Panic's Status Board for iPad has been available for only a couple days, and already ingenious coders are coming up with cool custom widgets to make this great app even more useful. You can check out some of the Status Board add-ons that are already available all in one place thanks to the Status Board App Info website, and thier list is quickly growing. The site includes links to widgets that show the schedule status for Sa Francisco's BART system, link to your Nest Thermostat, and even an Apple stock monitor designed by The MacCast's Adam Christianson. Of course, you'll need Status Board on your iPad to take advantage of these add-ons, but you already knew that.

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Apple has agreed to pay $53 million to settle a class action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court involving iPhone and iPod touch warranties, according to a new report. The settlement, which has yet to be filed, will pay cash to iPhone and iPod touch customers denied repair or…

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, discussed Apple's Messages service and why the government isn't able to eavesdrop on our conversations -- at least not yet -- on this week's We Have Communicators.

BiteMyApple.co announced on Thursday the release of the Tiltpod, a Kickstarter funded project. Tiltpod is a stand for your iPhone that's small enough to keep on your keychain. Think insta-stand for taking photographs pretty much anywhere. It rotates, pivots, and tilts, all through a magnetic ball. It holds your iPhone through a quick-connect release, too.  Pretty cool, eh? It's $14.99 for the iPhone 4 and 4S. $29.99 gets one designed for the iPhone 5, including a case.

John Kirk took a look at Android numbers from IDC and a new approach to measuring Android activations by Google.  Neither data set was found to be satisfactory, and Mr. Kirk's opinion is that Google’s New Android Math Doesn’t Add Up. He also called for firms like IDC to stop counting all Android sales as "Android" sales, and instead to count only those sales that contribute to the platform as a whole, and to divide out Android variants in China, Kindle Fire sales, and perhaps even Android devices running Facebook Home. It's a very good read.

U.S. District Judge Robert Scola said in an order that neither Apple nor Google’s Motorola Mobility unit have any interest in resolving their ongoing patent litigation, instead using the lawsuits as business strategy. “The parties have no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute; they instead are using this…

Apple has found a way to boost sales of the iPhone in India, a market where Apple's smartphone has languished with minimal success. The Times of India reported that Apple initiated a smartphone buyback promotion for the iPhone 4, and that sales of the entry level model have tripled. Bryan Chaffin pokes his nose in the development.

Google Inc.‘s Chrome (free) app has updated to version 26.0.1410.50. Google’s browser for iOS now allows users to access fullscreen browsing for iPhone and iPod touch — the toolbar can be scrolled off the screen to view a full page of content on the devices. Printing has also been…

A job listing on Apple’s website specifically mentions flexible displays, indicating the company has at least some interest in the technology. The listing, for a Sr. Optical Engineer, notes in its summary that “Apple Inc. is looking for a Display Specialist to lead the investigation on emerging display technologies…

When using the ellipsis button (...) in Workgroup Manager to browse and add computers to a computer group, all computers on the local network may not appear in the list.

Apple has refused to carry a comic, Saga #12, on app-based platforms due to gay sex scenes, according to a report. The comic’s writer, Brian K. Vaughan, said in a press release, “Unfortunately, because of two postage stamp-sized images of gay sex, Apple is banning tomorrow’s SAGA #12 from being…

Adding lenses to your iPhone for for photo effects isn't a new idea, but building them into a case so they're always available just might be. AppBanc is hoping to raise the funds for just such a case on Kickstarter, and they say it "rivals the performance of a 200mm camera." It includes macro, wide angle, cameo, and polarized lenses you switch out with the flick of a finger, and the company's own eZoom app that offers what they call lossless digital zooming. They're working towards a US$50,000 goal, and pledges start at just $1.

