My MBP Desktop

just remove the geek tool stuffs and just make it looks simple

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonardo da Vinci

New Exploit Could Bring Jailbreak for iOS 4.1

A new exploit credited to @pod2g could bring about a jailbreak for iOS 4.1, according to a series of tweets from MuscleNerd.

Earlier today @pod2g tweeted the following decryption keys:
iPhone 4G iBSS 4.0.1: iv=91f94e5d726a2d2f2c7ffad58d4f3b77 key=d05c3c40db40e738926f811b8b1314038d26096c4102461698a49098c47a3fe6

MuscleNerd then tweets:

congrats to @pod2g for the latest exploit and also @p0sixninja who have been trying for months.

Crazy timing that @pod2g got latest exploit just as 4.1 went public (lots of work left...keep away from 4.1 for now!)

We'll keep you up to date on the situation as we learn more. Please remember not to upgrade to iOS 4.1.

Update:
Good news from @pod2g :)

Works on 4.1 (!) iBSS iv=c2c5416472e5a0d6f0a25a123d5a2b1c key=1fbc7dcafaec21a150a51eb0eb99367550e24a077b128831b28c065e61f894a0

Update x2:
Exploit is confirmed working for the iPod Touch 4G as well. A source has told BGR that in order to patch this particular bootrom hack Apple would need "a whole new processor rev." A re-flashed or patched bootrom for the current hardware would not be sufficient.

iclarified.com

iOS 4.1 on Sept 9th, 4.2 in November

iOS 4.1 was, as expected, announced during today’s annual September keynote, and includes a slew of bug fixes, and a few new features.

iOS 4.1 includes bug fixes for proximity awareness, Bluetooth, and performance on the iPhone 3G. The iPhone will now be able to take High Dynamic Range photos, upload HD video over Wi-Fi, and rent television shows on the go. Also making its debut is the Game Center, which is all about social gaming on iOS devices.

Using High Dynamic Range (HDR), the iPhone takes three photos: one at normal exposure, one under exposed, and one over exposed. iOS 4 then combines the three photos using “advanced algorithms” to create a single high-definition photograph. Both the normal exposure picture and the HDR picture are kept in the photos app on the iPhone, making it easy to choose one or the other. The demos look amazing; the HDR photos bring out features in the background that you couldn’t see in the normal exposure.

The Game Center will be a very interesting addition to iOS. There will be both features built into the operating system, and a standalone app. You’ll be able to play interactively with friends, or be auto-matched with other players. You’ll be able to compare scores, and see what your friends have been up to. Game Center brings natively to iOS what several developers have been doing on their own.

Also announced to be coming out this November is iOS 4.2. iOS 4.2 will bring all of the features of iOS 4.1, finally, to the iPad, and presumably unify the platform. The biggest addition to the iPad looks like it will be wireless printing. Being able to print directly from Pages or Mail will be a huge benefit to people who still need to be able to show things on paper.

Multitasking looks slick on the iPad as well, smooth animation, and super fast switching between apps. When Steve Jobs demoed opening a link in Mail and switching to Safari, the transition happened so fast it made me wonder about the apps that have built-in browsers. Will apps still need built-in browsers if switching to Safari is that fast?

Overall both updates look solid, and while I’m happy to be getting 4.1 on my iPod touch, I’m really looking forward to 4.2 on the iPad.

theappleblog.com

New iPod Nano, iTouch, iPod Shuffle, Apple TV

Archos Android Tablet

Archos weren’t short of new internet tablets for IFA 2010, though it’s their Archos 70 and Archos 101 are definitly two that stood out from the buncht. Measuring in at 7- and 10-inches respectively, the two Android slates (running 2.1 right now, but set to launch with 2.2 Froyo) are certainly thin and reasonable feature-packed, each toting a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 3D OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics accelerator and WiFi b/g/n. Both devices use capacitive touchscreens – 800 x 480 resolution on the Archos 70, 1024 x 600 on the Archos 101 – with multitouch and have HDMI outputs for acquiring 720p video out to your HDTV. Archos really provides plenty of codec support too, including AVI, MP4, MKV, MOV, WMV, MPG, PS, TS, VOB, FLV, RM, RMVB, ASF and 3GP.

Archos 101 and 7 Internet Tablets hands-on:

The Archos 101 is an interesting beast; at 12mm thick, it’s very flat and, at 480 grams and surprising light. Archos demonstrated a number of games on the device and the CPU could certainly keep users using the accelerometer to navigate in racing titles. As for the Archos 70, that’s a more pocketable model, measuring in at 201 x 114 x 10/14 mm; the 250GB hard-drive unit is thicker than the 8GB flash version. That makes it longer but narrower than the Galaxy Tab, with the Samsung slate slotting in-between in terms of thickness. The touchscreen felt more responsive than that of the Archos 101, though things like webpage rendering and pinch-zooming weren’t as slick as on the Samsung. The Archos 70 lacks the two-stage kickstand, too, only having a single arm for video viewing. Unfortunately, there’s no rear camera on either model, only the VGA webcam. Archos has decided to abandon the multimedia docks of previous models and there’s no DVR dock option for it either. Given the pre-production hardware and non-Froyo software hopefully the Archos 101 or the Archos 70 will make improvements before the production begins. Although one thing that can be said; the price tags for each slate are encouraging. The Archos 101 expects to retail for $299.99 when it lands midway through next month, while the Archos 70 will be $274.99. Will you be picking one up?

Optimus Pad from LG ??

It’s true we’re getting Android tablets on the brain with all the recent announcements. If there are other LG devices being launched under the Optimus brand, perhaps they’re Android phones. Also possible could be Windows 7 handsets. Here’s a recently leaked photo of the LG E720, an entry-level Android handset first seen on a Polish blog.

androidheadlines.com

Joel Osteen Quotes

"Whenever life grows difficult, and the pressure is turned up, that's a sign that your time is near."

"When you are most tempted to get discouraged. That?s not the time to give up. You are closer than you think."

"Don't be so hard on yourself!...God is not finished with you. He's in the process of changing you."

"Throughout our lives, God is continually shaping and molding us into the people He wants us to be."

"Whether you realize it or not, right now God is moving you onward toward greater things."

"The great news is that God knows everything about you, both good and bad, and He still loves you and values you unconditionally."

"Times may be tough, but your faith will allow you to bend without breaking."

