Roland Unveils Its New Wireless Connect Apps And Hardware

Roland has this week introduced a new addition to their range of products called the Roland Wireless Connect, which consists of a USB adapter and two new iOS apps. Roland Wireless Connect has been designed to allow users to enjoy their instruments on iOS devices. The first new application from Roland is the Air Recorder, which enables you to record from a Roland synthesiser or V-Accordion directly to your Apple iPhone. Tracks can also be played on your iPhone and sent directly to the instrument, enabling you to jam along and record the result back in the Air Recorder application.

To make the connection to the Roland instruments a USB adapter WNA1100-RL manufactured by Netgear has been used, that plugs into a USB port on your Roland instrument, allowing your iPhone and instrument to communicate via your wireless network.

The second of the new applications is called V-Drums Friend Jam for iPhone, and is an iOS version V-Drums Friend Jam, the popular drum practice software. While the Mac/Windows version of V-Drums Friend Jam requires a USB or MIDI connection from a V-Drums sound module to a computer, Roland Wireless Connect provides a direct, convenient connection from the module to the iPhone. The app allows V-Drums users across the globe to interact with each other while improving their drumming skills with play-along audio songs and practice evaluation features.

Roland Wireless Connect: More Fun of Roland Gear with Your iPhone:

What Does The iPad 3 Offer?

The iPad 3 is set to make its debut on the 7th of March at a special media event in San Francisco. The rumors have been coming in very fast indeed and one of the latest rumors is one that actually reveals a great deal of information about what the iPad 3 might just hold. If these rumors are true then tech blog MIC Gadget really have gotten their hands on the front glass, rear shell and case of the iPad 3 and some great pieces of information to go with it.

The first thing that they reported is that the front panel of the iPad 3 does in fact have a home button. When Apple initially sent out their invitation to the press event there was huge speculation and many believed that the iPad 3 didn't have a home button due to the way it was photographed. It also seems that the iPad 3 is slightly thicker than the iPad 2 and the edges are more tapered. This will make the device feel thinner when being held. The iPad 3 also fits the current generation smart covers too. MIC Gadget has plenty of great photos and a video on their blog where they compare the alleged iPad 3 hardware with that of the iPad 2. Here is a brief overview of what they are saying.

The iPad 3 will be available in its current assortment of 16GB, 32GB and 64Gb. The price points for each of these devices is also said to be remaining the same. There is speculation that LTE will not be built into the iPad 3 and they report that this is due to the fact that there is a limited market for the LTE and that the price of this chip would increase the cost of the device. They do state however that LTE could be added into the next generation model after the iPad 3.

Again these are just rumors and with all rumors they must be taken with a pinch of salt. We are of course only a matter of days away from the official unveiling of the iPad 3 so we will all know the facts very soon.

iPad 3 for Free - Free Promo Offer:

Nexus S To Get Android 4.0 ICS In The Next Few Weeks

It seemed as if Google had all but forgotten about its once beloved Nexus S. The company’s previous flagship handset was slated to receive an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update in December, but due to unforeseen problems that still remain a mystery, Google pulled the update shortly after its release. Since then, there has been radio silence from Mountain View as owners anxiously awaited details regarding the company’s plan for the device.

There has been some speculation when the Nexus S would be getting the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update, and now it looks like it has been confirmed. According to the guys over at Engadget it looks like the Nexus S will be getting the Android 4.0 update after all, and the update should be available on the device within the next few weeks. The Nexus S 4G will also get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update, unfortunately we don’t have a specific date on when the update will be available.

Android Beam on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich:

Swivl Motion Tracking Smartphone Camera Dock Starts Shipping

Anyone patiently waiting for the arrival 0f the Swivl motion tracking smartphone dock, we first featured back in November last year. Will be pleased to know the device has now arrived and is ready to purchase.

So if you pre-ordered the Swivl for $179 you can expect it to arrive very shortly as shipping has now started, according to its creators and developers. Watch the video after the jump to see it in action.

Swivl will first reach those of you who first shared our vision the soonest and we will continue to fulfill pre-orders in the coming weeks” -“If you pre-ordered but have not confirmed your order yet with credit card information, check your email or head over to the site and do that right now.

Swivl has been designed to hold your smartphone and then follow you where ever you may walk within your room through 360-degrees. The system uses a “Marker” which is worn by the person that wants to be tracked. The “Marker” also doubles as a remote control for the Swivl.

The Swivl has been designed to provide a hands free unit that lets record your actions with your iPhone, iPod Touch, Android phone, GoPro, or Flip. Although the remote control will only currently work with iOS devices via an additional application.