Apple has paid about $10 million to license patents from ACCESS, including patents related to Palm, Bell Communications Research and Geoworks. Japan’s ACCESS owns the company formerly known as PalmSource. The move was likely done to aid Apple in patent litigation moving forward. Interestingly, Steve Jobs once threatened to…

Prior to T-Mobile’s upcoming Friday launch of the iPhone 5 on its network, the carrier has announced a trade-in deal for iPhone 4/4S users. Qualified customers trading in an iPhone 4 or 4S can get the iPhone 5 for $0 down. A credit of up to $120 may also…

Apple and Yahoo have been discussing the possibility of Yahoo’s services playing a greater role on iPhone and iPad, according to a new report. The companies are discussing deals that could push more content from Yahoo News and more onto Apple devices — possibly through “an expanded Siri partnership.” Currently,…

Apple has licensed several patents from Access in a US$10 million deal that includes technologies from Palm, Bell Communications Research, and Geoworks. The deal will likely help Apple shore up its mobile device patent portfolio and avoid at least some potential legal fights over infringement claims.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Spending $10 million on patent licenses is small change for Apple, and considering this could help prevent some lawsuits is money well spent.

Panic released a new app on Wednesday called Status Board that turns your iPad into, well, a status board showing your schedule, news, projects, messages, and more. It's configurable so it can show just the information you want, can build graphs and tables from the data you provide, and it supports HMDI and AirPlay for showing your Status Board on an HDTV. It's available through Apple's App Store for US$9.99, and looks great.

Starbucks announced a change to its iTunes Pick of the Week program on Tuesday that pushes customers to the company's mobile app for free downloads, which had some people thinking the cards they're used to seeing next to the cash register were going away, and soon. Turns out that's not the case, and what Starbucks is really doing is giving away even more free iTunes content every week.

iPad owners know where the FaceTime app is. So where is it on the iPhone?  The answers is: well, there isn't one. But you can, of course, still make FaceTime calls.  John Martellaro explains.

Scottevest's Tropiformer is a water-resistant jacket with pockets for all your electronic gadgets, including your sonic Screwdriver, your Communicator, your portable Bluetooth speaker, a copy of the Hobbit, your iPhone...there's even a pocket big enough for your iPad, and that's a real iPad, not an iPad mini. Check out the video below. Come on, that's cool! It was made for ThinkGeek, and it's priced at US$149.99.

HBO GO (free) from Home Box Office, Inc. has been updated to version 2.1. The app, which lets HBO subscribers stream episodes on mobile devices, now features AirPlay multitasking capability. Now users can stream HBO video to AirPlay while continuing to use other apps on their iPad, iPhone, or…

BlackBerry, formerly Research in Motion, is shutting down its online music subscription service, which is bad news for its subscribers, but is also big news in that -- wait, BlackBerry still had a music service?

Have a couple printers you'd like to get more use out of, or maybe you don't want to have to ask which printer is available? No problem. Just make your own printer pool from your Mac.

Former Apple retailing VP Ron Johnson has been fired from JC Penney, the company he left Apple for in 2011. Mr. Johnson had been hired to turn JC Penney around, and he promised to reinvent the shopping experience. Customers were slow to embrace change, and sales, profits and JC Penney's stock all fell during Mr. Johnson's tenure.

Apple has removed AppGratis, a popular deal and discovery app, from the App Store for violating two clauses in Apple’s App Store review guidelines. According to a new report, Apple has confirmed the app violated clause 2.25, “Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in…

Today, iLounge is introducing Rumor + Speculation Roundups — a new section of the site to keep readers updated on rumored Apple devices. Each page is designed to help readers quickly canvas all the major credible rumors and speculation concerning a specific upcoming Apple product, such as the iPhone 5S…

Avid has announced the launch of Fast Track Solo ($179) and Fast Track Duo ($299), two new portable audio interfaces compatible with iPad. Both interfaces feature a metal chassis, a Bus-powered USB port, and the ability to capture two sources simultaneously at 24-bit, 48 kHz resolution. …

The US Patent and Trademark Office has withdrawn its recent refusal to Apple’s trademark application for the term “iPad mini.” A suggested disclaimer within the USPTO’s new office action now notes “mini” cannot be claimed as an exclusive Apple term, and can only be used in conjunction with…

Following T-Mobile's announcement that it will start offering Apple's iPhone on April 12 without contracts, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said his company could consider doing the same. He said changing to T-Mobile's no contract and no subsidy pricing model wouldn't be difficult, but the carrier is waiting to see how consumers respond.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Waiting to see how consumers respond is really code for "if lots of customers leave us for T-Mobile."

