Apple is either tired of dealing with people jailbreaking their iPhones, or finally listening to customer demand as they are now offering it unlocked. Currently AT&T and Verizon are the only official providers of the iPhone in the U.S. but now any service that can produce a micro-SIM card will be able to use the phone. That means any phone service provider that doesn’t use GSM will not be able to use the iPhone 4.

Ideally this will appeal to people who travel internationally as roaming fees can be very expensive. By having an unlocked phone you can purchase an international micro-SIM card and avoid outrageous fees that limit you.

You will notice that the unlocked iPhone is more expensive at $649 for the 16GB version. According to Apple, “carriers typically subsidize the purchase price of the phone when purchased with a service contract. By purchasing your iPhone unlocked, you are not committing to a service contract up front, so you can use any micro-SIM card from a supported GSM carrier, including your current one.” The cost of the AT&T or Verizon 16GB iPhone costs $199, and the 32GB is $299.

More information from Apple.

• 13-inch. Starts at $1199.
• 15-inch. Starts at $1799.
• 17-inch. Starts at $2499.

Press Release

Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Next Generation Processors, Graphics & Thunderbolt I/O Technology

CUPERTINO, California-February 24, 2011-Apple® today updated the industry-leading MacBook® Pro family with next generation processors and graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime® HD camera. Featuring the very latest dual-core and quad-core Intel Core processors, the entire MacBook Pro line is up to twice as fast as the previous generation.*

“The new MacBook Pro brings next generation dual and quad Core processors, high performance graphics, Thunderbolt technology and FaceTime HD to the great design loved by our pro customers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro.”

Starting at $1,199 the new 13-inch MacBook Pro offers amazing value and performance in a compact design. The highly portable 13-inch MacBook Pro features Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors up to 2.7 GHz and Intel HD Graphics 3000. The powerful 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models feature quad-core Core i7 processors up to 2.3 GHz and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors with up to 1GB of video memory for high performance gaming, pro video editing and graphics intensive applications.

MacBook Pro is the first computer on the market to include the groundbreaking Thunderbolt I/O technology. Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, Thunderbolt enables expandability never before possible on a notebook computer. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, Thunderbolt delivers PCI Express directly to external high performance peripherals such as RAID arrays, and can support FireWire and USB consumer devices and Gigabit Ethernet networks via adapters. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Freely available for implementation on systems, cables and devices, Thunderbolt technology is expected to be widely adopted as a new standard for high performance I/O.

The MacBook Pro now includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera with triple the resolution of the previous generation for crisp, widescreen video calls. With Apple’s innovative FaceTime video calling software, the new camera allows high definition video calls between all new MacBook Pro models and supports standard resolution calls with other Intel-based Macs, iPhone® 4 and the current generation iPod touch®. FaceTime is included with all new MacBook Pro models and is available for other Intel-based Macs from the Mac® App Store℠ for 99 cents. The MacBook Pro lineup continues to feature its gorgeous aluminum unibody enclosure, glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad, LED-backlit widescreen display, illuminated full-size keyboard and 7-hour battery.**

As the industry’s greenest notebook lineup, every Mac notebook achieves EPEAT Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting the standard for environmentally friendly notebook design.*** Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed with recyclable materials.

Every Mac comes with Mac OS® X Snow Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife®, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for creating and sharing great photos, movies and music. Snow Leopard builds on more than a decade of innovation and includes multiple features for portable computing such as Multi-Touch navigation, advanced wireless networking, easy file sharing, automated data backup and intelligent power management. The new iLife ’11 features iPhoto® with stunning full screen views for browsing, editing and sharing photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use tools to transform home videos into fun theatrical trailers; and GarageBand® with new ways to improve your playing and create great sounding songs.

Pricing & Availability
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro and 17-inch MacBook Pro are available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two configurations: one with a 2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 320GB hard drive starting at $1,199; and one with a 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,499. The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in two models: one with a 2.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6490M and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,799 and one with a 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive starting at $2,199. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro features a 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive and is priced at $2,499.

Configure-to-order options include faster quad-core processors up to 2.3 GHz, additional hard drive capacity up to 750GB, solid state storage up to 512GB, more memory up to 8GB DDR3, antiglare and high-resolution display options and AppleCare® Protection Plan. Additional technical specifications and configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/macbookpro.

