Hidden iOS 4 Code Suggests Verizon iPhone and iPad 2 Being Field-Tested

Interesting rumor Boy Genius Report has published today: according to one of their Apple sources, there’s a block of code buried deep down in iOS 4 which proves that both the CDMA iPhone and next iPad are about to hit the field test stage. The code makes sure that the device doesn’t need iTunes activation to work:

“Our source says that the code queries the device, and if the device is either a CDMA iPhone or iPad 2, the device will auto-activate, thus bypassing the need for iTunes. We’re told this block of code has appeared every year consecutively before a major iPhone / device release, removed right before launch.”

Another source also told BGR that the code name for the CDMA iPhone is N92AP, while John Gruber said it was N92. The next iPod Touch platform code should be N81AP.

January launch for the Verizon iPhone keeps sounding very likely to me. As for the iPad, the iPad-as-a-line idea (like MacBooks and iMacs, with different sizes, specs) is growing on me.

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Slide Reader: A New Google Reader Experience for iPad

What’s to be considered when reviewing a RSS app for the iPad today? The interface design? The features? The Flipboard-killer factor? Or maybe just how much the app is indeed meant for the iPad?

My point is, many apps are just bigger versions of stuff we’ve already seen on the iPhone last year. Some of them are cool and sold well at launch, but they can’t really hope to revolutionize a crowded market such as that of reading news. Then there are a few of them, made by those who took risks, that change the way we make technology fit in our daily lives.

Let’s take a step backwards and think about the iPad as a new device. Is it still possible to create a new app to read news on it? That’s what the Slide Reader developers are trying to achieve.

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Wide Angle Brings Beautiful Photography to the iPad

It’s no secret that the iPad is great at displaying pictures. I mean, it looks like a digital frame, right? And Apple even put a slideshow button right in the device lockscreen. For this reason photography applications are flourishing in the App Store, especially Flickr ones. Think about FlickStackr, Portfolio To Go, or the upcoming Rouse app by Robocat. Not to mention Flipboard’s feature to consume pictures from Boston.com and the like.

A few days ago I downloaded a new app called Wide Angle which allows you to view beautiful photos from The Big Picture and CBC Photo Galleries on your iPad.

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The MacBook Air Project: Modder Puts Mac Under Apple Keyboard

This is the reason why I love the modding community: they have no limits. Whether it’s about hardware or jailbreak / graphical modifications, modders always push themselves beyond the limitations and come up with exceptionals, custom creations.

Bart Reardon of The MacBook Air Project decided to try to fit a MacBook Air right under an Apple keyboard and make everything a single piece. Yes, a 1.6Ghz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM and 80GB hard drive computer inside a standard keyboard. He later thought of putting a Magic Trackpad next to the keyboard, too. He thinks that the device “will be used much beyond internet/email….maybe as an AppleTV replacement.”

Seriously, it’s awesome.

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Adobe to Apple: “Our doors are open”

Finally, we’re back to talking about Adobe and Apple. Frankly, I was getting bored of writing about the antenna. Now, Shantanu Narayen (Adobe chief) is back in the game, and this time he’s saying that Adobe still wants Apple. They can still work together, if Steve Jobs wants to.

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Apple’s iAd Not Off to a Happy Start After All?

After stellar remarks and compliments from Nissan and Unilever, you’d think iAd was a complete success in winning over the hearts of Apple’s partners right? All Things Digital is reporting that Apple’s restrictive iAds policies are having a dramatic effect on progress in the mobile ad space. Disney, J.C. Penny, and Citigroup Inc. just recently got their ads into the mobile space after the month of July was dominated by Nissan and Unilever PLC, while companies like Channel SA ended up dropping their iAds compaign announced at Apple’s launch event.

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Nebulous Notes for iPad

When I saw Nebulous Notes for the iPad in the App Store, I raised an eyebrow at the reviews. An otherwise solid looking notepad was getting shit ratings because the developer started things off on a good note with an honest, self review. Yes, he gave himself five stars. But I don’t know why people get bent out of shape when the developer openly admitted he’s reviewing himself when there’s shady companies that do this hundreds of times over to game the system. One five star review isn’t going to greatly affect an app ranking in the large scale of things, so kudos to the developer for his strong beliefs in an application he’s put a lot of work into. I think there was good intentions here, even if commenters on the App Store have taken it the wrong way.

So I downloaded the application, and I found Nebulous Notes to be okay as an ideal Dropbox application for taking notes. All the icons are pretty, Dropbox syncing is seamless, and I can lock my contents to keep my work private from users I share the iPad with. With a few improvements, this could be my go-to notes application.

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