The latest edition of iLounge Weekly, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, will be arriving in subscribers’ inboxes early next week. iLounge Weekly is a summary of the week’s best news, reviews, and feature articles we’ve published, and it also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies.…

Facebook continues to fascinate us with its ability to tap into the psychological mechanisms of human beings, the need for a human connection and the need to share -- even if what's shared is not so great.  FaceBook Home has refined that technique such that it has transitioned from worrisome to treacherous.

Apple’s loss to VirnetX for infringing VPN patents has caused the Cupertino company to change the way VPN On Demand connects in iOS. In a support article on Apple’s website, the VirnetX lawsuit is specifically mentioned as the reason VPN On Demand configured to “always” will now behave…

Apple TV can learn how to be controlled by third-party infrared remotes.

Apple has apparently made some headway with record labels and is close to swinging a deal that would let it launch an iTunes-based streaming music service. The alleged deals are enticing to at least two of the labels because they would also include an easy way for listeners to purchase the songs they stream directly from the iTunes Store.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Streaming music looks seems to be the missing piece in Apple's iTunes lineup right now. Maybe it's time for the company to take on Pandora and Spotify.

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, dove into the new Facebook Home smartphone interface on this week's We Have Communicators podcast. The crew was also joined by a special guest from NASA -- an actual rocket scientist.

On March 28th, online reports claimed that Facebook would launch a Facebook smartphone on Thursday (today). That didn't happen, but the source of the rumor was the HTC First, a sort of dedicated Facebook smartphone made with cooperation from AT&T. Bryan Chaffin takes a look.

A newly published patent filing reveals possible Apple plans for a hybrid notebook/tablet computer, according to a report. The invention could involve a keyboard-laden base and removable display — two components that could communicate wirelessly. Also noted as a possibility is the ability to transfer power wirelessly, perhaps through coils…

Apple’s iMessage uses encryption that prevents police surveillance, according to an internal Drug Enforcement Administration document allegedly seen by CNET. The document notes “it is impossible to intercept iMessages between two Apple devices,” even with a court order, due to the secure end-to-end encryption. Apparently, the DEA realized full…

The Cloak, a rucksack-style backpack, is part of the Tribute line from Hex. It is big, water resistant, secure and attractive.  It can hold up to a 15-inch MacBook Pro with accessories and is made of durable corduroy. Did we mention big?

Algoriddim’s djay for iPhone app ($1) — our 2012 pick for iPhone/iPad App of the Year — has updated to version 1.6.4 with an array of new upgrades. Most notably, the app has added Audiobus support, allowing users to stream live audio to any other Audiobus-compatible apps. The app…

We have robotic rovers driving around Mars and sending back spectacular images and data right now, but how far away is the little red planet from Earth? At its closest recorded distance, Mars was 56 million KM away, which in galactic terms is nearly nothing. In human terms, however, that's pretty hard to visualize which makes the How Far Is It to Mars website pretty awesome. It gives you a scale representation of the distance between Earth and Mars plus some extra details on your simulated journey between the two planets without requiring you to climb aboard a spaceship. Plus, it's amazingly cool.

In OS X Lion or Mountain Lion, if the user who is currently logged in changes their full name in the Users & Group pane of System Preferences and the system is configured to require a password after sleep or after the screen saver begins, the user's password may not be accepted when waking the Mac from sleep or exiting the screen saver.

After several months without any news from Lodsys, the patent holding company is back with a fresh round of lawsuits targeting the likes of The Walt Disney Company, and PCalc maker TLA Systems. Lodsys gained notoriety for its legal threats and lawsuits targeting small iOS and Android OS developers demanding licensing fees for using in-app purchase mechanisms.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Apple pays to license the in-app purchase patents, and Lodsys wants developers to pay additional licensing fees. The company's litigation as a business model is bad news for app developers, and if Lodsys should somehow manage to win its infringement fight you can bet other patent holding companies will line up to strongarm developers out of even more money.