Swivl Motion Tracking Smartphone Camera Dock:

Square Reader Gets Protection with Hoodie

Are you worried about your Square Reader? getting smashed into pieces in your pocket or inside your bag. Then just forget about it and thanks to the Square Hoodie. Funded by Kickstarter and designed by Charles Mercader and Sam Dominguez, the Square Hoodie acts as a case of your reader, as well as its loop. You can then attached it to a set of keys, ID lace, or a zipper.

The advantage of the Square Hoodie among other protectors for the Square Reader is that one does not have to remove the case while using the reader, which is clearly not the case for earlier models. The Square Hoodie is currently available for pre-order at $9, or $25 for multiple cases. For those who are not familiar with the Square Reader, it is a credit card reader for iPhone, iPad, and Android, which lets your device pay with or accept payments from major credit cards.

Introducing Square Hoodie:

Billet Dock Hits Kickstarter Looking for Loot

There seems to be no end to the number of projects that hit Kickstarter looking for the money for development. One of the latest products to hit Kickstarter is the Billet Dock. This is an iPad or iPhone dock and is easy use. At reminds me more the little of a slide from a handgun. The device is made from a milled chunk of billet aluminum and has a slot in it for the iPad and the iPhone along with their charging adapters.

There also appears to be a model that is made for the iPad alone and will work with or without a case. Versions of the Billet Dock are shown in multiple colors and the design looks really cool. The company is looking to raise $50,000 to bring the product to market and has 34 days left to go. So far, it has raised $2575.

The Billet Dock for the iPhone alone is expected to sell for $58. The dock for the iPad will sell for $69. A duplex Billet Dock will sell for $115 with space for both iPhone and iPad. You can go over to Kickstarter right now and pledge those amounts to get the dock if it makes enough money for construction.

UK Mobile Provider Three Abolishes Out Of Bundle Data Charges

There's an announcment from UK Mobile Provider Three that, they are getting rid of out of bundle data charges, which is good news for their customers and smartphone users. Previously if you went over you monthly data limit, you would be charged more for any data you used over you allowance, and this has in the past been standard across the mobile industry here in the UK with the exception of T-Mobile, but this could change as Three is one of the first companies to remove the excessive charges.

Now when you go over you monthly data allowance on your smartphone or tablet, Three will basically stop you from using any more data for that month, and also give you the option to buy more data, with 250MB of data costing you £2, or the option to buy all you can eat data for £5, which will last for thirty days. Three have also announced that they will be launching a new range of price plans, you can find out more information over at the Three Blog.

The fastest growing mobile network; Three UK:

Instaprint Location Based Photobooth

A small company called Breakfast that specialises in creating devices to bridge the gap between online and the real world, unveiled their new Instaprint location based photo booth. Its been designed to transform parties by allowing anyone to print photos using Instaprint that has been set look out for specific locations or hashtags. The photos are then printed on ink less paper automatically. Watch the video after the jump to see Instaprint in action.

Over the past year the team at Breakfast have been creating prototypes and have now perfected their device. The team have now published it on Kickstarter and are looking for help to make the jump from concept to production. The team behind Instaprint explain:

“Going from prototype to consumer product is a massive step, and is something BREAKFAST has been working on for almost a year. It’s a huge endeavor that will require us to bring on more staff and dedicate many months to make it all happen. Some things are sure to change as we get into the thick of it, but that means things will only get better.”

If you would like to see the Instaprint location based photobooth become a reality jump over to the Kickstarter to make a pledge and help it on its way.

Keshot Social Media Photo Booth: The Picture Collection:

Vimeo 2.0 iOS App Update Brings iPad Support, FS Playback, Editing And More

Vimeo has rolled out a new update to its iOS application this week taking it to Vimeo 2.0. The update comes just under a year since the launch of the original iOS application, and brings with it a number of great new features for iOS owners.

The new Vimeo 2.0 brings with it support of Apple’s iPad with a specially tailor made iPad user interface, and is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 4.3 and above. As well as supporting the iPad the new updated application also now enables you to edit, manage, upload and watch your videos right on your iOS device. Allowing you to watch one while you browse for another. Joseph Schmitt, lead mobile developer at Vimeo explains in and interview with the Venture Beat website.