"Don't accept difficult days as the way it will be. You will rise again! Why? You've got that bounce-back power."

Where to go in October

New England

There are few better ways to see the season in its full glory than a leaf-peeping road trip through New England. Head for Maine’s Acadia National Park, taking in the fishing village of Bar Harbor en route, for an unforgettable palette of natural splendour (foliagenetwork.com).

Venice

A place with such unique appeal as Venice will always be busy, but October nicely strikes the balance between mild-ish weather and a lapse in the tourist flood. To really beat the crowds, try a walk around the Piazza San Marco at dawn (turismovenezia.it).

West Country, England

It’s apple-picking season in Somerset and Herefordshire – time for tranquil orchards, snuffling pigs and lashings of cider. Head for Burrow Hill farm in Martock for a great introduction to the traditions of this most ancient of drinks (ciderbrandy.co.uk).

Morocco

The temperatures in North Africa begin to slide down the thermometer to ‘bearable’ this month, making the evocative narrow streets and medinas of Fès or Marrakesh a great option (visitmorocco.com).

Where to avoid: Thailand

Imagine how fantastic Thailand can be – turquoise seas, white sands, cocktails on the beach. In October, flip-reverse that image – raging, black waters, gluey mud, torrential rain. Not so much fun now, eh? Wait a couple of months for the end of the monsoon.

lonelyplanet.com

iPhone 3G Speed Test: iOS 4.0 versus 4.1

Winning moves

Jailbreakme v2.0 was a great success, and it’s provided a nice leveling point for all jailbreakers and unlockers on all devices at firmware versions less than 4.0.2/3.2.2. We hope that everybody ever interested in jailbreaks or unlocks was able to join in on the jailbreakme bonanza. Those of you who had Cydia capture your SHSH blobs, or those of you who captured them locally, will always be able to benefit from the jailbreakme.com v2.0 release. Congratulations!

Now it’s a few weeks later, and Apple has closed the jailbreakme.com hole. They’re shipping devices with FW 4.0.2/3.2.2, impervious to this particular jailbreak. So now, people will begin to ask: will there be a jailbreak for devices that shipped with 4.0.2/3.2.2, out of the box?

No, there won’t be. FW 4.0.2/3.2.2 was *only* released to fix the jailbreakme hole. With FW 4.1 still in its beta stages, it makes no sense to escalate the “cat & mouse” with Apple for FW updates that only fix the jailbreak holes. To quote WOPR, “the only winning move is not to play”.

If the cat & mouse game escalates too quickly, especially during beta FW periods, nobody but Apple benefits. For this reason, there won’t be a 4.0.2/3.2.2 jailbreak specifically during the period where 4.0.2/3.2.2 is the latest public release. At best, some future 4.1x FW jailbreak *may* be compatible with 4.0.2/3.2.2 (but don’t count on that).

If any of this is confusing, please ask below in our comments section!

P.S.: For those of you with iPhone3G or iPod Touch 2G(not MC version), it’s true you can always use redsn0w to jailbreak your 4.x devices. Don’t let that dilute the above message, though :)

http://blog.iphone-dev.org/

RIM Announces BlackBerry 6 OS and BlackBerry Torch 9800

RIM has official announced the BlackBerry 6 operating system which debuts on the new BlackBerry Torch phone.

BlackBerry 6 features "a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with a touch screen and trackpad, expanded messaging capabilities that simplify managing social media and RSS feeds, an advanced multimedia experience that rivals the best in the industry, a convenient new Universal Search tool, and a new and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders web pages quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience."

The new operating system launches on the BlackBerry Torch, a 3.2" 360x480 capacitive touch screen device with slide out 35 key full QWERTY keyboard. The smartphone also features an optical trackpad, 624 Mhz processor with 512 MB Flash memory, 4GB built-in memory plug microSD/SDHD memory card slot, 5 MP camera with flash, 640x480 video recording, GPS, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1.

New jailbreak tool for all iDevice

jailbreakme.com is back!

Thanks to some serious work by @comex, you can now jailbreak your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad right from MobileSafari — no PC or Mac needed!

Just visit http://jailbreakme.com on your device.

Note: There are currently some issues involving MMS and Facetime being disabled, and those are being worked on. Feel free to discuss problems and/or solutions in the comments beow.

For those needing a carrier unlock, use the existing ultrasn0w in Cydia on your iPhone3G or iPhone3GS. After a short testing period, we’ll push out the iPhone4 version.

Hands On With the Magic Trackpad

Now Legal to Jailbreak Your iPhone in the U.S.

Feel like jailbreaking your Apple iOS device? Fearful that Apple will set the law on you if you do? Fear not, because a decision just rendered by the U.S. Copyright Office now allows you to legally jailbreak your device for a number of purposes. The alterations to the Digital Media Copyright Act (DMCA) are huge news for both Apple and Apple users alike.

Not only is jailbreaking now okay, but ripping DVDs and cracking video game or software encryption is too, in certain special circumstances. It doesn’t exactly mean it’s open season for any and all piracy, but it does relax things quite a bit, and will probably make it much harder to prosecute those kinds of violations.

The new rules designate six classes of work that are now exempt from prosecution under the DMCA. Here’s the categories, briefly explained:

1. Movies on DVD, when used for educational, non-commercial purposes. Bypassing encryption on said videos is now legal. NewTeeVee has more on this portion of the rule changes.
2. Applications that allow for the use of legally obtained software on platforms that otherwise wouldn’t allow it. For instance, jailbreaking iOS so you can run Backgrounder or Wi-Fi Sync.
3. Applications that allow for the use of cellular devices on networks for which they weren’t originally designed. Case in point, unlocking an iPhone so that you can use it on Sprint instead of AT&T.
4. Video games can be cracked when the reason behind it is to promote, investigate or test for security of a computer, computer system or network.
5. Hardware-dongle protected software for which the dongle is no longer available or is obsolete, rendering the software otherwise unusable.
6. Enabling text-to-speech in ebooks which contain methods to prevent those read-aloud features, since, presumably this limits access by those with disabilities, though that isn’t specific stated in the rule itself.

Now, as you might have guessed, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any consequences for jailbreaking. Apple is still well within its rights to void your warranty, or even to suspend your Apple Store account if it manages to discover that you’re using jailbreak software. But not having to fear the long arm of the law is yet another argument in favor of jailbreaking still being worth it.

