Daily Tip: How to set the camera flash as an LED indicator for new messages

Just switch over to iPhone from BlackBerry or Android and wondering how to get an LED notification for new messages? While it’s not quite the same things, with iOS 5 on the iPhone 4S or iPhone 4, you can take advantage of your camera flash as an indicator. If you find yourself missing messages due to not hearing the sounds, or would rather skip the noises and just see a light, check out a few simple steps to get yourself going.

Just like that you can now take advantage of utilizing your LED from your camera as a message indicator for new incoming messages. Luckily you can easily switch the options off and on easily while on the go, so if you want to turn it off at any point you can without an issue.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Apple Q4 2011 by the numbers

Apple held their Q4 2011 conference call today and announced many numbers pertaining to revenue, profit, sales, and more.

I think it’s safe to say that Apple is doing just fine.

A Case for the 3.5-inch Screen

Recent reports following the unveiling of the iPhone 4S were very critical of Apple’s decision not to increase the size of the iPhone 4S screen, which will remain at 3.5 inches, similar to that of the iPhone 4. Critics are quick to point out that this could leave the iPhone severely disadvantaged against rival smart phones such as the Galaxy S2 and the upcoming Nexus Prime. The former is already making headlines for the amazing technology that is packed underneath its shell but more importantly, it is able to proudly market itself as a smart phone that has a screen that is almost an entire inch (4.27 inches) larger than the iPhone. However, the question remains, does bigger always mean better. Perhaps bigger is better but only to a certain extent and in the case of smart phones, may be not so much.

 

The Samsung Galaxy S2, while featuring a larger screen is somewhat clumsy to handle with one hand. If you want to feel confident handling it, you need to use both your hands. Moreover, it does not exactly fit in your pocket easily. This problem is not entirely isolated to Samsung, a variety of other manufacturers like HTC and LG are also churning out smart phones with “monster screens”. If this trend continues anymore, then the lines between smaller tablet computers and smart phones will be blurred further. Certainly, it is easier to read with larger screens but we must remember that smart phones should emphasize on mobility as well as functionality: striking a delicate balance between the two.

Apple’s decision to stick with a 3.5-inch screen was a good idea but unfortunately, it is almost certain that it would increase the size of the screen when it unveils the iPhone 5. The ideal size should be within 4 inches. Anything larger becomes difficult to handle and hence the “mobility” factor of the phone decreases. Perhaps, manufactures will start limiting the size of the screens once tablet computers like the iPad become mature enough to appear as an essential gadget. The wider acceptance of tablet computers may reduce the temptation and allure of larger screens. For now, the best short-term solution may involve increasing the standard size of our pockets.

The Sleep Manager App Review

In a digital world, it seems like the only commodity that seems to decrease over time is sleep and how much one can achieve on a standard day. Thanks to a wide range of gadgets and technology, it seems impossible to get a good night’s sleep. In fact, we even prepare ourselves for an interrupted sleep by taking our smart phones to bed with us. Sleep itself cannot be underrated; most experts agree that an average adult needs around 9 hours of sleep every day in order to function properly. A low amount of sleep can contribute to fatigue and stress, which can ruin your entire day. Now, however, thanks to Zeo, the Sleep manager app helps monitor your sleep almost like a professional sleep lab.

 

The app is connected to a headset that measures a variety of factors including brain activity, eye movement, and other signals in like, deep and REM sleep. These measurements are generally the type taken taken at a professional sleep lab but are finally available to average consumers. The band transmits the signals via Bluetooth to the iPhone or iPad. Once the measurements have been taken, the data is sent to Zeo, which uses the information to improve the person’s REM sleep. In addition, the app syncs with other apps such as RunKeeper and Daily Burn. The former is an application that monitors your running while the latter monitors your nutrition intake. Since, exercise and nutrition matter a lot with regards to sleep, this integration improves the effectiveness of the app.

Now do not get ready to cancel your appointment with a professional sleep lab just yet because according to Zeo the Sleep Manager app is still slightly less accurate than a professional sleep lab, which is probably 7/8th as accurate as a full sleep lab. On a side note, it is interesting to note the expanding role of smart phones, especially that of the iPhone in the zone of personal health and nutrition.

Has Samsung Found a Silver Bullet in its War Against Apple?