Vimeo Official iTunes App for iPad / iPad 2 / iPhone / iPod Touch HD:

T-Mobile will have 10 LTE devices and iPhone-compatible 4G network by 2014

10 LTE devices and its 4G network will be compatible with a future T-Mo-branded iPhone by the end of 2013 by T-Mobile, chief technology officer Neville Ray said at the carrier’s Challenger Strategy conference call. T-Mobile’s CTO said the carrier will cover 50 major markets with its upcoming LTE network and detailed plans about managing spectrum to best serve the needs of more intensive data networks.

“Our 4G network will be compatible with a broader range of devices, including the iPhone” Ray said. Now, this is a clear reference to a 4G iPhone, unless Ray considers the current HSPA+ compliant iPhone as 4G, something Apple has never done. It seems though that T-Mobile's CTO is referring to the roll-out of HSPA+ 3G and 4G services in the 1900MHz range, which the iPhone is compliant with. This is a huge $4 billion investment by the fourth-largest US mobile operator.

The big problem with the iPhone on T-Mobile is the awkward AWS bands that the carrier’s 3G runs on. The iPhone currently doesn’t support them and remains limited to slow EDGE data transfers. Theoretically, T-Mobile’s LTE network will deliver up to 72Mbps, but we expect the realities to match those of the current LTE networks. That would mean download speeds of between 5Mbpas and 12Mbps.

4G network test: Verizon 4G LTE vs Sprint 4G Wimax vs T-Mobile 4G HSPA+:

Samsung’s Featurephones To Come With Opera Mini Browser

Very soon Opera Software will receive a significant usage boost of its Opera Mini browser after it announced that it has partnered with Korean smartphone giant Samsung to preload the software on a number of its feature phone devices. Opera Mini will be available on Star3, Star 3 Duos, Champ Deluxe and Champ Deluxe Duos range, with scope to add more devices throughout the year, providing owners with faster browsing using it’s server side webpage compression technology.

The slimline browser cuts down page-load times to a tenth of their original size, consuming upto 90% less data in the process. This makes it a fantastic tool for featurephone users on lower value mobile tariffs or in emerging countries where data access is at a premium. It doesn’t stop there though, Opera Mini provides tab support, a password manager, Opera Link (to connect accounts) and Speed Dial, to allow instant access to a user’s favourite websites. In December, the browser-maker signed an agreement with Taiwanese semiconductor company MediaTek that saw Opera Mini bundled with MediaTek’s Runtime Environment (MRE) platform.

MediaTek, one of the leading chipset manufacturers servicing regions like the Asia-Pacific, sees more than 40 percent of all phones in the Indian mobile market running on its chips. The MRE platform is a layer that allows third-party software companies to develop integrated apps for MediaTek’s affordable smart feature phones. The Samsung deal looks set to solidify Opera Mini’s position as the most popular mobile browser in the world – it’s already seeing 160 million monthly unique users.

Opera Mini Browser on Samsung Wave/Wave II (Demo on s8530):

iFrogz Boost Speaker Uses Near Field Audio Technology

This week iFrogz unveiled their new iFrogz Boost Speaker which is equipped with near field audio technology. Which enables the little black box to be able to amplify a smart phones audio without the need for a connecting cable, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection.

Though the near field audio technology might sound very impressive. The reality is that iFrogz have embedded a microphone into the speaker system which takes up the audio from your smartphone and feeds it directly to the speaker.

So if you were expecting high quality reproduction you may be a little disappointed. But if you would like to just increase the volume of the audio from your cellphone, this little iFrogz Boost Speaker might be just the thing. The new iFrogz Boost Speaker system will be arriving in the spring of 2012 and will be available to purchase for around $40.

ifrogz Boost Near-Field Audio Amplifying Speaker: First Look:

Sara Is The Latest Siri Clone That Works On All iOS Devices

Siri has always been of interest to developers and this escalated with the release of an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 in December 2011 and the release of the A5 Absinthe jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2 in January. Up until now the best way to install Siri on an unsupported device has been Spire which was released in December 2011. That is all about to change with the introduction of Sara.

Spire is easy to set up and requires users to connect to a proxy server in order for the various commands to be answered by Apple's pocket slave. It was only a matter of time before more Siri alternatives became available and a Vietnamese Dev Team has produced a more advanced tool which goes by the name of Sara. This free voice recognition utility takes things a little further than merely setting reminders or driving users crazy with nonsensical conversation and it also appears to be much more versatile.

It has been described by its creators as having an open brain allowing those in the know to create plugins for special commands. Right now the feature set is still impressive and you can scan barcodes or QR codes. The most encouraging thing about Sara is that is works in a variety of countries and it has 37 languages. If you want to get your hands on Sara you will need to have a jailbroken iPhone and you will find it in Cydia.