I’ve been leaning heavily towards jailbreaking my iPad, mainly because Apple seems not to be in a hurry to get iOS 4 on the device. This ruling pretty much cinches it for me, though I think I’ll do some more research about the effect it has on battery life before I commit. Anyone else motivated to jailbreak because of this news, or was the threat of legal action never much of a scare tactic to begin with?

theappleblog.com

Saurik Talks About the iPhone 4 Jailbreak

Apple Releases iOS 4.1 Beta to Developers

Apple has announced to developers that iOS SDK and iOS 4.1 beta are now available from the iPhone Dev Center.

Apps built with iOS SDK 4.1 beta should only be tested on devices running iOS 4.1. Make sure to read the Xcode 3.2.4 Readme and the iOS SDK 4.1 beta Release Notes before installing and downloading these new releases.

The SDK build number is 10M2304 and the firmware build number is 8B5080c.

Hopefully some of the false reception readings and proximity sensor issues will be resolved in this update. Developers please let us know your experiences in the comments...

Changes:
1. Signal Bars seem to be fixed and are taller
2. New Baseband (02.07.01)
3. Game Center is back with new look (see screenshot)
4. Camera Switch and Flash buttons reposition in landscape mode (see screenshot)
5. You can now choose to add Favorite as voice or FaceTime.
6. Spell Check can be turned off in Settings

Planetbeing Demos iPhone 4 Unlock

Why Apple—and not its customers—should fix the iPhone 4

In our reporting and a video yesterday, we made the point that the signal drop that iPhone 4 customers have observed when they hold their phones the "wrong" way is real—and we've called on Apple to do something about it. In an earlier statement, the company noted that attenuated performance is a "fact of life" for every wireless phone. Apple suggested owners mitigate the problem by holding the phone differently or purchasing a case. But those solutions put the onus on consumers and skirt Apple's obligation to offer a product that works consistently and reliably out of the box.

We think it's the company's responsibility to provide the fix—at no extra cost to consumers.

Our tests, conducted in our labs using controlled signals, confirm growing anecdotal indications that the iPhone 4's problems are anything but illusory. Our tests found that when your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone's lower left side—an easy thing to do—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal. We tested several other AT&T phones the same way, including the iPhone 3G S and the Palm Pre. None of those phones had the significant signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4.

Ironically, aside from these reception glitches, our other tests placed the iPhone 4 atop the latest Ratings of smart phones. But we did not feel comfortable listing a phone with such a problem as "recommended," and therefore have withheld that tag.

Our stopgap fix for the issues of applying duct tape to the phone—while inexpensive and easily done—obviously isn't meant to be a permanent solution. The real fix, we believe, should come from Apple. The company has said it will issue a software update that will make the phone's bars more accurate, though it remains to be seen if fixing metering inaccuracies will address the problem of dropped calls. The company will also provide a full refund to users who return their iPhone within 30 days.

But for those who prefer to keep their iPhone, we encourage Apple to step forward soon with a remedy that fixes the confirmed antenna issue, and not one that requires additional consumer expense.

source

The Smartest People in Tech

CEO, Apple

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after a 12-year exile, the company was close to bankruptcy. Thirteen years later it has a market cap of $250 billion and is the world's most valuable tech company, transforming whole industries along the way. iTunes reinvented music. Pixar, now part of Disney, elevated animated films. The iPhone changed telecom. And the new iPad has other computer makers scrambling to respond. Rocking one industry could be luck, but upending four? That's smart.

He is a visionary, a micromanager, and a showman who creates such anticipation around new products that their releases are veritable holidays. And Jobs is a pop culture icon like no other business executive: An episode of The Simpsons a few years ago featured a Jobs-like character named Steve Mobs.

His dictator-like control can cause havoc for partners: Jobs, 55, has decided, for example, that Apple products won't support Adobe Flash, the code most video-heavy websites depend on, leading designers to switch to new tools. But Jobs' vision is also what gives these devices their elegance, causing consumers' hearts to flutter. --Jessi Hempel

Geohot Jailbreaks the iPhone 4 ( not anymore )

Geohot has announced that he has jailbroken the iPhone 4.

As far as a release goes, it probably won't happen from me. limera1n is little more than a raindrop on a website; it was never mentioned by me previous to this post. pwned4life is a complete invention of some blogger in a basement somewhere. When I said pwned for life, I was referring to the original iPhone, 3G, and Touch; which of course are, by the aptly named PwnageTool. Again, please don't ask for release dates. Every person that does makes me want to release a little bit less.

Considering that there already is a userland jailbreak coming for all 4.0 devices; Geohot may save his exploit for the future.

Update 1 : Geohot Withdraws from iPhone Jailbreak and Unlock Scene

Geohot has also now shut down his Twitter account which has 113,761 followers. Visiting the account now says, "This person has protected their tweets" and no past tweets are viewable to the public.

Here are his last messages:

"I was just having fun but some people had to take this all way too seriously. it's just a phone, and it isn't much fun anymore.

my bio isn't "iPhone hacker" it was just something i did occasionally when i was bored. seriously, i think many of you care way more than me

it was a cool ride, and i've learned a lot about a lot. perhaps one of these days i'll do a more formal goodbye."

Understanding iOS 4 Backgrounding and Delegate Messaging

The World Before Multitasking

The first thing that I learned from this is that applicationDidBecomeActive: is being called right after application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:. So even before 4.0 it would have been smart to put there any kind of code that you want executed whenever the app becomes active, be it after app start or upon rejecting a phone call.

Not shown on this diagram is the situation that your app is eating up all the system memory and ignores both the level 1 and level 2 memory warnings. In that case the OS will also terminate your app without totally unscrupulous.

The mechanism with WillResignActive and DidBecomeActive is sort of the Backgrounding Lite that has always been there. This occurs whenever some other thing is displayed in front of your app. This could be the UI to accept a phone call or something as benign as the synching screen.

Multitasking ON

Adding multitasking to this flow chart makes it about twice as complex. I probably spent an hour trying to fit it all together with no crossing lines. Another thing that I noticed while doing this is that applicationWillResignActive: is the only delegate method that I could not optimize into a single box, because one use is to show that the app has been interrupted, the other is to the path into the background.