Apple and Samsung have been at each other’s throats recently, fighting it out in numerous countries including Germany, Australia, Netherlands and the US. While the courtroom battles are ugly and analysts are already pondering the wider effects of this battle on the competition between iOS and Android devices, no one can deny that so far Apple has had the legal advantage. It has successfully prevented the rival Galaxy Tab from going on sale in Germany, Netherlands and Australia. In addition, it is gearing up for more battles against Samsung, HTC and other Android makers. Samsung has not stayed quiet, in fact has already led the initiative to try to ban the sale of the iPhone in various countries including France and Italy. However, now it may seem like that it has found a silver bullet against Apple, according to a Gert Frølund, a Danish Professor.

Prof. Frølund claims that Apple’s so-called revolutionary antenna, which intelligently switches between two antennas to send and receive signals, infringes one of Samsung’s patents. He stated that he and his colleagues had developed the antenna back in 2007 and then sold the patent to Samsung. He further pointed out that it would be incredibly difficult for Apple to design such an antenna without infringing on another company’s patents. If this is true, then it could lead to some ugly courtroom drama and may even help Samsung prevent the sale of the iPhone 4S in certain countries (despite the fact that it is one of the major component suppliers of the iPhone), or it could use this as leverage to force Apple from backing away from key legal battles.

 For now, Samsung states that there is no way to know for sure if Apple has infringed its patents. It can only verify this once it dismantles the iPhone 4S and takes a good look at what’s under the hood. Unlike Samsung, which has multiple smart phones on the market right now, Apple depends more heavily on its annual iPhone, so if this allegation of patent infringement turns out to be true, the resulting drama could be very interesting not just for the two companies involved but for the wider iOS and Android communities as well.

iPhone 4S Hit By Yellow Screen Problem

Some purchases of a brand, shiny, new iPhone 4S have found that the screen of their new phone has a distinctly yellow tint, prompting this discussion thread in the Apple Support Forums. Early reports indicate it’s happening mostly with black models, too.

While certainly visually problematic, if you’ve encountered this with your phone, don’t worry. From what I understand, this yellow tint is due to the glue in the screen not being fully cured, and over the course of two weeks or so, it should alter to a more neutral hue. If at that point it hasn’t, you can always take it back.

If your iPhone 4S has this problem, let us know about it in the comments section.

[via 9to5Mac]

Apple Q4 Results Break Records, Still Misses Mark

Apple has just announced its earnings for Q4 2011 (that’s up until the end of September), and with a quarterly revenue of $28.27 billion and quarterly net profit of $6.62 billion, that’s the highest September quarter revenue and profit ever.  This time last year, it was $20.34 billion and $4.31 billion respectively, and this shows in the incredible 54% growth in earnings.

So why has AAPL dropped in after hours trading? Because they didn’t quite hit what Wall Street was hoping, so they suffered a $27 (6.4%) drop after closing.

The problem was mostly in iPhones. While up 21% from a year ago with 17.07 million sales, this was less of an increase than in previous quarters as many people opted to wait for the iPhone 4S rather than buy the iPhone 4.

Apple also sold 11.12 million iPads (up 166% from last year), 4.89 million Macs (up 26%) and 6.62 million iPods (down 27%).

For Q1 2012, Apple’s CFO Peter Oppenheimer said “looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 14 weeks rather than 13, we expect revenue of about $37 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $9.30.”

How to remove a Siri-created relationship

If you have used Siri to add a relationship on your iPhone 4S(http://www.tipb.com/iphone-4s) you may be wondering how to go about removing it. Maybe you had someone labeled as a girlfriend or boyfriend and need to remove that relationship. While Siri can’t remove relationships (yet) itself, we can walk you through how to do it manually.

When iOS adds relationships it simply remembers them via your own contact card. So we’ll need to edit that.

iOS should no longer remember those relationships. You can always use Siri or manually add relationships again anytime you want.

Advantages of Apple Business for retail customers

On Monday morning I picked up several shiny new iPhone 4S handsets that my Apple Business rep had set aside for me earlier in the week. I knew I would be traveling over the launch weekend and I needed quite a few phones, and my Apple Business rep couldn’t have been more helpful in arranging everything.

one of the best things I ever did for NickelFish was to register as a small business client with our local Apple Store. The experience and service the Business Team provides is absolutely incredible. Knowing that you have a reliable resource at your disposal that can help you with almost any issue you run into is very comforting. As part of an initiative started [last summer, Apple has been reaching out more to local companies, and it’s been a great move.