*Testing conducted by Apple in February 2011 using preproduction MacBook Pro configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbookpro/features.html.

**The new Wireless Web protocol testing was conducted by Apple in February 2011 using preproduction MacBook Pro configurations. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbookpro/features.html.

***EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visit www.epeat.net.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Yesterday Apple broke the news that an event will be held March 2, and today their invites have been sent out hinting at the unveiling of the iPad 2. The event title claiming this will be the official year of the tablet, which is quite likely as many companies have been slowly rolling out their new toys.

So what new features do you think will be coming to the iPad 2?

The most obvious answers would be a front facing camera, faster processor, more memory and possibly a USB port. Sadly the rumors about a new iPad without retina display have been substantial, so it’s likely you will have to wait for the iPad 3 (also rumored to be released in 2011).

The long awaited update in Apple operating systems has arrived, and it brings some much needed add-ons.

While iPad users were left in a lurch as multitasking was not available until today, they have now caught up with the iPhone 4.

The Skinny

1. AirPrint is a next-generation Wi-Fi print architecture that dramatically simplifies printing by completely eliminating printer drivers.
2. The Find My iPhone (or iPad or iPod touch) feature is now free to use without a MobileMe℠ subscription and helps you locate your missing device.
3. AirPlay is a new feature for streaming music, video and photos wirelessly from iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to Apple TV®, transforming Apple TV into a great accessory for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Press Release

Apple® today announced that iOS 4.2, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, is available today for download for iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch®. iOS 4.2 brings over 100 new features from iOS 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 to iPad including Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint.

“iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Once again, the iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit.”

iPad users can now run their favorite apps and switch between them instantly, while preserving iPad’s legendary battery life. Users can organize their apps with drag-and-drop simplicity using Folders, and Mail now features a Unified Inbox, fast inbox switching and a threaded message view.

Game Center allows iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users to challenge and play friends or be matched automatically with new opponents, showcase their scores and achievements, and discover new games their friends are playing.

AirPlay is a new feature for streaming music, video and photos wirelessly from iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to Apple TV®, transforming Apple TV into a great accessory for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iOS users also will be able to use AirPort Express® and AirPlay to stream wirelessly to any stereo or powered speakers, or directly to AirPlay-enabled speakers coming to market in the months ahead.

AirPrint is a next-generation Wi-Fi print architecture that dramatically simplifies printing by completely eliminating printer drivers. A selection of AirPrint enabled printers including the HP Photosmart, HP LaserJet Pro and HP Officejet will be the first to support printing direct from iOS devices. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly to any printer that supports AirPrint.

The Find My iPhone (or iPad or iPod touch) feature is now free to use without a MobileMe℠ subscription and helps you locate your missing device.* The Find My iPhone app is a free download on the App Store℠ and lets users easily locate a missing device on a map and have it display a message or play a sound. Users can even remotely lock or wipe data from a lost device to protect privacy.

Other new features that iOS 4.2 brings to the iPad include: the ability to rent TV episodes directly to iPad using the iTunes® App with a 30 day viewing window and a 48 hour session window once playback is started; the ability to easily find and highlight specific words and phrases on web pages in Safari®; enhanced enterprise support so businesses can take advantage of stronger security features, new device management capabilities and improved enterprise integration; industry-leading accessibility enhancements; and support for 25 additional languages, including Korean, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese.

The revolutionary iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. You can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, using the innovative Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad weighs just 1.5 pounds, making it easy to carry and use anywhere.

Today, customers have downloaded more than seven billion apps from the groundbreaking App Store and more than 300,000 apps are available to consumers in 90 countries, with more than 40,000 native iPad apps. Over 125 million iOS users around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Remember rumors of the iPhone coming to Verizon? It’s actually the iPad.

Verizon Wireless and Apple® today announced that iPad™ will be available at over 2,000 Verizon Wireless Stores nationwide beginning Thursday, October 28. Verizon Wireless will offer three bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, for a suggested retail price of $629.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 16GB + MiFi, $729.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 32GB + MiFi and $829.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 64GB + MiFi. Verizon Wireless is offering a monthly access plan to iPad customers of up to 1GB of data for just $20 a month. In addition, Verizon Wireless will also offer all three iPad Wi-Fi models on a stand-alone basis.

“iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before, and together with Verizon Wireless we’re offering an easy way to stay connected wherever you go.”

“This is the perfect pairing for holiday travels,” said John Stratton, chief operating officer for Verizon Wireless. “iPad together with the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G data network allows customers to easily connect on the go wherever they are.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Verizon Wireless to get iPad into the hands of even more customers this holiday season,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before, and together with Verizon Wireless we’re offering an easy way to stay connected wherever you go.”

iPad allows users to browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad Wi-Fi models are just 0.5 inches thick and weigh just 1.5 pounds—thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook—and deliver up to 10 hours of battery life.*

Apple’s App Store℠ offers iPad users access to the world’s largest catalog of apps with over 280,000 apps and more than 30,000 iPad specific apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. With Apple’s iBookstore℠, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device, iPad users have access to more than 100,000 books from major and independent publishers.

MiFi 2200 is small enough to fit in a pocket and allows customers to create a personal Wi-Fi cloud capable of sharing the high-speed Internet connectivity of the Verizon Wireless 3G Mobile Broadband network with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The MiFi 2200’s rechargeable battery provides up to four hours of active use and 40 hours of standby time on a single charge.

Customers can sign up for more information on Apple’s iPad together with Verizon Wireless’ MiFi 2200 at www.verizonwireless.com/iPad, at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store or by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Apple will be unveiling something new for the Mac, and no it’s not an iPhone for Verizon.

Although there is only speculation as to what Apple will unveil next Wednesday, October 20, it’s quite clear it will have to do with their operating system. The event titled, “Back to the Mac” displays a lion hidden behind their logo.

As the previous OS X is also known as Snow Leopard, it’s quite likely lion will be incorporated into the next name. The event will kick off at 1PM EST. You can follow along with Engadget’s live blogging, but we will attempt to see if there are any live video feeds as well.

So what do you think Apple’s next OS will be called?

Uncle Steve has decided to play nice, and is now allowing outside companies to use their development tools for iOS4.

According to the press release from Apple, developers will no longer be forced to use their API and tools. Vendors like Adobe and the UNREAL engine, will now be accepted in the terms of Apples review process. Additionally, the review process that seemed to be made up as they go, will finally be released to all developers. This is great news all around, and will hopefully bring around a consistent flow of quality apps.

Press Release

The App Store℠ has revolutionized the way mobile applications are developed and distributed. With over 250,000 apps and 6.5 billion downloads, the App Store has become the world’s largest mobile application platform and App Store developers have earned over one billion dollars from the sales of their apps.

We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year.

In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.

In addition, for the first time we are publishing the App Store Review Guidelines to help developers understand how we review submitted apps. We hope it will make us more transparent and help our developers create even more successful apps for the App Store.

The App Store is perhaps the most important milestone in the history of mobile software. Working together with our developers, we will continue to surprise and delight our users with innovative mobile apps.

Apple has sent out official notice of their latest press conference, scheduled for September first at 1 pm EST.

If the Apple graphic guitar mod isn’t hint enough, a large portion of the press conference will relate to music. More specifically iTunes, and the possible streaming music service, Lala.

Engadget will be reporting live from the event as usual, we will post a link to their streaming feed as the event nears.

The Rumor Mill

Apple TV for $99, with $1 TV show rentals.

Updated iPod with Retina Display (HD video) and dual cameras for FaceTime.

New iPhone and iPad models to work on CDMA networks (Verizon?).

Apple’s acquisition of Lala finally becoming something aside from just a purchased domain.

Apple is making good on their promise to provide free bumpers for the iPhone 4, and also offering third party cases.

Currently Apple has already started to roll out refunds for customers that have purchased iPhone 4 bumpers through the Apple store. Automatic refund notices will appear in those customers e-mails and it will be “processed in 3 – 5 business days.” They have also created a website to check the status of these refunds.

Apple has now contracted Incase, Belkin, Speck and Griffin to provide their cases. The black iPhone 4 Apple bumper is also available. Download the iPhone 4 Case Program App and register for your case. For customers who purchased the iPhone 4 bumper in store, you can fill out a rebate form to get your money back.