An app built with 3.2 will still go through a short background stage where applicationDidEnterBackground: is called. but then it will be terminated as usual. If the same app is built against a 4.x SDK then it will not go straight from background to being terminated. Instead it will stick around and so will be the debugger. As soon as you tap the app icon again or choose it from the app switcher it is first informed that applicationWillEnterForeground and then applicationDidBecomeActive.

An app that is suspended but still in RAM might be terminated by the OS if memory runs low. But after entering the background there is no longer any delegate method being called, instead the app will receive a KILL signal. This occurs also if the user long-presses the app icon in app switcher and then removes the app from there with the removal button.

Accepting a phone call no longer terminates your app but will send it into the appropriate background mode. Within the background box you see two purple states that the app can be in. All apps are suspended in RAM per default. You might want to slim down your memory footprint to make your app a less likely target for killing if the system runs low on memory.

Only apps that actually require background processing continue to be executing. This requirement is either set in info.plist or by telling the OS that you have a task to complete, like for example a file upload.

The following kinds of activities get to run in true multi tasking behind the foreground app with lesser CPU priority.

• playing music: “App plays audio”
• geo location: “App registers for location updates”
• VOIP: “App provides Voice over IP services”

If your app does one of these things then adding the key to info.plist is all it takes. But be aware that as soon as your app stops doing what it stated it would be doing the OS again will send it to sleep, only to be awakend by another gentle tap by the user.

In background mode you’re advised to stop updating the UI. Especially with OpenGL Apple is really strict. If you app as much as touches OpenGL while in background the app gets killed right away.

There are only two scenarios left where your app’s applicationWillTerminate: will actually be called: if it’s build with an SDK of less than version 4.0 or if you chose to opt out of backgrounding by adding the UIApplicationExitsOnSuspend key to your info.plist.

So, let’s ask the question we’ve been doing all this fuss for: Where should you now put your code to initialize, update or save changes? applicationWillTerminate not being called in the majority of cases makes it a rather bad candidate to save user defaults or data.

Looking at the chart I see applicationDidEnterBackground as the ideal candidate delegate method for saving state. This is also the last method to be called before a regular 4.0 app gets put to sleep and before a possible kill.

For updating data from the web the case is not as clear. You would not want to reload every time the user comes back to your app. Possible applicationDidBecomeActive: is a good place, provided that you only reload data if sufficient time has passed to be able to assume that something new is available.

Only the first loading of data can stay in application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: since every call applicationDidBecomeActive: most likely has the data already loaded previously.

Conclusion

Adding fast app switching and multitasking support is quite easy since for the most part you don’t need to do anything. But you WILL have to review the contents of your app delegate methods to see which code has to be moved into one of the other delegate methods now. Clean out applicationWillTerminate: and have a close look at application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: to check if you have something in there that needs to be done every time the app becomes active.

These charts come from some experimentation that I did and what I remembered from the WWDC 2010 session videos on multitasking. Potentially there are mistakes or more surprises hidden in there. Please let me know if you find any.

Here’s the chart in PDF format in case you want to print it out and frame it.

source

The Apple Museum - 30 years in 2 minutes

Top 10 geek destinations to visit this summer

As summer approaches, our thoughts turn to taking a break. Rather than bring you boring beaches or tacky theme parks, we're planning pilgrimages for our inner-geek.

From the birth of Silicon Valley, to the inception of Twitter, we've pinpointed ten places across America that should be of particular interest to those with a passion for tech and social media.

Whether you're an Apple fanboy, mad for social media or just a retro gaming fanatic, our top 10 places to visit this summer will give you some great geek-themed road trip ideas and destinations.

Bon voyage!

1. 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014

While waltzing into Apple's headquarters and demanding a meeting with Steve Jobs won't get you very far, one place you are welcome is Apple's "Company Store."

A unique Apple retail space, the Company Store isn't your run-of-the-mill Apple shop, but instead sells Apple-branded products.

In the words of the company, it's "the only place in the world that sells Apple logo t-shirts, caps and accessories." We assume they mean the only place for official Apple logo t-shirts, caps and accessories.

Geek-vacation must: Pick yourself up an "I visited the Mothership" t-shirt.

2. 579 Endicott Street North, Laconia, NH 03246

At 579 Endicott Street North you'll find "Funspot," New Hampshire's "entertainment supercenter." But more importantly, within the Funspot premises can be found the The American Classic Arcade Museum.

The museum contains the world's largest collection of classic arcade games, from pre-war pinball machines, through "Pac Man," and up to "Time Crisis 3."

In addition to the arcade games themselves, you'll find written, audio, video and electronic data about the history of coin-operated games and the people who created them, making this a mecca for retro gaming fans.

Geek-vacation must: Play Donkey Kong on the same machine where Steve Weibe scored a million points.

3. South Park, San Francisco, CA 94107

Described as the "ground zero" of the dot com revolution, South Park in San Francisco has seen many a web entrepreneur eat lunch on its grass over recent years. It's most notable for being the location where Twitter, or "Twttr" as it was to be called, was first conceived by Jack Dorsey.

Dom Sagolla described the Odeo brainstorming session that saw it born:

"'Rebooting' or reinventing the company started with a daylong brainstorming session where we broke up into teams to talk about our best ideas. I was lucky enough to be in @Jack's group, where he first described a service that uses SMS to tell small groups what you are doing. We happened to be on top of the slide on the north end of South Park. It was sunny and brisk. We were eating Mexican food. His idea made us stop eating and start talking."

Geek-vacation must: Tweet from the top of the slide!

4. 15010 NE 36th Street, Redmond, WA 98052

If you venture to Redmond on a week day, you can head to Microsoft's 300-acre corporate campus where, in Building 92, you'll find the official Microsoft Visitor Center.

The blurb for the center promises "the vision, products, culture, and history of Microsoft," with exhibits ranging from an Xbox 360 that you can play on a giant screen to the first personal computer.

You can also hit the Microsoft Company Store, which, in a similar vein to the Apple Company Store mentioned above, offers all manner of Microsoft-themed clothing and trinkets.

Geek-vacation must: Have a go on Microsoft Surface.

5. Kirkland House, Cambridge, MA 01238

It's common knowledge that Facebook was conceived and launched by Mark Zuckerberg while studying at Harvard in 2004, but did you know the whole thing started as "thefacebook.com" from his dorm room in Harvard's Kirkland House?

Kirkland's online mailing list was how news of the fledgling service debuted. After Zuckerberg told his friends about the site, one suggested putting it on the 300-strong mailing list. As legend goes, within 24 hours of the list hitting inboxes, between 1,200 to 1,500 students had signed up.