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In a Branch thread stemming from discussion of an iPhone production report, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber wrote that he’s heard that iOS 7 is “running behind,” and engineers have been moved off OS X 10.9 to work on the newest iOS. According to The Wall Street Journal,…

Seeing where you are from space is always cool, and Satellite Eyes lets you do that any time you like from your Mac's desktop. This app shows the satellite view of your current location as your desktop image, spans images across multiple monitors, lets you choose from several different image styles, apply filters, and uses Location Services to update your desktop image so it always shows the view from where you are. As if that isn't enough, it's also free to download.

Apple has been sued for infringing on a trademark with its EarPods headphones. Randolph Divisions, makers of the HearPod digital hearing aid, have filed suit against Apple in Honolulu court. Randolph Divisions registerd the “HearPod” trademark in 2007. Apple’s EarPods with Remote and Mic first shipped in early…

Creatorverse (free), the inventive, open-ended game app from Linden Research, has become free after updating to version 1.2. The app is optimized for iPad, and includes basic creation tools that allow users to invent complex objects such as basic machines, then set their inventions in motion with a physics…

Following its joint announcement with Apple regarding official support for iPhones, T-Mobile will be sending out a carrier software update on April 5 to enable unlocked original iPhone 5 units to access T-Mobile’s LTE network, as well as previously authorized carrier-limited features such as Visual Voicemail. A report…

Apple plans to start production of a new iPhone in this year’s second quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Journal confirms that the new iPhone—likely the iPhone 5S—is “similar in size and shape to its current (iPhone).” A summer launch is noted as possible, which would match…

Apple CEO Tim Cook’s apology and warranty improvements for Chinese customers has earned praise from China’s state-controlled media. Although it was recently criticized by the Chinese media in what appeared to be a coordinated campaign, Apple is now “worth respect compared with other American companies,” according to the Global…

AT&T confirmed it plans to roll out HD Voice support on its cell networks before the end of 2013, giving subscribers with compatible phones -- which includes the iPhone 5 -- substantially better audio quality on calls. The news follows T-Mobile's announcement that it will officially start carrying the iPhone on April 12, and that it will include HD Voice support on launch day.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Thanks for finally committing to HD Voice, AT&T. And thanks for being the catalyst to get more carriers to commit, T-Mobile.

Apple has announced on its investor page that it will release its second quarter 2013 financial results at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 23. During the financial quarter, the company released a 128GB version of its fourth-generation iPad, and also released Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of the…

Apple has taken a Chinese approach in handling criticism from the Chinese government over the company's warranty policies by apologizing. In a statement posted to Apple.cn, Apple not only apologized for its warranties, the company apologized for doing a bad job of communicating with consumers and the public and promised change. Bryan Chaffin says that Apple took a Chinese approach to its Chinese problem.

Earlier today, IDG announced that Macworld/iWorld will take place in March next year, at the end of March at that. My first thought was, man oh man, thank goodness. A later date will make Macworld easier to cover and more relevant as a trade show. My second thought was LOL@CES HAHAHAHA!!!

Elroy is a magnetic Bluetooth docking station for earbuds. What exactly does that mean? It means you can have earbuds with a cord that's 1/3 the length of a normal pair of earbuds because they connect to your device via Bluetooth. You can also look at it as marrying the sound quality of an earbud with the convenience of Bluetooth, all without being a Bluetool™. Elroy is currently a Kickstarter project that blew by its initial funding goal of $30,000 and is closing in on $100,000.

Those waiting for ZooGue to release a version of its Genius iPad case for the iPad mini can relax, because it is here and the wait was worth it. Hand-made from genuine leather, it features a magnetic closure for sleep/wake, a microfiber interior and a full-range of tilt angles using Velcro.

Home Sharing in iTunes is designed to let you easily share your iTunes media libraries between up to five computers in your household. You can also use Home Sharing to play your iTunes content on your iOS devices and Apple TV (2nd generation) if they are connected to your home Wi-Fi network.