Sara - A Clone Of Siri:

Scalado Remove Smartphone App, Easily Removes Unwanted Objects Within Photos

Scalado has this week unveiled their new smartphone application called Remove. Which has been created to help easily remove unwanted objects from photographs, with a simply selection process. The Remove application can be set to automatically delete any problems it identifies, but can be set to a manual mode if you prefer more control over what is left in and taken out of the shot. Watch the video after the jump to see it in action.

Scalado will be showcaseingtheir new Remove smartphone application at MWC 2012 later this month. Although no information has been released as yet to when we might see the new application arriving on smartphones. Scalado explains:

When capturing photos in a busy area, like a public square or a concert for example, it is often difficult to get a clean shot without unwanted objects entering the frame. Now you can capture the shot anyway, and simply let the camera remove the people for you! Point your camera and take a photo. Afterwards you can remove anyone moving around, or select your friends and remove any strangers.

Scalado Remove - Capture a clear view:

10 Valentine's Day apps for iPhone and Android

You are probably planning on spending the day with your loved one doing the things that you enjoy most, probably take a stroll through the park, visit the restaurant that you first went out on a date to, enjoy a glass of red wine, and why not even have some fancy chocolate.

Well, we have prepared for you a list of 10 applications that can make your Valentine's Day even more enjoyable. Are you eager to see which ones we have selected? Check them out below and do not hesitate trying them out.

Apple stock flirting with $500, now valued more than Google and Microsoft combined Apple stock flirting with $500, now valued more than Google an

If you ever doubted Apple’s near-term future under Tim Cook, you’d better put these concerns to rest - Apple stock has been growing even quicker under the new CEO and it’s close to hitting $500. Currently, it’s trading for nearly $495, and we expect it to reach $500 tomorrow, but what’s interesting is that since the new chief executive is in place, the company has grown by $100 billion in market value. Apple is the world’s largest company by market estimations, surpassing Exxon Mobil by nearly $60 billion, as the oil giant’s market value is around $401 billion.

Amazingly, Apple is now bigger than Microsoft and Google combined in market value, which alone is telling. Apple has a market cap of nearly $460 billion, while Microsoft ($258 billion) and Google ($199 billion) combine for around $457 billion.

We should note that market value is a volatile measure, which can change drastically in mere weeks, but it is also an indication of what investors think about the company’s prospects. And, if you sold Apple stock when the iPhone 4S came out, you should definitely feel sorry about it. Check out Apple shares racing to the $500 mark, after hitting a low in November - the growth rate is almost unbelievable.

Apple Stock Earnings Preview (AAPL):

Mystery HTC Ice Cream Sandwich phone surfaces

UPDATE: After checking the Service Information screen, our source now tells us that the phone is 100% Verizon-bound. Congrats to all of you riding on "the nation's most reliable 4G network"!

You might be surprised, but we actually don't have a clue. We were recently approached by a tipster of ours who was generous enough to share these pics with us. Thanks to the photos, we can learn quite a bit about this mysterious handset, but unfortunately, we can't be sure how it's going to be called, or what carriers it may end up on. However, some of our observant readers have noted that the 4G LTE logo that's visible during the loading screen is the one that Verizon uses for its handsets, so that's a pretty good guess as to where the phone may end up.

Although this ICS-powered HTC phone looks very similar to some other models by the company (and that's not really a good thing), it doesn't fully match any of the currently known handsets. In terms of appearance, its front looks similar to almost any other HTC phone released recently, however, the back reminds us of the characteristic DROID Incredible 2 back side, and since there isn't any other HTC line having this particular design language, we're willing to speculate a little here by saying that this might in fact be the HTC DROID Incredible 3. Another possibility is that it might be the leaked HTC Fireball, also for Verizon, of which, however, we know almost nothing.

Alright, enough speculating. Let's take a look at the specs! According to the Hardware information screen, the phone will feature a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP camera complemented by a VGA front-facing one, as well as LTE connectivity. Overall, the handset doesn't seem to be a slouch, though it doesn't shine either. Furthermore, our source tells us that it's having an AMOLED screen, instead of S-LCD, which is the tech of choice for the bigger part of HTC's newer smartphones.