You can easily see Kirkland House on a visit to Harvard independently, but if you want a better perspective on its history, then the student-led walking tours can offer more insight.

Geek-vacation must: Tag Kirkland House in a photo on Facebook.

6. 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94309

While Hewlett Packard might not be the sexiest consumer electronics company around, it has played a very important part in the history of the industry. Proof of their contributions are marked by California Historic Landmark No. 976: HP Garage -- dubbed the "birthplace of Silicon Valley."

Way before today's tech giants were even twinkles in our eyes, college friends Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their business in the late 1930s from a 12 by 18-foot garage on Addison Avenue.

Hewlett Packard began restoring the garage in 2004 -- complete with authentic tools, furnishings and equipment -- in order to preserve the tiny property as a historical landmark. Sadly, it's not open to the public but you can view the garage from the sidewalk. While it's in a residential area, HP urges visitors to respect the privacy of neighbors.

Geek-vacation must: Grab a pic of the historical garage plaque.

7. 2615 Broadway Street, Redwood City, CA 94063

To those ignorant of the tech world's current affairs, this is just a nice German-themed shop and beer garden. But to those in the know, it's so much more. The place where the iPhone 4 made its unofficial and unintentional public debut has to be on the Apple fanboy's must-see list.

The Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City, California offers a vast selection of German beers on tap. Who knows, maybe you'll find an iPhone 5?

Geek-vacation must: Make sure you have all your belongings before you leave.

8. 1401 N. Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA 94043

Offering one of the world's largest collections of computing artifacts, the Computer History Museum is another must-visit attraction for any geek.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the museum currently showcases some of the stories behind local corporate giants like Adobe, Apple, Cisco, HP, Intel and Sun Microsystems, as well as a model of the Babbage Engine and a look at the history of computer chess.

New exhibits are planned for 2011, so you might want to check what is showing before you take the trip.

Geek-vacation must: Check out the "Hall of Fellows" awards honoring individuals who have made great contributions to the industry.

9. 241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025

The Homebrew Computer Club's place in the history of modern computing cannot be understated. Back in the late 70s, for example, a 26 year-old Hewlett Packard employee nicknamed Woz debuted a machine called the Apple I during a meeting.

Although early meetings took place in a garage in Menlo Park (a la Google years later) Homebrew's other staging area, according to a member, was "The Oasis," a bar and grill on El Camino Real.

Today, The Oasis is still going strong as a bar and burger and pizza joint, so you can visit and stand in the gastronomic footsteps of the computing greats.

Geek-vacation must: Eat! The BBQ chicken pizza is popular now, but the classic "O" experience calls for a burger.

10. 232 Santa Margarita Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025

In 1998, in an inauspicious garage in Menlo Park, Larry Page and Sergey Brin created what is now one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Page and Brin rented the "Google garage" from Anne Wojcicki -- a future Google employee -- for $1,700 a month, helping Wojcicki pay her mortgage and giving Google its first ever official premises (the search engine had previously been run from the Stanford website.)

Google bought the house and garage in 2006, claiming the purchase was "to preserve part of our legacy."

While we'd fully expect the garage to be given the HP treatment (see above) in years to come, right now you can view it in its unassuming natural habitat by moseying down Santa Margarita.

Geek-vacation must: Rollerblade past the garage for the true Page/Brin experience.

iPhone 4 vs HTC EVO 4G

LOL!!!

Best Adventure Travel Ideas

If you’re after an outdoor adventure, look no further. In this excerpt from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences, we bring you the white-knuckle tour of six continents.

1. Ski touring the Haute Route, France and Switzerland

Strap on the skins for one of the world’s great ski experiences as you tour between the famed Alpine resorts of Chamonix and Zermatt. Most skiers take around a week to complete the 140km, hut-to-hut route, crossing 20 glaciers and savouring views of many of the Alps’ highest and finest peaks. Expect more than a leisurely jaunt: the terrain is challenging, and climbs along the route total more than 10,000m. If you prefer feet to skis, you can always wait for summer and hike the Walkers’ Haute Route. Guided tours depart from Chamonix; expect to pay in excess of US$2250 depending on group size. Basic mountaineering skills and the ability to ski off piste are essential.

2. Cycling the Icefields Parkway, Canada

Stretching 230km between Jasper and Lake Louise and following a lake-lined valley between two chains of the Rocky Mountains, the Icefields Parkway is considered one of the world’s most scenic roads. Cyclists also know it as one of the great mountain-biking tours. The impatient can ride it in two days, but well-spaced camping grounds and hostels mean it can also be lingered over for four or five days. Expect mountains, lakes and a menagerie of mammals – goats, bighorn sheep, elk, moose and perhaps even black and grizzly bears. Check the route map at www.icefieldsparkway.ca; you can hire bicycles at shops in Banff , Alberta, for around C$40 a day.

3. Bungee jumping at Verzasca Dam, Switzerland

They call it the Golden Eye jump, as it was on this Ticino dam that Pierce Brosnan, aka James Bond, fell so far that in order to recreate the stunt you must submit yourself to the world’s highest commercial bungee jump, a leap of 220m. Make the classic swan dive or leap backwards, then endure a 7½-second fall that will border on eternity. Only later will you appreciate the fact that you’ve just relived the stunt once voted the best in movie history. Jumps are conducted between Easter and October. The Golden Eye jump costs €170 the first time and is half price if you do it again on the same day. You know what Bond would do.

4. Mountain biking in Moab, USA

Moab is the mother of all mountain biking destinations, its fame riding on the slickrock (smooth, wind-polished rock) that makes mountain biking in this Utah town unique. Top of the pops in Moab is the Slickrock Bike Trail, arguably the most famous mountain-biking route in the world. This 20km loop crosses sandstone ridges above the town, a roller-coaster route of supersteep climbs and plunging descents. If you’re nervous about whether you’re slick enough for the Slickrock Bike Trail, you can always pluck up courage on the 3km practice loop. One-day or multi-day tour options are available. Bring your own bike or rent one and go for broke; for sample rentals check out www.poisonspiderbicycles.com.

