App Store hits 25 billion downloads

Apple’s App Store has just hit an astonishing 25 billion downloads since its creation 3 years ago. The winner, which has yet to been announced, has won a $10,000 gift card courtesy of Apple.

Apple put up the tracker a few weeks ago on its website, and it didn’t take long for Apple to reach the number they were anticipating…
January 2010, Apple held a similar giveaway for its 10 billionth app download. A UK woman won the $10,000 gift card while downloading a free game called Paper Glider.

Apple’s customers are downloading apps at a ferocious rate. 15 billion apps have been downloaded since January 2011, which is a very impressive rate. With the iPad 3 launching this month and the rumored iPhone 5 launching later this year, Apple just may cross the 50 billion app downloads mark this year — or shortly after.

We can’t wait to hear who was lucky enough to snag the $10,000 gift card.

C-Spire Wireless now selling 16GB iPhone 4S for $150 with contract

Although the iPhone 4S retails for around $650 (16GB model), most folks can pick one up for significantly less than that. Carriers will generally absorb a large amount of the handset’s cost as long as you promise to be a long-term customer.

Here in the US, all of the major carriers offer the 16GB iPhone 4S for $199 along with a two-year contract. And C-Spire Wireless, a southeastern regional operator, offers the entry-level iPhone 4S for just $149…
As noted by 9to5Mac, C-Spire just just lowered the price on all of its iPhone 4S models (16GB, 32GB, and 64GB) by $50, making each handset the cheapest we’ve seen to date from any US carrier.

C-Spire Wireless serves around 1 million customers and although its home network is in southeastern states like Florida and Georgia, the carrier advertises nationwide coverage thanks to roaming partnerships with Verizon and Sprint.

Rumor: Apple still planning on releasing 7.85-inch iPad later this year

It looks like the fact that Apple’s iPad 3 event is less than a week away wasn’t enough to deter rumors of a smaller iPad coming in late 2012. We’ve been hearing about this “iPad mini” for what seems like much more than a year now.

The latest report comes from DigiTimes, who by the way appears to be rather busy this morning. The news outlet is claiming that Apple is looking to start mass production of a 7.85″ iPad sometime in the third quarter of this year…
“Makers in Apple’s iPad supply chain have started delivering samples of 7.85-inch iPads for verification, with volume production likely to begin in the third quarter of 2012 at the earliest, according to industry sources.

The planned launch of the 7.85-inch iPad is apparently to take on Amazon’s US$199 7-inch Kindle Fire as well as a comparable model from Barnes & Noble, although Apple already took up nearly a 60% share of the tablet PC market in 2011, indicated sources.

The price of the 7.85-inch iPad is likely to be set at US$249-299.”

We haven’t really been impressed with DigiTimes as of late, as the site appears to be throwing dozens of rumors against the wall to see what sticks. But this isn’t the first time we’ve heard word of a smaller iPad. Just last month The Wall Street Journal issued a similar report that Apple was showing its suppliers a tablet with a display measuring just under 8-inches.

Back in 2010, Steve Jobs publicly bashed the idea of a smaller tablet, stating that “there are clear limits of how close you can place physical elements on a touch screen, before users cannot reliably tap, flick, or pinch them.” But keep in mind that the CEO made similar condescending remarks about video iPods and tablets themselves — before the iPad debuted.

So does the 8-inch iPad exist? Yes. When there’s this much smoke, there’s usually a fire. But will we ever see the tablet materialize is a different story. We know one thing though, if Apple did release a $199-$249 8-inch tablet right before the holidays this year, we’d sure hate to be the competition.

Rumor: Apple to launch cheaper 8GB iPad 2 alongside iPad 3

While we feel like we know just about everything there is to know about the iPad 3, what about the other tablet Apple is launching? That’s right, the rumor mill is suggesting that we’ll see two new tablets out of Cupertino this month.

This particular piece of gossip comes from DigiTimes. And while the publication doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to Apple information, this tidbit actually sounds fairly plausible…
According to the report, which surfaced this morning, Apple will unveil an 8GB iPad 2 alongside a brand new tablet during its iPad 3 event next week.

“As Apple has scheduled an event on March 7, sources from its upstream supply chain pointed out that the company is expected to launch two iPad 3 models – a 16GB version and 32GB version.

In addition to the iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted.”

It wouldn’t surprise us to see Apple take this route with the iPad 2, considering it’s exactly what the company did with its iPhone 4 model when the 4S debuted. Plus, we’ve heard a lot of talk of Apple keeping the iPad 2 around this year at a cheaper price point. And this would certainly fall in line with that theory.