Soundfreaq has announced Boom Freaq ($350), a special edition of its Sound Stack speaker. Boom Freaq is a Bluetooth wireless speaker that can dock either Dock Connector or Lightning devices — a 30-pin dock is built-in, and a Lightning adapter is now also included. Like other iterations of…

With the new Doctor Who season back in full swing and the show's 50th anniversary coming up in November, it's a good time to bone up on your Who history, and The Guardian has a great timeline to help you do just that. The graphic timeline includes every episode covering all 11 incarnations of the Doctor from the classic series and the reboot, plus every companion and villan, along with some show trivia, too. It's cool, easy to read, and waiting for you to download.

Considering the date, you'd think news that Apple was denied a trademark for "iPad mini" was an April Fools Day joke, but it isn't. The US Patent and Trademark Office refused to grant Apple the trademark calling the name "merely descriptive," implying it doesn't identify a specific product.

Apple is “pushing hard” for a summertime launch of its anticipated streaming music service, according to a new report. The company has allegedly made “significant progress” in talks with two of the top record labels: Universal and Warner. A source is claimed to have said, “iRadio is coming. There’s no…

In this week's Particle Debris, John Martellaro looks at two very critical articles about Apple's data services.  These are substantive articles that highlight what we've been suspecting all along. The good news is that this may be a giant opportunity for Tim Cook lay down the gauntlet and make his mark on Apple.
 

The government of China continued its campaign against Apple Inc. on Friday, as a government-owned animation studio sued the company. According to South China Morning Post, Shanghai Animation Film Studio is accusing Apple of selling its movies on iTunes without the legal permission to do so. Bryan Chaffin looks at the issues.

The compact Braven 570 speaker allows you to use Bluetooth to wirelessly stream music from your phone. It also allows you to use it as a speaker and noise canceling microphone for voice conversations. Finally, it can recharge your phone or MP3 player.

OmniFocus is a great tool for keeping track of your tasks, and on the Mac it's easy to take an email and turn it into a to-do. On the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, however, there hasn't been an easy way to do that -- until the clever team at The Omni Group figured out how to use their own Omni Sync Server to make that happen.

Apple has apparently hired Paul Wright away from Omnicom Media Group to head up its iAd in-app advertising program in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Omnicom is known for its advertising and marketing programs and Mr. Wright has been the company's chief digital director.

The Mac Observer Spin:
So apparently Apple hasn't forgotten about iAd. Good luck, Mr. Wright.

Apple is in the process of enduring a government-orchestrated PR campaign against the company, accusing Apple of ripping off Chinese consumers. Bryan Chaffin looks at the issues and thinks that Apple is finding itself in a curious position.

The HTC One earned a 1 out of 10 Repairability Score from iFixIt on Friday, the first time a device earned such a score. Will that result in legions of Apple critics leveling their wrath on HTC? Don't count on it.

Learn about the Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.8 update, as well as earlier Final Cut Pro version 10 updates.

Motion 5.0.7 is an update to Motion 5. This update is recommended for all users of Motion 5.

Apple is ramping up for a big push to draw professional video editors back to Final Cut Pro editors during the National Association of Broadcasters convention in April. The company drew criticism after giving Final Cut Pro a major overhaul in 2011 for dropped features and compatibility professionals considered critical.

The Mac Observer Spin:
It's good to see Apple actively working to rebuild the Final Cut Pro user base, but the company has a long road ahead of it thanks the the negative sentiment pro users felt when the hobbled FCPX first shipped.

A new report surfaced Wednesday claiming that Apple is cutting its iPad mini orders from 12 million units down to 10 million for the second quarter. Regardless of whether or not the company is scaling back shipments, it's not time to freak out yet.

Oh man, this is bloody genius! The Somersby Cider Company has released a commercial that spoofs Apple's retail stores, and it's totally awesome. The company set up "Somersby Store" that looks like an Apple Store. It features tables of apples and apple cider, complete with people queued up, store employees to greet them, a Genius Bar, and more. Customer holds up a glass of cider and asks, "Is it wireless?" Employee waves his arm around the glass, and says,  "Yeah yeah yeah, completely wireless." It's funny, and if you're wondering, it's respectful of the Apple Store experience, rather than mocking. Oh heck, watch it for yourself!