5. Rock climbing at Krabi, Thailand

Fancy a tropical beach that’s more about cams than tans, and where the closest thing to a thong is your harness? Then you should come to Krabi. This city on Thailand’s Andaman coast is blessed with spectacular karst formations, even in the middle of Krabi River, making it one of the world’s great climbing destinations. If you’re serious about scaling a cliff, you’ll want to head for Railay, west of the city. This peninsula’s steep, pocketed limestone cliff s offer a liquorice allsorts of climbing features, including good overhangs and the occasional hanging stalactite. You’ll find accommodation, guides and gear for hire at Ao Nang and Railay East Beach; over 650 routes have been pioneered in the area since the 1980s.

6. Kayaking on Glacier Bay, USA

The name alone ought be enough to tempt any sea-kayaker, but the reality goes beyond even the moniker. In Alaska’s Glacier Bay, 10 glaciers flow down from the mountains, filling the sea with an assortment of icebergs. The tour boat MV Spirit of Adventure can drop kayakers at various points in the bay, so you can pretty much paddle where you please. The truly hardy eschew the boat and paddle from Bartlett Cove to the glaciers of Muir Inlet (allow about two weeks). The blockbuster ‘bergs are in the West Arm, though camping there is limited. Beach camping on the Beardslee Islands allows you to extend your time with nature; kayaks and guides can be booked at www.glacierbayseakayaks.com.

7. Walking in Kruger National Park, South Africa

What better way to mingle with a hungry horde of lions, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants and giraffes in South Africa’s most famous park than on foot? Kruger has seven wilderness walking trails, along which you can take guided overnight walks with armed guides. Of the trails, the Napi Trail is noted as the best for spotting the big five (black rhino, Cape buffalo, elephant, leopard and lion). Most of the walks last for two days and three nights, covering around 20km each day at a leisurely pace… unless, of course, you notice a lion behind you. A four-day walking safari costs between US$800–1000 for groups of no more than eight. For more details visit www.krugersafari.com.

8. Hiking the Larapinta Trail, Australia

For 223km of desert delights, set aside a fortnight to walk the Larapinta Trail through central Australia’s West MacDonnell Ranges, one of the oldest mountain chains in the world. Stretching between Alice Springs and Mt Sonder, the Larapinta winds through oasis-like gorges, over sharp quartzite ridge tops and across desert plains. Regular camp sites and water tanks mute the desert’s ferocity but not its beauty – this is the Red Centre at its finest. Food drops can also be arranged to ease the load on your back. The full expedition costs AU$3960; book at www.treklarapinta.com.au.

9. Trek the Torres Del Paine, Chile

Like a fistful of broken fingers, Chile’s Torres del Paine rise more than 2000m from the Patagonian Steppes. For ‘real’ trekkers these ‘Towers of Pain’ are one of the most instantly recognisable features on the planet. The classic walk here is the so-called ‘W’ trek, which takes about five days. Beginning at Laguna Amarga, the W climbs to the spectacular Torres del Paine Lookout, immediately below the towers, and continues via Los Cuernos and Lago Pehoé to Lago Grey, famed for its flotillas of icebergs – some as big as houses. Trails are well marked; trek in autumn or spring to avoid crowds. The ‘W’ trek can be completed in six days, including the return bus trip from Puerto Natales. Sunrise illuminates the Torres del Paine one by one, transforming them into slabs of gold.

10. Swimming with killer whales, Norway

Close your eyes and think of friendly dolphins and you might find it easier to roll overboard and into Norway’s Tysfjord. For three months each year, orcas settle into this fjord, chasing a feed of herring. Hard behind them are the whale-watching boats and the few hardy snorkellers prepared to brave both the Arctic waters and their visiting killer whales. For something marginally warmer, you may prefer to hire a kayak for a paddle among the cetaceans. To play with the orcas check out www.orcasafari.co.uk; tours depart from the UK.

lonelyplanet.com

Riddle me this part 2

1. It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you'll die. What is it?

2. I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I?

3. What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?

3. At night they come without being fetched. By day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?

4. There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What is it?

5. What is in seasons, seconds, centuries and minutes but not in decades, years or days?

6. Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.

7. The one who makes it, sells it. The one who buys it, never uses it. The one that uses it never knows that he's using it. What is it?

damn, I love riddles..

iPhone 4 Confirmed to Have 512MB of RAM (Twice the iPad and 3GS)

Since the launch of the original iPhone, Apple has made efforts to hide some of the actual tech specs of the device from consumers. Apple has never advertised or even published the processor speed or amount of RAM found in the iPhone. Arguably, Apple is trying to shield customers from these technical distractions and instead trying to focus on overall functionality.

More technically inclined customers, however, still love to know what they have to work with. The original iPhone and iPhone 3G contained 128MB of RAM, while the iPhone 3GS was boosted to 256MB of RAM. Similarly, the iPad contains 256MB of RAM. This discrepancy offers a technical explanation why Apple is not supporting iOS 4 features such as multi-tasking on the original and 3G iPhone -- there simply isn't enough RAM.

We have since heard that the upcoming iPhone 4's RAM has again been upgraded. This will bring it to a total of 512MB of RAM, twice as much as the 3GS and iPad. This number actually contradicts tear down photos of a prototype iPhone 4 that was leaked to the internet. An analysis of that prototype device showed it only carried 256MB of RAM. The 512MB figure, however, does agree with a Digitimes report from May 17th that confirmed a 960x640 screen resolution, thinner display, and indeed 512MB of RAM. We had heard that Apple confirmed this 512MB figure during one of the WWDC sessions last week, and have now verified this. The session it was revealed in is now available (Session 147, Advanced Performance Optimization on iPhone OS, pt 2) for registered Apple developers.

The added RAM should help overall performance and multi-tasking on the new iPhone 4. It could also explain why the iMovie App that Apple introduced at WWDC will only run on the iPhone 4. Apple has said iMovie will only run on the iPhone 4 and not the 3GS or even the iPad. It seems conceivable that it actually makes use of the extra RAM offered by the iPhone 4.

macrumors.com

iPhone 4

Apple today official unveiled the iPhone 4 featuring FaceTime, which makes the dream of video calling a reality, and Apple’s stunning new Retina display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, resulting in super crisp text, images and video.

In addition, iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 processor, a 3-axis gyro and up to 40 percent longer talk time—in a beautiful all-new design of glass and stainless steel that is the thinnest smartphone in the world. iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 100 new features and 1500 new APIs for developers. iOS 4 features Multitasking, Folders, enhanced Mail, deeper Enterprise support and Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform. iPhone 4 will be available in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan on June 24, starting in the US at just $199 for qualified buyers with a two year contract.

“iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “FaceTime video calling sets a new standard for mobile communication, and our new Retina display is the highest resolution display ever in a phone, with text looking like it does on a fine printed page. We have been dreaming about both of these breakthroughs for decades.”

FaceTime is as mobile as your phone, so you can see your loved ones and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Using FaceTime is as easy as making a regular voice call, with no set-up required, and you can instantly switch to the rear camera to show others what you are seeing with just a tap.

Apple’s stunning 3.5 inch Retina display has 960 x 640 pixels—four times as many pixels as the iPhone 3GS and 78 percent of the pixels on an iPad. The resulting 326 pixels per inch is so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when the phone is held at a normal distance, making text, images and video look sharper, smoother and more realistic than ever before on an electronic display.

iPhone 4 is the thinnest smartphone ever—9.3 millimeters—with an all-new design and build quality like no other mobile device. The front and back are made of aluminosilcate glass, chemically strengthened to be 30 times harder than plastic, more scratch resistant and more durable than ever. The front and back glass have an oil-resistant coating that helps keep it clean, and encircling iPhone 4 is a highly finished stainless steel band made of a custom alloy that is forged to be five times stronger than standard steel.

iPhone 4 features a new 5 megapixel autofocus camera with a 5x digital zoom, a backside illuminated sensor and built-in LED flash that allows you to take amazing pictures even in low light and dark environments. iPhone 4 lets you record and edit incredible HD video and the popular tap to focus feature now works while recording video. You can use the iPhone 4‘s LED flash for both still photography and video recording. The new iMovie app for iPhone lets you combine movie clips, add dynamic transitions and themes and include photos and music, and users can buy it for just $4.99 through the App Store right on their phone.

iPhone 4 is the best mobile device ever for games and entertainment, with access to tens of thousands of games and entertainment apps on the revolutionary App Store. Every iPhone 4 has a built-in 3-axis gyro that when combined with the accelerometer provides 6-axis motion sensing such as up and down, side to side, forward and backward and pitch and roll, making it perfect for gaming. Developers can access the gyro using the new CoreMotion API to make games and other apps that go well beyond what other mobile devices offer.

iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. With over 100 new features, it includes Multitasking, Folders, enhanced Mail, deeper Enterprise support and Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform. With Multitasking, users can now instantly switch between any of their apps while preserving battery life. With Folders, users can easily organize their apps into collections by simply dragging one app on top of another. A folder is automatically created and named based on the category of apps selected. Users can change the name of any folder at any time. In addition, users can now customize their lock and home screens with an array of supplied wallpapers or with any of the photos on their phone.

The new iBooks app will be available for iPhone 4 as a free download from the App Store and includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile product. The iBooks app will sync your current place in a book, along with any bookmarks, highlights and notes you have created, between copies of the same book on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. iBooks users can also now read and store PDFs right in iBooks. There are now over 60,000 books available in the iBookstore, and users have downloaded over five million books in the first two months.

More than five billion apps have been downloaded from the revolutionary App Store and more than 225,000 apps are available to consumers in 90 countries. Almost 100 million iPhone and iPod touch users around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

iPhone 4 delivers an amazing seven hours of talk time on 3G networks, up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and up to six hours on 3G, and up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback. iPhone 4 is powered by Apple’s new A4 processor that provides exceptional processor and graphic performance along with long battery life. iPhone 4 features a second microphone and advanced software to suppress unwanted background noise for improved call quality when in loud places. iPhone 4 also offers 802.11n Wi-Fi networking and adds quad-band HSUPA to provide 7.2Mbps downlink and 5.8Mbps uplink capability.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4 comes in either black or white and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail and online stores, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. iPhone 4 will be available in the US, France, Germany, Japan and the UK on June 24 and customers can pre-order their iPhone 4 beginning Tuesday, June 15 from the Apple Online Store or reserve an iPhone 4 to pick up at an Apple Retail Store. iMovie for iPhone will be available on the App Store for just $4.99 (US).

Also on June 24, a new iPhone 3GS 8GB model will be available for just $99 (US). iOS 4 software will be available on June 21 as a free software update via iTunes 9.2 or later for iPhone and iPod touch customers.

iPhone 4 will roll out worldwide to 88 countries by the end of September. iPhone 4 will be available by the end of July in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

WWDC 2010

- All about iPad



- Netflix, Farmville, and Guitar hero for iPad and iPhone






- iPhone 4 with many features




- iMovie for iPhone



- iOS4 ( iPhone OS 4)



- Apple added Bing to iPhone for another search engine



- iBooks for Iphone



- iAds


- Face Time


Steve Jobs live from WWDC 2010 (engadget.com)

WWDC Line Forms 12 Hours Before Event

appleblog.com

Calibrating your mac battery

Calibrating your battery ensures you get the longest possible running time from it. Calibrate your battery during the first week you own it, and then recalibrate it every two months. If you use your computer infrequently, it’s best to recalibrate it at least once a month.

1. Plug in the MagSafe Power Adapter and fully charge the battery.

When the battery is fully charged, the light on the MagSafe Power Adapter connector changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is charged.

2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer.

You can use your computer during this time as long as the power adapter is plugged in.

3. With the computer still on, disconnect the power adapter and continue to use your computer.

4. When you see the low battery warning, save your work and close all applications. Keep your computer turned on until it goes to sleep.

5. After your computer goes to sleep, turn it off or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.

6. Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged.

You can use your computer during this time.

Use this software to see you mac battery capacity.

Where to go in July

Have some free time this July but don’t know what to do with it? Check out these top destinations from Lonely Planet Magazine’s ‘Perfect Trips for 2010′ (January 2010 issue):

Indonesia

The wet season long gone, July is the best time to explore Indonesia. Start at Borobudur in Java, a lush region of paddy fields, swaying palms and the country’s most remarkable Buddhist monument (indonesiatourism.com).

Rwanda

When even David Attenborough wells up at the memory, you can be sure that the experience of coming face to face with a gorilla is pretty mind-blowing. July is the midpoint of Rwanda’s dry season, and so the ideal time to search the rainforests that veil the defunct volcanoes of the Parc National des Volcans for traces of our hairy-backed cousins (rwandatourism.com).

