguished successfully.

All passengers and crew on board were unharmed.

The matter has been reported to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as well as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for investigation and directions.
The mobile phone in question appears to be an Apple iPhone (see picture below) and has been handed over to ATSB for analysis.

Regional Express (Rex) is Australia’s largest independent regional airline operating a fleet of more than 40 Saab 340 aircraft on some 1,300 weekly flights to 36 destinations throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland. The Rex Group comprises Regional Express, air freight and charter operator Pel-Air Aviation and Dubbo-based regional airline Air Link, as well as the pilot academy Australian Airline Pilot Academy.

Source: The Register

Is the MacBook Air going to get an upgrade soon?

Here’s a double whammy of Apple rumours to drool over. A report is claiming that the MacBook Air could have another redesign in the first-half of the year to compete with the new “ultrabooks”; while another is claiming that the iPhone could have a larger, 4-inch screen.

A MacBook Air ultrabook?

DigiTimes is reporting, from unnamed sources, that the MacBook Air will see an upgrade in the first quarter of 2012. It will also add a 15-inch model – which would be great for those looking for a lightweight, but not too small notebook. Also, expect to see price cuts on the existing MacBook Air on sale currently, according to the report. That is apparently a sign that Apple is planning to launch the new-look MacBook Air.

However, DigiTimes notes: “ultrabooks with Windows and document processing software will still be more attractive for the enterprise market.”

Though, like I said before from DigiTimes, don’t get your hopes up just yet. They have a somewhat bad track record when it comes to Apple rumours.

Next iPhone to get a screen upgrade?

Japanese blog Macotakara is reporting that the next version of the iPhone could have a 4-inch display. Citing an “Asian source”, both Sony and Hitachi have started to ship new LCD displays for a “new iOS device” – which could only mean two things: the iPod touch or the iPhone. I place my bets that it is the latter, since it always gets the upgrade first, then the iPod touch that are slightly reduced (like the camera, for example).

While the upgrade will most likely put the phone on-par with its Android rivals, who have been increasing the screen-size to borderline tablet-sized screens, it does mean that it lose something. As pointed out by Dustin Curtis in October, the 3.5-inch display allows the user to touch the screen with just a thumb.

The big important question is when will this device be launched? 9to5Mac is claiming that it will be in winter (our time) next year – though that would make the iPhone 4S less than a year old before being succeeded by a new-generation iPhone.

Like I said, take it with a grain of salt.

Apple’s Black Friday deals are here, and the discounts on Apple products are pretty small. However, while you may be disappointed at the fact that the iPad got a measly price cut, Apple does also sell accessories and the discounts are huge for them (I wonder why?). So, we’ve collated the best discounts for the accessories we’ve found, and you should get them NOW before the day ends.

First is the Bowsers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air iPod speaker dock. The company is known for making high-quality speakers, and the speaker also supports AirPlay – where you can stream music wirelessly from your iOS device to the speakers. Originally $799.95, it is now being sold by Apple for the day at $598.00. Still expensive, but the next time Apple will cut this price will be next year, so this is your only opportunity.

The second is the Parrot AR.Drone, a quadricopter that is controlled by your iOS device. I love this device and we did a review of this last year. If you have a kid, this is pretty much the best toy to get. Each game you can play is an app – one such app is AR.Flyingace, where you can have two AR.Drones fighting each other. Originally $349.95, it is now $299.00.

Another pick is the JAMBOX by Jawbone. A wireless speaker, you can wirelessly stream music, movies and phone calls to the speaker via Bluetooth. It has ten hours of continuous use battery life. Stewart did the review of this product last year, and to quote from the review: “A great sounding speaker which continues to impress us every song. It has an extremely high quality build, great sounding speakers and portable design.” It is priced for today $178, down from $249.95.

Like I said, these deals end at midnight TONIGHT. So, this is maybe the time to get them now.

Mark this on your calendar, Apple’s annual Black Friday sale is on again. The company has announced quietly on its Apple Store online that it will hold a “special one-day Apple shopping event” on November 25 – which is Black Friday.

It has not revealed what are the discounts, but don’t expect it to be much. Apple is notoriously known for having minuscule discounts. Last year’s event saw the iPad reduced by $51, and the iPod touch by $25.

Yes, their deals are pretty crappy.

