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:

Swipe For Mail – The New Way to View Your Email

Swipe for mail allows users to swipe left or right to see their next or previous emails in the Mail app. This is another app made available for jailbroken iDevices. According to Cydia, Swipe for Mail adds the ability to swipe left or right in Mail.app to retrieve the previous or next email. No icons are added to your home screen or settings and there are no options to configure either.

We tested the Swipe for Mail tweak on a jailbroken iPhone 4S running iOS 5.0.1 and we can confirm that it works just as advertised. It might be a small tweak but we feel that it is a very useful tweak which makes reading email a more pleasant experience and it saves you plenty of time. If you are one of the few who prefer tapping their screen this might not be the tweak for you as it involves swiping. It is however a great simple tweak that you can add to your jailbroken iPhone or iDevice that uses the Mail.app.

You will of course need to have a jailbroken device to install this tweak and if you need help jailbreaking the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 you can use Absinthe. If you have the iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1 and iPod Touch you can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze. Swipe for Mail can be downloaded for free from Cydia under ModMyi repo which is included by default.

Swipe Gestures For Email Fans With 'Swipe For Mail' CYDIA TWEAK - iOS Vlog 701:

ProTube HD Lets You Experience YouTube As It Should Be On Your iPad

A few weeks ago the reinvention of the YouTube application for the iPhone was made public as it was imagined by developer Jonas Gessner. This is available to all those who have a jailbroken iPhone and is available through the Cydia store. This new app has a number of features and additions that many feel should have been native in Apple's stock implementation of YouTube. ProTube has been a huge success for jailbroken devices and following on from this Gessner has released a HD version of the app for the iPad. If you are not familiar with the ProTube app then all you need to know is that it is a complete reinvention of the YouTube application which combines a professional look with a powerful feature set.

ProTube HD is not just another tweak, it is a full self sufficient application and when you launch it ProTube presents the standard mobile version of the YouTube website with some really powerful features. By taking advantage of the mobile version of YouTube and then coupling this with the iPad screen and the recognized interface controls, ProTube HD represents what many people are saying is a superior alternative to the native experience. This application has some great features including all of the expected YouTube activities such as commenting, sharing and rating videos, you gain control over your user account, you get high and standard definition video downloads and the option to save only the sound track of a video in high quality MP3 format. There are plenty more features built in and you can view the full list in the Cydia store.

ProTube HD is a bargain price at just $1.49 and it is available now through the Big Boss repository. It is compatible with iOS 4 and above.

ProTube:

New Improved A5 Chip And Brand New A6 One On The Way

According to rumors Apple is reportedly working on an improved A5 chip as well as a brand new A6 offering. This comes as part of the speculation on what the reported Apple media event due to take place in early March will bring. This media event will let everyone know what the new iPad 3 is gong to hold and many think that Apple could be planning more.

A large number of the rumors around the iPad 3 seem to be in agreement that it will feature retina display and have an improved rear camera. Over the past couple of days there has been disagreement over the processing power that the new iPad 3 will have. Some say it will be the quad-core idea whilst other believe that Apple will stick with the current A5 offering as a base but improve on the existing chip by possibly adding an improved graphics engine.

If these latest reports are to be believed, Apple could be planning a double barrelled approach by improving the A5 chip and developing an improved quad-core processor which is likely to be called the A6. 9To5Mac are reporting that the A5X chip is a halfway upgrade between the current a5 model and the next model which will be the Apple A6. Evidence has also been found within the iOS 5.1 beta releases that points to Apple working on the S5L8950X and S5L8945X model numbers which would seem to point to two individual processors with the current A5 model being the S5L8940x number.

The fact that two separate processors are being worked on by Apple will be enough to produce plenty of rumors and possibilities but if this is what is happening then logic reasoning would point to the fact that the A6 chip would be used in the new iPad 3 while the A5X processor could be used in the revamped Apple TV set top box. As with all rumors this is just speculation and it could be that Apple is deciding which processor to use. Only time will tell and we are all waiting anxiously for the March media event to see which rumors are in fact true.

iPad 2 Review:

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.

Polarizing Filter Lens For iPhone Now Available

You might want to give this circular polarizing filter lens (CPL) made especially for the said devices a try. The filter is attached to a case and promises to reduce reflections and glare on your shots. While there are quite a number of photo filtering apps now available that aims to do just that, nothing beats a hardware accessory to come up with your desired output.

With many people turning to their mobile phones for those casual photo-ops, this accessory could prove to be a handy tool to improve your shots. The add-on filter and case costs $37.99, expectedly not as cheap as its software alternatives but if you find yourself using your iPhone 4/4S more on your special occasions, then it could be worth the price tag.

DSLR Tips: Using polarizing filters:

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:

Polycom RealPresence Mobile Launches For iPhone 4S

Polycom has launched a new solution for smartphones rolling out Polycom RealPresence Mobile. Which is now available to download from the Apple iTunes App Store for the iPhone 4S.

Polycom RealPresence Mobile has been created to provide a similar experience to that of the iPad application. Polycom account holders will now be able to benefit from face-to-face video conferencing with up to 16 other callers directly from your iPhone 4s. The Polycom RealPresence Mobile system has been created to provide a secure, high-quality HD video collaboration environment that allows users to swap from video calling directly to a presentation mode that enables them to see documents and spreadsheets, which they can then discuss.

The Polycom RealPresence Mobile app is free to download from the iTunes App Store, however you and your connects will require and account with Polycom to be able to use the 16 way video conferencing system.