Norway

After a winter of near constant darkness, Norway really begins to see the light in July. Clamber up to the northernmost point of continental Europe, Knivskjellodden, to enjoy the midnight sun at what feels like the world’s end, or head for the energetic cultural hotspot of Tromsø for a social scene that lasts all night (visitnorway.com).

Canada

The depth of Canada’s big freeze in winter is matched by its agreeability come summer. Vancouver in July is at its best, with pleasant temperatures. Check out the sea-to-sky vistas of Stanley Park and kayak along the city’s shoreline (tourismvancouver.com).

Where to Avoid: Mali

Rain measured in feet, not inches. Crashing thunderstorms. Miles of thick, sludgy mud. It’s Africa, Jim, but not as we know it. Or at least not like it looked in the brochures. To avoid disappointment, it’s worth steering clear of a soggy Mali this month.

10 ways to kill time at the airport

Your bags have been checked, your boarding pass issued… and now you’ve got hours to wait before getting on your plane. What can you do with an airport layover?

Plenty, as it turns out. Here are some of Lonely Planet's suggestions:

Exercise

Feeling your muscles atrophy from all those flight delays? Hit the gym! Many airport hotels have fitness centres in them with day passes available for the public; some are even open 24 hours. Don’t have a spare set of workout clothes? Get on your feet and take a brisk walk around the terminal, mall-walking-style – but avoid running if you don’t want to risk getting tackled by security.

Spoil yourself

Airport day spas and massage shops have become ubiquitous at international airports. Have a fear of flying? Melt away your jitters with a muscle-tingling back or foot massage, or treat yourself to a facial treatment and a mani-pedi. Just don’t get so relaxed that you forget your boarding time.

Lounge around

Once reserved for the hotshots in First Class, deluxe lounges can now be your home away from home – for a few hours, anyway – for a small fee. At minimum they usually have comfy seating, newspapers and magazines, a food buffet and free wi-fi (a real boon in those benighted airports that still charge for wi-fi access).

Some higher-end ones, such as the Plaza Premium Lounge in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, feature showers, free draught beer, movies and even a putting green. Fore!

People-watch

If there’s anything airports are rarely short of, it’s people. Take an interest in your fellow travellers: play detective and see how much you can figure out about them through your powers of observation (or play fashion police and judge their bad taste in clothing instead). If you enjoyed the film Love, Actually, reenact the opening scene by watching the emotional reunions at the international arrivals gate. Bring your own tissues.

Window-shop

Some airports these days almost seem like glorified shopping malls that just happen to have planes landing, and prices are high since there’s nowhere else to go. But you can have plenty of free fun playing with the travel gadgets and massage chairs at Brookstone, sampling moisturiser and testing fragrances at L’Occitane, browsing books in WH Smith and goggling at the price tags in Prada. Have some extra currency to get rid of? Spend it on some locally made souvenirs or sweets to bring home.

Get back to nature

If you’re flying through Southeast Asia, you can find a lovely green respite from the normal concrete-and-glass airport experience. Kuala Lumpur International Airport has transplanted a section of Malaysian rainforest inside the airport for visitors to explore, and Singapore’s Changi Airport has half a dozen different gardens throughout the complex, including an orchid garden with koi pond and a tropical habitat filled with butterflies, carnivorous plants and a waterfall grotto.

Take a day-trip

If you’ve got an extra long layover between flights, consider skipping the airport experience altogether and play tourist for a half a day. Many city airports have direct train service downtown, such as Chicago, Sydney and Hong Kong – where you can even check your bags and get a boarding pass at the station. Singapore’s Changi Airport offers free two-hour tours of town to passengers who have a layover of at least five hours.

Chow down

If you can’t bear the thought of tucking into a tray of single-serving generica on your flight, treat yourself to a good meal before you board. But forget a plastic-tray meal at the food court: airports these days have started featuring nice restaurants, often with celebrity-chef pedigrees. It can also be a good way to sample a bit of regional cuisine: if you’re a meat-lover transferring through Memphis, for example, try one of their four in-terminal BBQ restaurants.

Enjoy some quiet time

Most airports have chapels and ‘quiet rooms’ that are good for a little bit of solitary introspection, whether you want to pray, meditate or just contemplate your belly button in silence for a while. For those who feel like they need some pastoral guidance, London’s Heathrow Airport even has Anglican and Catholic chaplains and Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh ‘faith representatives’ on call.

Play

Singapore’s superstar Changi Airport pulls out all the stops in providing boredom-killers for its passengers. Besides a children’s playground, arts and crafts workshop, three screening rooms with free movies and an entertainment area with free video games and music-listening pods, they’ve recently installed a four-storey-high slide so you can relive your playground salad days, as well as a half-size version for anyone afraid of heights.

And of course if you have one of those new-fangled iPads handy, you’ll be able to while away your layover reading e-books, playing i-games or surfing the w-web on the airport wi-fi. (You could even check out our new 1000 Ultimate Experiences iPad app for some – well, a thousand – travel ideas.)

Apple Has a Backup Design for the New iPhone?

Apple has a backup design more similar to the iPhone 3GS in case of production problems with the new design leaked by Gizmodo, according to DigiTimes.

On a side note, Apple initiated the iPhone 4G project at the end of 2008. According to our sources, Apple actually has another product codenamed N91 for the project, which offers less change from previous iPhones compared with the N90. It's a parallel product to back up the N90 in case there are major delays due to significant modifications in casing, display resolution, digital camera support and so forth.

In regards to AMOLED touch panels, DigiTimes notes that Apple did speak with Samsung Mobile Display about the possibility; however, production capacity was a big issue.

SMD only has the capability to fulfill 50-60% of iPhone orders at the moment even it dedicated all AMOLED capacity to Apple. Of course, cost is always a concern. AMOLED panels cost US$34-38. TN panels cost less than US$10 and IPS panels around US$20.

Finally the report indicates that the Verizon compatible iPhone is still in early testing and won't be available for some time.

Pegatron will indeed assemble an iPhone, but the manufacturing cooperation is still at the EVT (engineer verification test) stage. There are two more stages - DVT (design verification test) and PVT (process verification test) - before mass production. Though there were reports that shipments for this particular device will begin in the second half, we believe 2011 is more likely.

iclarified.com

White iPhone HD / iPhone 4G case spotted

Chinese site Apple.pro has a few pictures of what it says is the white iPhone 4G/HD almost fully assembled. Apple is going to release two versions of the phone later this year. Is it true ?