The guys over at Macotakara[JP] and iLab Factory[JP] have posted images of a new aluminum case which appears to have a slightly different depth for its LCD panel, adding 1mm to the thickness of the back panel, but making adjustments for a slightly thinner LCD panel – reportedly this 2048×1536 panel from Sharp – which fits into the case perfectly. The images do nothing to confirm rumors of a Retina Display, but the changes to the case depth indicate there is clearly a change coming to the display panel itself.

In addition, it looks like the camera opening has changed, possibly to support a new, higher quality (and possibly wide-screen) camera.

It also looks like refinements have been made to the dock connector, improving its rigidity – which should make it less likely that you’ll accidentally yank out the dock connector.

So are these images of parts from the actual iPad 3? Will there be an iPad 2S first, with minor refinements to the iPad 2? Or is this just some knock-off clone being made in China? Only time will tell.

[via iLab via Macotakara]

Watch the demo below to find out how to use BlackSMS:

I find it a bit tedious to keep switching between the Message app and BlackSMS, especially if you end up engaged in a long conversation. It would’ve been nicer if it was integrated into iMessage itself; then again I’m not sure if Apple will allow that. Also, keep in mind that both you and the person you’re texting have to have the app and need to be texting with iMessage, not regular SMS. But if you can’t wait to pass digital secret notes, download BlackSMS from the App Store for $0.99 (USD). Just don’t render it useless with a weak password, okay?

[via Lifehacker]

The cases from Schreer Delights certainly look authentic. They’ve got a couple of other models, including the G4 Graphite, and some non-Apple themed cases as well. The retro iMac iPhone case in Bondi Blue looks really good in my opinion. The graphics are printed deep in the plastic of the case, so even if the case is slightly damaged, the images won’t fade.

The cases are available for the iPhone 4 and 4S for $45(USD) each, but they might not be available for long, because Apple is sure to flex their legal muscles to protect their intellectual property rights. So if you want one, you’d better move quick.

[via core77]

Now, I know a bunch of you tech geeks are going to comment in the comment section about how this idea doesn’t make business sense, since the iPhone is already Apple’s camera, and that there’s no need to create a product that is solely a camera when you can have a phone and a camera in the same device. I have recognized your side, and I may even agree with it – but the Apple QuickTake Camera Concept is cool nonetheless. Take it for what it is: a concept. And don’t take my ice cream at all, because then I’ll RAGE.

Designer Josephy Dumary’s Apple QuickTake Camera Concept has some pretty unrealistic specifications, but I’m sure that if Apple were to make a camera, the capabilities would be pretty high. 32 MP photos? Seems a bit unreasonable to me – besides, nobody really needs that much definition – we stopped reading dictionaries years ago. Also, most people just keep their photos on the computer and don’t print them, so they don’t need crazy resolutions.

The concept also has a rather frivolous 360-degree swiveling feature that would only serve to have children break your expensive camera because they’re spinning it like a toy. The automatic red eye removal is a neat idea though, as are the possibilities with Wi-Fi capabilities, automatic syncing, and on-screen photo editing. There’s a lot that Apple could do with a concept like this – and why not? They’d profit off of fanboys who buy anything produced by Apple regardless of whether or not they really need it, so I’d say it’s a safe venture. Plus, they should start an Apple clothing line before I have to EVER go back into Abercrombie and have my brains blown out by their loud alternative music.

If you were able to take a pinch of happiness from this geeky concept, you’ll want to check out other cool concepts like the Apple Hairband Headphone Concept and the Off Door Handle Concept.

Contributor Jack Kieffer owns Cool Gizmo Toys, a blog that rants about random geeky products.

Perhaps if the iDesk is ever produced, it will be more affordable than Surface, but I have my doubts. Regardless, operating a multitouch display desk like this sounds pretty sweet, since it would be capable of not only running apps of its own, but providing you with virtual input devices for your laptop and mobile devices, including keyboards and touch-input surfaces.

Will Apple ever make something like the iDesk? There are certainly rumors that the next version of the iMac might have a touchscreen, but that’s not been confirmed. If they do, maybe they’ll be able to scale touchscreens successfully larger screens in time, and eventually drive the prices down to make something like this affordable. For now. We just get to look at a pretty concept.

[via MacLife]

I certainly don’t blame students for jumping on and trying it out. If I could have used digital books rather than carry a bag stuffed with 60 pounds of textbooks in college I certainly would have.