On the software side of things, we're glad to see this phone run Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich, covered by the new Sense UI 4.0. As can be seen from the images, this will be one of the HTC handsets that won't have on-screen nav buttons, but will instead stick with hardware ones. Interestingly, even though previous information pointed that those ICS handsets by HTC ,which will stick with hardware keys, will have three, instead of four keys, this one sports four. Of course, we should all keep in mind that this is a prototype unit, so a lot of stuff may change until it finally hits the market, which will probably happen sometime this year!

HTC Sensation Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0):

iPhone 4S Now Available In Over 21 Countries

The iPhone 4S is now available in more than 21 countries and in this post we are going to look at the sky high prices that are being charged for this latest Apple device. Fans of the iPhone can now buy the brand new iPhone 4S in more than 21 countries across the world. This comes after Apple made the handset available to new territories last week.

The 21 new countries now offering the iPhone 4S either through Apple’s own online stores or through carrier parties are: Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

Brazil is the country where buyers will have to fork out the most cash and the reason for this is the huge import tax that is being placed on devices such as smartphones. The price of the iPhone 4S through Apple’s Brazilian online store starts at the equivalent of $1410 for the 16GB model and goes up to $1845 for the 64GB model. In the US people are paying $649 for the 16GB and $849 for the 64GB unit. This is a massive price difference and hopefully the decision to build some of Apple’s inventory in Brazil itself will help to reduce the costs.

People in Russia are paying really high prices too and these work out at $1131 to 41350 which again is a big difference when compared with American prices. If you live in any of these additional 21 countries you had better be prepared to hand over a great deal more if you want to own an iPhone 4S. With these prices it just goes to show that the iPhone 4S is not as expensive in the US as people might think.

Full Review: iPhone 4S:

Send Tweets Natively Using Siri With New Jailbreak Tweak

We have been getting to know Siri since October 2011 when the iPhone 4S was launched. There is no denying that Siri is a great addition to the iPhone with its intelligent voice assistant being able to analyze voice commands and perform specific tasks based on this audible user instruction. A lot of people however still aren't convinced and many people say it is the lack of scope that is leaving them on the bench where Siri is concerned.

When the iPhone 4s and Siri were launched the software was billed and advertised as a personal assistant that would let you send messages, schedule meetings, make phones calls and a lot of other impressive things. One of the major benefits was the ability to talk to Siri like a real person forming full sentences to instruct the software of what you wanted it to do. Siri would then analyze the sentence, understand it and process it. For a lot of things Siri works great but unfortunately the technology has not been integrated deeply enough into the iOS and there are some things that we would love Siri to be able to do that it just can't.

The jailbreak community have as always stepped forward and we are starting to see some great Siri-based tweaks popping up in Cydia. Some of these add additional power to Siri by hooking into certain settings and allowing users to launch specific applications using voice commands.

Apple made a big deal about the fact that they were partnering with Twitter to deeply integrate this social service into iOS. After the initial excitement died down all users really got was native account registering through settings and a framework for developers which negates the need to deal with Twitter's unfriendly APIs. IOS developer Tyler Nettleton posted on his Twitter account to see if any of his followers would be interested in a tweak that would allow Siri to write and post tweets.

Sireet' RELEASED! Tweet Using Siri With This Cydia Tweak - iOS Vlog 672:

MSN UK Release Pulse-like iPad App

Microsoft have just released their latest iPad application which comes hot on the heels of the first Xbox Live application that was released in December 2011. This latest release presents the exclusive content found on MSN UK website in a format designed for the iPad.

This newest MSN UK app follows a tried and tested format which has been cropping up in a number of news based applications with many people comparing it to the Pulse iPad app. The MSN UK app features stories which are split up into a total of six main viewable channels which are Entertainment, Lifestyle, Cars, News, Sport and Video with a dedicated section for the editor's pick.

Each of the sections contain exactly what you would expect, breaking news from around the world and information relating to each topic. If you are a regular visitor to the MSN UK site you will immediately recognize the content in the app and feel right at home using it. The app also features MSN's award winning Cars channel which compiles a large amount of information sure to be enough for any hardcore motoring enthusiast.

This brand new app makes use of simple swipe gestures so that users can navigate through each of the topics timelines with ease. This app can be opened with a single tap and the posts can be viewed in both main orientations of the iPad with the formatting of text and images amending itself to suit the chosen position. Video can also be viewed within the application as with most news apps with the option toggle seamlessly between high definition and standard definition video, depending on your network connection. Articles and posts can also be downloaded and saved offline for viewing at a later date.

The MSN UK app is very appealing and the content is broken down into a user friendly set of topics and some great text and images that don't distract the user from the primary purpose of the app. This new MSN UK app can be downloaded from the App store free of charge.