Apple finally has released the iOS4.0.1 for public use. It features a new and improved signal bar calculator, which enables accurate display of signal strength. There is absolutely no doubt that a lot of users will get iOS4.0.1 updated, knowingly or unknowingly.

Even if you have your iPod touch 2G or iPhone 3G updated to iOS4.0.1 there is nothing to worry about. You can still use Redsn0w beta 5 to jailbreak iOS4.0.1 and by using ultrasn0w 0.93 you can unlock it too. As we have been doing previously, we once more are back with a simple guide to jailbreak iOS4.0.1 on iPod touch 2G and iPhone 3G on Windows and Mac OS X. Here is the simple guide for the same

The first step is to download the iTunes 9.3. Then Download iOS4.0 for iPod Touch 2G and iPhone. After that download iOS4.0.1 for iPod Touch 2G and iPhone 3G. The last download is Redsn0w0.9.5 Beta5. The next step is to jailbreak iOS4.0.1 on iPod Touch 2G and iPhone 3G.

• Update iPod Touch 2G/ iPhone 3G 2G to iOS4.0.1 with the help of iTunes software update.
• Start Redsn0w0.9.5 Beta5 and press on browse to select the firmware iOS 4.0 for iPhone 3G.
• Press the Next button and Redsn0w0.9.5Beta 5  
• Click on “Install Cydia” and click Next  
• Power off your iPod Touch 2G /iPhone 3G and then connect it to computer and press the next button
• Put the iPhone on DFU mode
• Now wait until the jailbreak is complete

It is perhaps the most powerful converter software built so far and has several enhanced features that add value to its core function of converting. With this software you can convert all video files across almost all formats present in your computer and it is done automatically by the software. It converts RMVB, AVI, RM, MPG, SWF, MPEG, FLIC, ASF, FLV, WMV, AMR, MOV, 3GP etc videos to a format that is compatible with your iPod video, the mp4 format.

This software isn’t just the most powerful or cost effective; it is also perhaps the easiest converter software. In fact, it is so user friendly that it just takes a few clicks of the mouse to complete the process of converting video to iPod.  There isn’t a lot of work that you need to do with this software. It automatically identifies the hardware configuration of your computer and decides on the best conversion scheme.

Although the waiting time isn’t very long, you can thoroughly enjoy this period as you can see the entire conversion process. Another very useful feature is that in case you need to do some other work, you can pause the conversion without losing out on the converted part.

Magellan GPS recently introduced ToughCase, which has been designed to prevent outdoor elements from affecting the performance of iPod Touch or iPhone without hindering any inbuilt feature of the device.

This enclosed equipment is waterproofed as per IPX-7 standard and is capable of being under water up to a depth of one meter till 30 minutes. It features a mAH battery which enhances the battery life to almost double. The SiRFstar III chipet offers accuracy of up to 3 meters.

According to Justin Doucette, who heads the product marketing team at Magellan GPS, this device basically wraps the iPod and turns it to a manual navigator. The ToughCase has gone through several rounds of extensive tests before it has been launched in the market. Hence, Magellan GPS is confident that it will prove to be a great device in terms of performance.

The case of ToughCase is pretty strong. However, it doesn’t assure you that your phone won’t at all be hurt in case it takes a hit. The reason for this is that at Mallegan GPS they normally make very strong products but in case of consumer electronic devices, it is difficult to create the same.

However, when tested on iPhones it has been found that even when dropped from a great height it came out unscathed. But it advisable you don’t try it as the case itself might not be hurt but the phone might get hurt. Magellan is hopeful that the ToughCase will attract a lot of iPod and iPhone users and should be able to capture this market.

Facebook, the world largest social networking site has become one of the most sought after application in any networking device. Almost all new smartphones have the Facebook application in them, which off course is no big surprise considering Facebook’s popularity worldwide. But the fact that most companies keep on upgrading the app makes it an even bigger entity. The latest update has come from Apple, which has updated the existing Facebook application for its iPod touch and iPhone.

The Facebook application has received unprecedented popularity amongst all application and it more than obvious that it is receiving special attention from Apple. This latest and updated version has been numbered 3.1.3. This latest version has many additional features and also is designed in a way to fix many bugs. Some of the features that this latest version displays have been mentioned below:

• You can now watch videos posted in Facebook by your friends
• You will now have the freedom to view as well as write on walls of events
• The size of photographs that can be uploaded has been now increased to 720 pixels

Amongst the bugs that this latest app can fix are:

• It fixes the bug in the birthday update which came in a wrong order
• The inability to upload pictures of a certain size has been removed
• The news feed which has the problem of a broken photo album link has also been rectified

I hope that this application is soon extended to iPad as well. Anyway, this is a real value addition for the two Apple devices and it is expected to be received very well by the users.

The WWDC 2010 will see Apple release the iPhone OS 4.0, the third significant upgrade for iPhone and iPod Touch phones. The OS 4.0 features many new functions and the most significant of them all is that of multitasking, which will not be available in iPod Touch phones (1G/2G and 3G) and iPhone 3G. As far as iPhone 3G is concerned it is all but dead and OS 4.0 wouldn’t support it, not officially at least.

When OS 3.0 was released it wasn’t free of cost and if Apple does the same with OS 4.0 then this update wouldn’t be free of cost for iPod touch phone users. To update your iPod Touch you will have to shell out either $9.95 or $4.95 depending on your upgrade. It is totally unfair and is widely believed that this upgrade should have been for free. So, if you want this update and yet don’t want to pay for it, here are the ways to do it.