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When using Audiobus to record in GarageBand from an Audiobus-enabled application, in some situations the audio may become distorted after connecting a multichannel audio interface.

iCloud is meant to “just work,” but a recent report from The Verge suggests that many third-party developers believe otherwise. A number of developers are cited, noting that Apple hasn’t improved the way iCloud syncs with databases, also known as Core Data. The issues have caused developers to write…

Apple is facing a lawsuit from a Shanghai company over an alleged patent infringement for use of Siri, according to a report. Shanghai Zhi Zhen Internet Technology Co Ltd is suing Apple, claiming Siri infringes on its patent for Xiaoi, a “chat robot system” — the patent went into effect…

NASA has a new interactive exhibit at its Kennedy Space Center thanks to a collaboration with the Angry Birds developers. Just to be clear: Angry Birds Space, interactive exhibits, and the Kennedy Space Center. Of course, it's ultimately about education and getting kids interested in the space program, but it's also Angry Birds in space, rockets, physics, astronauts, and a giant bucket of awesome.

Rumors claiming Apple is planning on releasing its own high definition television have been circulating for some time, and even some analysts have predicting more than once that the mythical device is just around the corner. Now a report is out claiming yet again that Apple is working on a television, but now they say the display will be the new super high resolution 4K, or Ultra HD.

When's the last time you played Ambrosia's Maelstrom? That's too long, and we are cruel enough to point out that you can fix that right now. This classic Mac OS Asteroids take was all the rage back in the day, and if you're looking for some old-school kicks, it's still a ton of fun. It was released under a GPL license some time ago, and from there it was ported OS X, Linux, BeOS, and Windows. We found that that the OS X download ran under Mountain Lion just fine. All of which means that you can once again while away a few hours, days, or weeks of your life. You're welcome.

Learn how to migrate Wiki data from a Lion Server to an OS X Server.

Parents of young children have a love-hate affair with the Canadian kids’ cartoon Caillou, featuring a relatable four-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister Rosie. While Caillou cartoons nicely touch upon common childhood themes, including role-playing, exploration, and parent-child interactions, the title character whines and pouts frequently enough to teach impressionable…

Apple has confirmed that it will begin sell a new version of its A1428 iPhone 5 model in order to support additional Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) bands for T-Mobile’s network, according to a report. Current iPhone 5 users will not be able to gain the new AWS support via any…

T-Mobile has announced it will sell the iPhone 5 starting on April 12, 2013. It will be the first U.S. carrier to offer nationwide support for HD Voice—for improved iPhone 5 phone call quality—and will offer a single budget-priced plan with tethering included, plus unlimited 4G data as an…

Logitech has announced its Keyboard Folio ($100) and Keyboard Folio mini ($90) for the iPad and iPad mini, respectively. Both folio-style keyboard cases offer magnets for secure closure and use of the iPad’s sleep/wake function. The full-sized Keyboard Folio offers a Bluetooth keyboard with full-sized keys and iPad shortcuts…

Apple includes multitouch gesture support for the built-in trackpads on its MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineup, as well as the Magic Trackpad. With the long list of gestures OS X supports, it can be hard to figure them out. That is, until you know that Apple hid away a nice set of gesture tutorials in the System Preferences app.

At the maximum zoom level, "Snap to Grid" is unavailable in Tracks view in GarageBand 1.4 or later. 

The social networking service App.net is quickly gaining popularity and Kiwi is one of the many apps you can use on your Mac to share your thoughts with other App.net subscribers. If you want to get your Kiwi action on outside of the app, you're in luck because now there are several add-on services that let you use its features in other Mac apps, too. Joe Workman has a github repository with services for Safari, LaunchBar, Quicksilver, Alfred, PopClip, Dropzone, and OS X Services, too. They're free to use, so you won't even have to break out your credit card.