Theoretically, Apple could price such a tablet as low as $399 (or even lower), meaning would-be Amazon Kindle Fire customers could upgrade to an iPad (and Apple’s ecosystem) for an extra $150.

Even if the 8GB iPad 2 doesn’t materialize, we expect to see prices drop dramatically on current iPad 2 models. Yeah, next week could get pretty interesting.


‘Calendar Pro’ adds a configurable calendar to Notification Center

Back in October we brought you a walkthrough of Calendar for Notification Center. Needless to say it was so barebones that I don’t even believe we made a post about it.

Now the same developer behind Calendar for Notification Center is back, this time with Calendar Pro.

How does Calendar Pro compare to its predecessor? Better yet, will it meet the needs of those who desire a calendar in iOS 5′s Notification Center?
As you can see, there are now a ton of options to configure this go around. You can customize your calendar’s colors to an absurd degree, along with adjusting options like holidays, and shortcuts to the stock Calendar app.

Calendar Pro, while not a life changing tweak, is much better than its predecessor in every way. The good news is that it is now available for download on Cydia’s BigBoss repo for $1.50.

If you’re someone who desires a Calendar in Notification Center, then your options aren’t very plentiful. Calendar Pro is one of the best options that you have at your disposal. Hopefully the widget will be updated with more options in the future like direct Calendar editing. In my opinion, that would make it a real “pro” tweak.

What do you think?

Apple now sending out iPad 3 media event invites

Well, in case you needed any more proof that a new iPad was on the way, Apple just made it official. Several media outlets, including The Verge and The Loop are reporting this morning that they have received their official media invites to the iPad 3 event.

While the invites don’t specifically mention that the event will be used to unveil a new tablet, we imagine that the image of a Retina-display iPad in the invitation’s background gives that away. Full event details after the break…
According to The Verge, the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California — on the other side of the country from where CNBC predicted in a report earlier this morning.

As expected, though, the event will take place on Wednesday, March 7th. The keynote will kick off at 10 AM PST, so make sure you keep your browser locked on iDB that day for full coverage of the event and our thoughts on the new tablet.

The iPad 3 is expected to be a significant upgrade from its predecessor with a quad-core processor, LTE technology, and a high resolution Retina display. And the word on the street is that it will be available shortly after next week’s event.

Who plans on picking one up?

How to fix white app icons with Springtomize 2

Last month we showed you a way to fix your iDevice’s white app icons after jailbreaking, but did you know that you can perform a similar fix with Springtomize 2?

Since most jailbreakers probably already have Springtomize 2 running on their device’s, this is a very convenient method for cleaning up those annoying white app icons that rear their ugly heads post jailbreak.
Step 1: Open Springtomize 2

Step 2: Make a change to Springtomize (i.e. enable and then disable as in video) and then tap “Reload” in the upper right-hand corner, followed by “Reload Settings” on the pop up dialogue.

Step 3: On your Home screen you should see a message that says “Reloading Settings” followed by “Cleaning Caches” and “Rendering Icons”. Your white app icons should now be replaced with the proper app icons.

The nice thing about using this feature is that you don’t have to reboot or even respring.

Was this tip able to help you? Let us know in the comments below.

Never forget your iPhone again with the Wireless Leash Plus

How many times has this happened to you? You’re running late for school, work or another appointment. And about 5 minutes after you’ve left your house, you realize you’ve left your iPhone behind. Noooo!

Now for the rest of the day you’ll be disconnected from the world. No text messaging, no Facebook, and worst of all — no iDB. But you know, none of this would have happened if you would’ve had the Wireless Leash Plus…
The Leash is essentially a tiny device with LED lights, a speaker, and a built-in Bluetooth transmitter that attaches to your car, or house, keys. Although Zomm touts the product as a ‘Personal Safety Concierge,’ it can also be used to warn you when you are about to leave your iPhone behind.

There are two stages of the device’s alert system. When it senses that you’re separating from your iPhone, it starts to vibrate and its LED lights start to flash. If that doesn’t get your attention, the Leash starts to beep at incremental volume levels until it does. And because it uses Bluetooth, these alerts will start to happen when you get about 30 feet away from your handset. There’s also a free iOS app that allows you to remotely activate it from your iPhone in the event that you lose your keys. Cool.

The only thing there is to really dislike about Zomm’s Wireless Leash Plus is its price tag, which runs close to $90. But if you’re the forgetful type, and think it’s worth it, you can find the Leash in Zomm’s online store in a variety of colors.

What do you think of the Wireless Leash Plush?