In order to upgrade iPod Touch phones to 4.0 OS for absolutely no cost you simply need to download latest iTune and install them. Then you will have to download iPhone OS 4.0 from the site, which is free to download. Connect the iPod Touch to a PC/Mac and start iTunes and there are a few more steps that you need to follow and you can enjoy OS 4.0 for free.

Well, I guess this comes as a relief for many who wanted this update and yet not wish to pay for it!

Apple, for the third year in running has started its promotional offer called back-to-school. They are offering discounts up to 199 US dollars for iPod touch or any other iPod which is bought along with a Mac. This offer is exclusively open for teachers, students, staff members and even parents. There will get discounts between the range of $79 and $199.

The maximum discount of $199 is equivalent to the price of Apple’s low-end iPod touch with 8GB memory. Apple also has phones which look pretty much like iPhone and are available for $299 and $399.

This promotion is primarily is repeat of the last two years refunds. In the first year Apple offered discounts up to $299 and last year the maximum discount offered was $229. The iPod touch is a highly successful phone and during the first quarter of this year its sales grew by 63% with regard to last year’s first quarter sales.

This robust growth of iPod touch has resulted in an overall increase in revenue of iPod by 12% which is by far the best performance in last two years. Although there are many who believe that the iPad will hamper the success story of iPod, Apple denies any such trends.

Apple has made it very clear that there was no impact on iPods sales after the launch of the iPad, but the thing is the iPads were made available in market in April and the results were for the first quarter. So, it isn’t very clear how the iPad will impact the market for iPod but Apple is optimistic about iPod.

Vietnam seems to be a hot destination of late as far as Apple products are concerned. The latest Apple product to arrive from Vietnam is the all new iPod touch. As we all would have guessed it comes with an integrated camera and although it is a continuation of the iPod nano (fifth generation), the quality is expected to be far more superior than that of the iPod nano. The reason for this is that they have used a sensor of 2-megapixel, whereas the nano has a sensor of 0.3 megapixel.

Reports suggest that this will be a 64 GB model and the manufacturing is still in the process by Foxconn. However, there is some ambiguity as to what exactly this model will be like. The serial number indicates that this is a third generation iPod and on the other hand the DVT-1 label suggests that it is some sort of prototype. It isn’t very clear right now as how this product would finally shape up. But we are hoping that there will be some clarity during the Developers conference by Apple in June. We are hopeful to see the fourth generation iPod touch sometime in the coming months.

Recently a brand new Macbook was reviewed and ironically it had not been launched yet but it was there in a Vietnamese website called Tinhte. This site has been regularly scooping Apple products and with such comprehensive reviews of Macbook, the iPhone 4G and this latest iPod it is definitely establishing itself as a front runner in this space. We will have to wait and see what is coming up next.

It’s not unreasonable to think that this is too good a deal to be true and there must be some flaws in it. But true to Apple’s reputation this iPod is a spectacular device and offers a variety of colors to choose from. And this is not all; there are some fantastic new features in it as well. The most prominent additions are the video and audio recorder, FM radio and an in built speaker.

Another very prominent change is in the size of the screen, which has been increased to 2.2 inches form the previous 2 inches and although a 0.2 inch does not sound like a big increase, it does give a great viewing experience. But my favorite new feature in this new iPod is the pedometer which keeps records of the calories burned and also uploads them in Nike+iPod website.

Incase you are using Apple’s refurbished products for the first time and are apprehensive about it, let me assure you that you will get almost a brand new experience. I must say this latest addition from Apple is a great buy and the price makes it an unbelievable offer.

The iPhone and the iPod touch are extremely smart and powerful devices but have some very basic shortcomings that could be very frustrating. Like a keyboard cannot be attached to it or you can’t directly print to Bluetooth or other USB connected printing devices.

However, there are ways of printing through the iPhone without connecting it to any other device. Though some of the iPhones can print photos only, it is acceptable as these machines are more suitable for taking screen shots. To print, you just need to press a button and the printing starts immediately. The same trick can be applied in taking prints of other things as well.

In spite of limitations, the print applications of iPhone and the iPod can be quite useful and fairly interesting too. There are three types of print applications-

Direct printing: This application enables you to print to an inkjet printer without the involvement of any computer. You just need to have a Wi-Fi connection and it is very simple to use, printing one photo in one time.

Shared printing: Shared printing, as the name suggests helps you print using a shared Wi-Fi network. You just need to connect the Mac and the iPhone to a Wi-Fi network and you are ready to print.

Helper Apps: In this application you need to install an additional helper to the Mac or a PC and you can print through the printer connected to these devices.

So, we can conclude the print applications in iPhones are pretty good, considering the complexities involved.

Scosche has come up with a beautiful charger called the ReviveLite II which is just about the size of an iPod charging brick. The design of this small charger is ingenious and very simple. It packs in an iPod holder without much trouble at all. Unlike the v1.0, it is small and beautiful. It also cost $10 lesser than v1.0. It can also cover two power outlets with the help of its side saddle shape.

The ReviveLite II charger also has night-light which is a beautiful glowing white LED placed in its mechanical mouth. Users can easily press a button to switch it off or on at their own convenience. The all new charger from Scosche has a dock connector as well which is single projecting tooth shelf. You can flip down the charger to find the dock connector. The company has also planned to put a USB port on the side of this charger which would help them to charge almost anything.

You do not have to worry either about the overload as you would get a warning in such situations. The flashing lamp is an indication that the charger has reached its loading limit. The charger has the size to house an iPhone and can also hide easily at the back of an iPod Nano. It also has an advantage over the Apple charger.

The Apple charger requires a cable which can be irritating to the users at times and also the ReviveLite II has extra features when you compare it with the charger from Apple. The charger also scores high as it is available at a price which is $25 cheaper than the Apple charger.