We do have to take that download count with a grain of salt though. Apple has been offering a free download textbook called E.O. Wilson’s Life on Earth, and there is no indication of how many times that free title was downloaded. There is a chance that the free textbook might make up a significant number of those downloads. Still, it shows an interest in the app’s updated interactive and note-taking features.

In the same three-day period, there were 90,000 downloads of the iBooks Author app that lets people make free textbooks themselves, so that’s a good sign for an increased volume of publications hitting the shelves.

[via AllThingsD]

The answer was… it didn’t take long. Apple apparently sent the company a nice “we will sue you into ten generations of poverty if you make this collectible figure” letter. In Icons has now announced that it will not sell the action figure after receiving the legal letters from Apple and the Jobs family.

The man behind the action figure company still thinks he thinks he is not breaking the law to make the collectible figure and only made it as a tribute to Jobs. However, he says that he has decided to cancel plans to make the action figure to consider the feelings of the Jobs family. Anyone who pre-ordered the figure will receive a refund.

[In Icons via PC World]

The Legacy case was designed by Maxime de Keiser of Les Forges MDK. The design is supposed to be a tribute to the original Mac 128K computer – minus the brick-shaped mouse, black and white screen and 3.5″ floppy drive.

While I like what they’ve done, I wonder if they’ll be able to produce it. If they do, it will probably be quite popular. Would you make your iPhone look like this?

[via Highsnobiety]

You can ask Siri to send a message for you, call a contact, set reminders on your calendar, locate a certain place that you might want to go to, or even ask random questions so it can find the answers for you. The latter was what 12-year-old Charlie Le Quesne was up to, when he received quite a shocking and expletive-filled response.

In response to Charlie’s question “How many people are there in the world?”, Siri responded with the answer, followed by: “Shut the f**k up, ugly tw*t.” But this was no fault of Apple’s.

Rather, it was the work of mischievous pranksters who had tinkered around with the displayed iPhone 4S at a Tesco branch in Coventry and re-programmed the phone’s name to the seven-word phrase.

Charlie’s horrified mother, Kim, told press: “I thought I must be hearing things, so we asked again and the same four-letter stuff blared out.” They complained to store staff, who agreed to unplug the phone and remove it from their display.

A Tesco spokesperson said that they were conducting an investigation into the matter, and stated: “The handset will be going back to Apple for diagnostic tests.”

[via Daily Mail]

The OS X version has everything the iOS version has, just on a bigger screen. You get a 16 car grid, Quick Race and Career modes, 15 racing tracks and over 30 officially licensed cars. There’s the 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500, 2010 Nissan GT-R (R35), and 2012 McLaren MP4-12C to name a few.

You can get Real Racing 2 for OS X now from the Mac App Store (for just $12 more than the nearly identical iPad version). Also, be aware that it is a 711MB download, so just be patient Speed Racer.

[via Ubergizmo]

The cool part is if you have one of these 1G nanos lying around that doesn’t work – or perhaps that you never use, you can get a free exchange. That means if you have have that original nano (made between Sept. 2005 and Dec. 2006) tossed in your sock drawer you can dig it out and return it. The reason is that Apple is replacing those old and tired nanos with the new hotness that is the 6G nano. It’s not clear if the 6Gs are refurbs or not, but it’s still a great deal.

Just fill out this form and follow the directions to send your old nano in and a new (likely refurb) 6G nano will come your way in about six weeks. That means you can get yourself one of those uber-geeky nano watchbands and have yourself a ball gazing at the free upgrade Apple gave you for Christmas.

[via Macrumors]

Measuring in at just 5.51″(W) x 4.13″(H) x .59″(D), this makeup mirror looks very much like a real iPad 2, except that the back is white instead of aluminum. The front of the iPad even slides off and turns into a dock to stand up the iPad mirror, but alas, there’s no sub-compact Bluetooth keyboard to go with.

So if any of you Apple fans out there feel the need to check yourself (before you wreck yourself,) you can get the tiny iPad 2 makeup mirror over at Focalprice for about $7 (USD).

Apparently, the new iOS update doesn’t encrypt the system files that are needed for Siri to work. The fact that those files are unencrypted means you can access them and port Siri much more easily than you could previously. Earlier builds required complex decryption algorithms which required a frequently changed key to avoid detection.

This is great news for the hacker community that can now work on ports without as much difficulty. It’s not clear if Apple has intentionally left the files unencrypted, or if this is just a temporary change in iOS 5.0.1.