However, if you’re looking for accessories, they offer good deals. But that’s because they don’t really make money from third-party accessory makers.

For those new to this: Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and it is the “official” start of the Holiday Shopping Season since most retailers start their price discounts on that day. Online retailers, however, see a big boom the Monday after “Black Friday”  as people found it more convenient to shop from home.

Check back on November 25 to see any Apple deals that are worth getting.

Steve Jobs, the biography about the influential man himself by Walter Isaacson, reveals the intricate details about the man behind the iPod, iPhone and iPad – three devices that have revolutionised the way we interact with technology. And it is one of the most-have gifts for techies, if they already haven’t gotten their hands on the book.

Of course, as being the first BARGAIN HUNTER for this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, we found two locations where you can get this book. Locally, Myer is selling this book for AU$24.95, compared to the AU$45 pricetag for the hardcover version – even Myer’s online store is selling for that price. That offer begins from November 23 and ends on December 11.

The other location is, of course, from America. With the Australian and US dollars on parity, it means that the prices from US stores won’t be overall expensive. Amazon is selling this book at US$17.88 – which is around $17.88 in Australian dollars. However, don’t forget, since it is international shipping, you will have to pay for the postage and handling.

However, if you have a Kindle, you can purchase the Kindle version for US$9.99. The book comes with text-to-speech, and according to their website features free international “shipping” via Amazon’s Whispernet – the service it uses to send books to your Kindle.

If you spot a bargain or special deal, send it to us via Twitter or Facebook. Alternatively, place it in the comments below.

Steve Jobs biography, written by Walter Isaacson, has detailed a number of details of Steve Jobs’ life, work and achievements, occasionally showing a darker side to the man who brought such innovative products to the world. But Isaacson has revealed to the New York Times that he had left out some of the upcoming Apple products details out of respect for Apple and Jobs.

According to Isaacson, Jobs had planned to reinvent television, textbooks and photography and was already in the process of creating the long rumoured Apple TV that was actually a full television and not just a set-top box. He even told Isaacson that he’d “licked it” and that “There’s no reason you should have all these complicated remote controls.”

The other two industries, textbooks and photography, could arguably be linked to the iPad and iPhone, but it sounds like Jobs’ had much deeper plans to recreate the idea of textbooks and photography.

The big question from these details is whether Apple will continue work on these projects and if so, how long away are they? If Steve Jobs had “licked it”, does that mean they are just a few years away? Or will the rumour remain a rumour? Some things we may never know.

Apple has begun its recall program to replace the first generation iPod nano, after determining that there is a problem with the battery. Any iPod nano that was sold between September 2005 and December 2006 could “overheat and pose a safety risk”.

The company has said that it traced it to a single battery supplier, and says that the likelihood of the battery overheating increases as the battery ages. Because of that, you should stop using your old iPod nano NOW and replace it.

Apple will give you a replacement unit, free of charge. However, most likely, you’re going to get one of the later generations of the iPod nano. We’re not expecting Apple to just give you another first-generation iPod nano, because its five-to-six years old and most likely doesn’t have any more stock. I do have a first-generation iPod nano that is eligible for this, so we’ll see what Apple gives in return since they are keeping it all hush-hush.

Apple’s recall program includes Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. You’ll also need to make sure your serial number matches between the dates of manufacturer, which you can find on this handy image below:

If you do use the online form, then you have ten business days to get the product sent to Apple. For Australians, print out the dispatch label and go to the nearest Australia Post. You should not include the power or USB cord, or manuals, as they will not be returned to you. Please also note that it could take five business days for your package to sent to Apple, depending on your region.Then you will have to wait up to six weeks from when Apple receives your iPod nano to ship out a replacement unit.

If you don’t want to use the online form, you can head over to the Apple Store or an Apple Authorised Service Provider to help you send the product over to Apple for validation and trade it in.

The new iPod nano, whatever it is, is “warranted to be free from defects for 90 days from the date of service.”

Two separate reports from Taiwanese publication Digitimes is reporting that Apple could be overhauling all of its product lines in 2012 – including the iPhone, iMac, iPad and MacBook Air lines. These are coming from, as usual, ‘anonymous sources within’.

One report claims that the iPad 3 is set to launch in March, with all the internal suppliers and components secured by December. However, things get a bit confusing from there. The real iPad 3 is most likely going to be released in the third-quarter of 2012, with the one coming in March set to be an “upgraded iPad 2″.