[Update]Some tipsters have e-mailed us with their confirmation dates. According to the e-mail the first batch will be received at the beginning of September.

Ships: Aug 27

Delivers: Sep 1

Another interesting observation can be noted that Apple is covering this PR nightmare straight out of the handbook. No apologies, not stating the cases are free (on the app) and there may be something in the Terms and Conditions that states you can no longer complain after getting the free case.

[Refund Status Check][iPhone 4 Case Program App][Rebate Form]

Apple may have already removed HandyLight from some countries, but for those lucky enough to download it, here’s how to set up the tethering.

Handy Light appeared to be a simply app that changes the screens colors. However, it actually held a rather genius boolean based easter egg that allows users to tether their data plan to a WIFI enabled device. We have confirmed that it works successfully on both Mac and PC systems. Apple has not yet remotely disabled the app, but there is a good chance that the system will be removed soon.

[Update] Apple has obviously removed the app, but supposedly you can download it still from AppCake. -Thanks to Reddit user EpicSun.

Please be advised, Play This and EFM do not condone participating in such activities and are not responsible if you ruin your computer, iPhone or network.

[Update] This form of tethering does not appear to work for the iPad.

Tethering the iPhone to a PC

1. In Windows 7 or XP, go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center
2. Select “Manage wireless networks”
3. Click “Add” and select “Create an ad hoc network”
4. Enter in a Network name (make up one), choose your “Security type” (No authentication (Open) if you don’t want to bother with a password, or WEP if you want to specify a password)
5. Connect the iPhone to the Ad Hoc network you created, assign it a static IP of 13.37.13.37 and Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
6. In Windows 7 or XP, go back to “Network and Sharing Center” and click on the active Ad Hoc connection to bring up the Wireless Network Connection Status window
7. Click on “Properties”, highlight “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and then click “Properties”
8. Select the “Alternate Configuration” tab and enter in an IP address of 13.37.13.38, Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0 and click OK. The address 13.37.13.37 should now be pingable from a command prompt.
9. Open Firefox and goto “Tools” and then “Options”
10. Select “Advanced” then “Network” and click on “Settings”
11. Select “Manual proxy configuration” and enter in, SOCKS Host: 13.37.13.37, SOCKS Port: 1337, select SOCKS v4 and click OK
12. In Firefox, type “about:config” in the address bar and click past the warning prompt
13. Scroll down to “network.proxy.socks_remote_dns” and change this value to TRUE by clicking on it.
14. Close Firefox
15. Open HandyLight on your iPhone and press Blue, Yellow then Red. Finally press the top right corner and it will turn purple.
16. Open Firefox again and you should now be able to browse

Tethering a Mac to the iPhone

In case you don’t want to watch the video, the instructions are as follows:

1. Set up an ad hoc Wi-Fi network on your computer (network name and password requirement are not important).
2. Connect to the Wi-Fi network you just created on your iPhone through the Settings/Wi-Fi menu.
3. Tap on the blue arrow to the right of the selected Wi-Fi network, click Static in the IP Address menu and enter the following IP address and chuckle at its geek quotient: 13.37.13.37
4. Next, enter 255.255.255.0 in the Subnet Mask field.
5. Back out of the Settings menu to ensure these settings are saved (though hitting the Home button right away shouldn’t change them).
6. Go to your Mac or PC and change the network settings to use the SOCKS Proxy and enter 13.37.13.37 as the Socks Proxy Server address and 1337 as the port. On our Mac laptop, this is what the resulting screen looks like: 
7. Be sure to apply/save these settings.
8. Go back to your iPhone and open the Handy Light app and tap the flashlight colors at the bottom in the following sequence: blue, yellow, red. Then tap the top right corner of the screen and the color should change to purple. Your iPhone is now capable of sharing its internet connection with the computer you set up.
9. Leave the app open and go to your computer and start browsing. As the video describes, we found that it took a few seconds for the connection to kick in but then it worked like a charm. Though many variables affect network speed tests, a quick test using Speedtest.net yielded 3.92 Mb/s down and 0.38 Mb/s up while tethered to our iPhone 4 through Handy Light.

[Mac Tethering information]