[via CultofMac]

The pilots can now take their charts with them and replace those old paper charts with the digital ones stored the iPad. Weight savings is a big deal for airlines and the paper charts the iPad replaces weight in at 35 pounds. The iPad is only 1.5 pounds, and can be updated with more current data than paper charts.

That seemingly small weight savings is worth $1.2 million per year in fuel, according to seattlepi. The iPad will take off this Friday on American Airlines flights. The iPads will be used first on the Boeing 777 aircraft and will be electronic chart and digital flight manual readers.

These findings basically mean that there is no reason at all for them to force you (or Alec Baldwin) to turn off an iPad while sitting on the runway.

[via ZDNet]

These headphones were designed by Sang Hoon Lee, and they have a sleek aluminum finish, much like that found on the latest iMac and MacBook. The volume controls are hidden inside of the glowing Apple logo. I bet Apple fanboys and fangirls will go nuts over them if they’re ever produced.

Ultimately, they’ll need to insulate sound as well, so I wonder what Lee will think of to solve that issue. Regardless of their acoustic qualities, they’re certainly more stylish than many other headphones I’ve seen.

[via Yanko Design]

This 18″x24″ wall poster includes some of the best and worst moments in the history of Apple, ranging from the original Apple II to the Mac to the systems of Apple’s “dark” period, like the Quadras, Performas, eMate 300 and the hideous first-gen iBook. You know, the one that looked like a toilet seat.

While the chart seems fairly comprehensive from 1983 through 2011 – all the way up to the iPhone 4S, you won’t find Apple’s XServw line, some of the special educational models, or the earliest Apple models like the Apple I, Apple II and II+. I wonder why they chose to skip those. I’m a bit of a completionist, so would like to have seen EVERY Apple system ever. Except for those awful 3rd party clones from the likes of Power Computing, Motorola and UMAX. I’d rather forget that era.

Regardless, it’s still a pretty cool bit of chart-art for Apple fanatics. Each poster is signed and numbered by the artists, from this limited second-edition of just 1000 prints. I you’d like one for your wall, you can order it from Brooklyn’s Pop Chart Labs for $25(USD).

Other than the ugly logo for HOMADE, the company that makes the thing, it’s a dead ringer for the old Macintosh 128k model which took the world by storm back in 1984. It’s even got a 3.5″ floppy stuck in the disk drive. Just don’t try and use a paperclip to get it out, unless you want to scratch the back of your iPad. The case fits around the backside of your iPad 2, and has cutouts so your Smart Cover, camera and speaker still work.

I only wish that it came with an app that let you run original Macintosh apps on your iPad. I think it would be fun to play with MacPaint, and watch some flying toasters drift by on the screen in between rounds of Dark Castle and working on a Hypercard deck using that awesome San Francisco font.

If you’d like to convert your fancy new iPad 2 into an old Macintosh, head on over to USB Fever, where you can grab this cover for $36.99 (USD). If it weren’t for that stupid logo, it would be perfect. I think I’d buy one of those old rainbow Apple stickers to cover it up.

A company in China has had the iPad trademark since 2000. The company is called Proview Technologies and it actually sold the rights to iPad to another firm for the UK and other countries. That company then sold it to Apple. The problem was that apparently Chinese rights weren’t part of the original sale.

That means that Apple has been peddling the iPad in violation of the trademark in China for a while now. China is booming and important to most tech firms so Apple can’t just walk away. Proview is apparently looking for (imagine Dr. Evil as you read this next part) a billion dollars. Will Apple have to change its tablet’s name in China or pay up big time? That remains to be seen.

[via Reuters]

Really, this is a cool toy for the adults, who will allow the kids to play with it from time-to-time. Sure it looks all clean and awesome now. but once you give it to your little ankle-weight, it will soon be covered in drool and snot, and that beautiful wood will be all dinged and dented up with toothmarks. Kids. This is why we can’t have anything nice.

The IPHDAVAD essentially combines Apple’s Camera Connection Kit and digital AV out, except it doesn’t have an SD slot and has an analog AV out, cables included. Speaking of cables, the adapter also comes with a mini-USB-to-USB cable, so you can charge and sync your iOS device while you’re playing video or transferring media.

The IPHDAVAD seems to be limited to Japan as of now; JTT is selling it on their website (JP) for ¥4930 (~$63 USD). That’s not a bad price considering its features. Hopefully it’ll be available internationally, and with a better name.

[via Akihabara News]