According to Digitimes’ anonymous source, the “upgraded iPad 2″ would offer a longer battery life and a thinner body.

Another report, again quoting anonymous sources, has revealed that the company has asked its suppliers to produce screens for two prototypes called J1 and J2 with different LED and flat panel requirements. These could add fuel for a high-resolution iPad 3, with difficulties cited as why they have prevented the company to do so.

Apple Insider adds that it also falls in line with a report that its suppliers are producing a 1600×1200 resolution display if they could not get the 2046×1536 resolution screen working.

The same source is also noted that the next versions of the iPhone and iMac are to be revealed in “the second half of 2012″.

Some interesting rumour mill content, but these are coming from Digitimes. The publication has a somewhat bad track record in recent years in getting rumours right. So, like we always do for rumours, take this with a bit (or in this case, since it comes from them, a lot) of scepticism about this actually occurring.

Steve Jobs’ sister, Mona Simpson, has published a eulogy about her brother in the New York Times today. Simpson delivered  eulogy was given at a memorial to him on October 16 at the Memorial Church in Stanford University, the same university where Jobs gave a speech.

In the eulogy, she recounts her first meet with Jobs, his family life and the trials and tribulations during his ousting out of Apple in the 1980s and during his illness. The most impacting is definitely the last moments of his life, and the final words he said.

“I want to tell you a few things I learned from Steve, during three distinct periods, over the 27 years I knew him. They’re not periods of years, but of states of being. His full life. His illness. His dying,” Simpson, a renowned author, writes.

“Steve worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day.”

The most powerful bits, I feel, were when he first became ill. I’ll let you read the full eulogy, but it shows how devoted that Steve was towards his family.

You can read the entire eulogy at the New York Times’ page.

Participating in a DDoS is illegal, so make sure your protected now. Sophos’ OS X applications have been updated to detect and remove OSX/Tsunami-A. Not protected? Download Sophos for free.

Source: Naked Security

Remember the rumours that pointed out an iPhone 5 coming out in October? Remember when they were wrong? Well, another rumour has emerged saying that we could expect an iPhone 5 in our hands next year.

The rumour monger, 9to5Mac has a somewhat lengthy article on the matter, so we’ve decided to do a TL;DR version for those who couldn’t be f**ked reading the actual article:

Delays screwed up launch of iPhone 5 and its supposed to launch in summer 2012.

The iPhone 4S was meant to be released at WWDC with iOS5, but plans were derailed when coding for iOS5 and integrating Siri was slower than planned. Then plans shifted, according to site:

A decision was made to attempt to speed up iPhone 5 hardware development and try to get it built by the Holidays when iOS 5 would be launched. At the same time, the iPhone 4S was to be developed as either the flagship phone for 2011 or, if Apple could pull off the iPhone 5, the low cost alternative.

A CNET report confirms an iPhone 5 is in the works, with Steve Jobs devoting his time on the project. However, suppliers were not able to build enough iPhone 5s for a holiday release this year due to manufacturing delays, and so now they are holding them till summer (Australia winter) next year.

Or so the rumours say. Because tacked at the end, “as we know, things can change.” More likely to cover their tracks.

A bit cynical, but you have to take it with a grain of salt. Especially after the last time when iPhone 5 rumours kept flying everywhere.

In recognition of Steve Jobs, California Governor Jerry Brown has declared in a tweet that October 16 will be known as “Steve Jobs Day”. The day will be a holiday in the state, to pay tribute to the man who made the personal computer as it is today.

Steve Jobs died on October 5 after a long-running battle with cancer.

This Sunday will be Steve Jobs Day in the State of California.

October 15, 2011 10:36 AM via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@JerryBrownGov

Jerry Brown

The day coincides with another private memorial service by Apple where tech luminaries and elite are being invited to celebrate his life. An Apple spokeswomen confirmed the event and will be held on Stanford University, where he was the commencement speaker in 2005; and another internal event for employees in Cupertino.

While Apple hasn’t confirmed that there will be a public memorial, it most likely appears that they don’t really need to do so. The outpouring of Apple fans towards its stores on the day of his death, some crying and others honouring his legacy, really is a testament to his impact to technology.