Polycom RealPresence Mobile app for iPad 2 demo:

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:

SprintTV iPhone App Launches

SprintTV has finally launched an iPhone application for users, enabling iPhone owners to now view selected live and on-demand programming from partners such as ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, The Disney Channel, MTV and Comedy Central to name a few.

SprintTv also provides premium packages allowing you to watch to more than 40 paid premium packages with popular shows including “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” “SpongeBob Squarepants” and “The Daily Show with John Stewart.” Which start at $4.99 rising to $9.99 per month. You can now download the new Sprint TV Applcation for free from the iTunes App Store. The entire lineup of options available through the Sprint TV App can be viewed over on the MobiTV website.

Use of Sprint TV is included in plans with unlimited data. Sprint is the only national wireless carrier offering truly unlimited data plans for all phones, with no throttling or overages. Casual data charges of $0.03/kb and standard text messaging charges will apply to customers not on a plan with unlimited data and messaging.

Sprint TV App Review:

ProTube HD Lets You Experience YouTube As It Should Be On Your iPad

A few weeks ago the reinvention of the YouTube application for the iPhone was made public as it was imagined by developer Jonas Gessner. This is available to all those who have a jailbroken iPhone and is available through the Cydia store. This new app has a number of features and additions that many feel should have been native in Apple's stock implementation of YouTube. ProTube has been a huge success for jailbroken devices and following on from this Gessner has released a HD version of the app for the iPad.

If you are not familiar with the ProTube app then all you need to know is that it is a complete reinvention of the YouTube application which combines a professional look with a powerful feature set.

ProTube HD is not just another tweak, it is a full self sufficient application and when you launch it ProTube presents the standard mobile version of the YouTube website with some really powerful features. By taking advantage of the mobile version of YouTube and then coupling this with the iPad screen and the recognized interface controls, ProTube HD represents what many people are saying is a superior alternative to the native experience. This application has some great features including all of the expected YouTube activities such as commenting, sharing and rating videos, you gain control over your user account, you get high and standard definition video downloads and the option to save only the sound track of a video in high quality MP3 format. There are plenty more features built in and you can view the full list in the Cydia store. ProTube HD is a bargain price at just $1.49 and it is available now through the Big Boss repository. It is compatible with iOS 4 and above.

ProTube:

An Alternative To Cydia Called The iTweak Store

Jailbreaking is now even more popular than ever and today we want to tell you about a web based alternative to Cydia called the iTweak Store. For the last number of years, Cydia has been the cream of the crop when it comes to jailbreak device apps, themes and more. The Cydia icon has become the visual indication that a device has been jailbroken with all jailbreak tools installing Cydia as part of the process. Are you ready for some competition?

Whenever a developer wants to package a tweak for sale or download the only real option that they have is to make it available via the Cydia store. There are some alternatives like hosting the file themselves but because Cydia has such a large following it doesn't make sense to do this. So there really isn't any competition to Cydia. This could all be about to change though thanks to a new service called iTweak. This is a web site that is offering tweaks and applications for jailbroken devices.

Itweak is a web based service and it looks likely that users will be able to download any hosted packages directly to their device. This will allow them to take advantage of the usual things we have come to expect like unique user logins and account management facilities. The iTweak service is being developed by @roktheworld27 and @mtamermahoney and the small piece of information that is available on the home page says that iTweak is one of the best places to get all your tweaks, themes, utilities and more on your jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The home page also states that they serve as an alternative to Cydia and the Apple App Store.

The iTweak home page looks and feels like a native application and users can navigate directly to the new and updated packages as well as the usual things like terms or service. There isn't really that much information available about payment methods as yet but we assume that paypal will be available. The iTweak service sounds like a great idea but the problem that they are going to have initially is convincing developers to list their packages on an unknown and untested service when they could be hosting them on Cydia which is well established. Add to that the fact that various web services have popped up in the past which have failed and it will take a lot of convincing.

iTweak better than Cydia? - iTweakStore:

Dolphin Android Browser Now Equipped With Voice Control

MoboTap the developers of the popular alliterative mobile browser Dolphin, have rolled out a new update to their Dolphin Browser on Android, which brings with it a number of great new features as well as voice-control. The new voice control features called Dolphin Sonar enables users to use their voice to carry out searches, share, bookmark, navigate and more.

The Dolphin Sonar speech recognition feature is available for free in the Android Market via the new 7.4 update. Which also brings with it an improvement in browser speeds, as well as additional add-ons for the browser. Yongzhi Yang, CEO of, MoboTap explains:

“Our gesture-based browsing function was a game-changer in terms of the way people browse on their mobile devices, and Sonar is the logical next step,” – “Just as sonar is used by dolphins to navigate, Dolphin Sonar interprets sound to get you where you want to be online.” Dolphin Sonar for iOS devices will be arriving sometime in the summer of 2012.

Dolphin Browser for Android tablets:

MWC app updated for 2012 just before the show

The Mobile World Congress taking place on Sunday this week. The event is expected to bring some of the best devices for 2012 - the first quad-core smartphones, the first phones based on 28nm architectures like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4, and much more.

We already know that there will be a lot of new devices - some of them have leaked out, others we’ve heard rumors about, and one app that will help keep track of all the novelties and help you not get lost (if you’re in Barna, as the locals call it) is the GSMA App. GSMA is the association organizing the event.

The GSMA App is a portal for the show’s agenda, with names of exhibitors, search and huge video section for live streaming of events. It also has a map showing what’s where and if you’ve been to a show this big you’d appreciate it. Hit the Android link below, it’s free, so it wouldn’t hurt checking it out. Don't forget to also take a peek at the schedule of MWC's most important events here.

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):