The funny thing is, I only registered as an afterthought. I was there one day about a year ago buying a laptop for one of our staff members, and the person I was working with saw my business credit card and offered to help me join. I honestly didn’t think about it prior to this, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt. I met the manager of the Business Team (who has since become a friend) and he said he would add us to the Apple local directory for vendors, and would let interested parties know about our capabilities if anyone inquired. Again, I figured, can’t hurt.

Over the course of the past year, I have been able to email or call at any point and ask tons of questions, reserve equipment for purchase, set up service appointments and just generally feel that we’re completely cared for in our hardware and software needs. As a business customer, you’re sometimes also eligible for discounts, depending on what you’re buying. In addition to this, we’ve had leads sent our way for web and mobile development projects through our association with Apple.

But the most important part of the entire experience for me is that every time I speak to someone at the store or stop by for a visit, every single team member I interact with is exceptionally professional and makes me feel like a VIP. It seems silly, but there aren’t all that many places in which you can get this level of service without paying a crazy premium. The Apple Business Team places a high level of emphasis on making business customers comfortable and providing a completely frictionless experience. They truly are a partner to your company, and if you’re running a small business and using Macs, I highly recommend investigating with your local Apple Store and reps.

Daily Tip: How to create text shortcuts in iOS 5

Tired of typing out long words, names, and sentences and wondering how to create text shortcuts? Lucky you! One of the new features of iOS 5 is the ability to do just that. For example, instead of typing out “On my way!”, you just type “omw” and the iPhone automatically changes the acronym to the full phrase. This phrase is actually the only shortcut that comes setup with iOS 5. To find out how to add your own, follow along!

There you go! Now you’re all set to create you own shortcuts! They work exactly like autocorrect, so there’s nothing special you need to do to use them. Just type the shortcut and you’ll see a bubble pop up with the replacement phrase. Pressing space with allow the replacement, and tapping the bubble will cancel the replacement.

Any other favorite texting tips? Let us know, and let us know what your favorite shortcuts are!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Apple Q4 2011 results call live chat!

Listening to Apple’s Q4 2011 results call? Listen along with us. We’ve got the chat embedded right here, and we’ll be updating with highlights during the call. Have at it!

App Giveaway: DM1 – The Drum Machine

DM1 is a virtual drum machine for the iPad. It comes with over 40 electronic drum kits: 18 classic vintage drum kits plus 22 in-house produced electronic kits. Too see the DM1 in action, check out the video below.

DM1 is an advanced vintage Drum Machine. It turns your iPad into a fun and creative beat making machine. Easy and fast to use, loaded with 40 superb electronic drum kits and beautiful hyper-realistic graphics, DM1 has been designed for a lot of instant fun.

DM1 offers 5 main sections:

Specifications:

The good folks at Fingerlab have given us 5 promo codes to give away to you, our awesome readers! For a chance to win, just leave a comment below!

DM1 – The Drum Machine is available on the iPad and on sale for $0.99 until October 24.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Today’s Crazy Rumor: 8-Inch iPad Mini For 2012

How’s this for an almost-definitely-false rumor for a Tuesday afternoon? Taiwanese website United Daily News is claiming that Apple has received samples of a 7.85-inch, that would have the same 1024×768 resolution as the iPad.

Apparently AU Optronics and LG Display have sent the samples to Apple in preparation for the “iPad Mini” to launch early next year.

Look, I know that the Kindle Fire is exciting and small and everything else. But I think we would all do well to remember what Steve Jobs said about a the iPad Mini: that they’d be so small as to be useless “unless you include sandpaper so users can sand down their fingers.”

[via Unwired News, MacRumors]

Apple reports Q4 2011 financial results, 17.7 million iPhones, 11.2 million iPads, 6.62 million iPods, $6.62 billion in profits

Apple today announced their Q4 2011 financial results, including 17.7 million iPhones, 11.2 million iPads, 6.62 million iPods, $6.62 billion in profits. Unfortunately for Apple’s stock in after-hours trading, that’s below expectations — the first time Apple hasn’t exceeded expectations since Q2 2002.

“We are thrilled with the very strong finish of an outstanding fiscal 2011, growing annual revenue to $108 billion and growing earnings to $26 billion,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Customer response to iPhone 4S has been fantastic, we have strong momentum going into the holiday season, and we remain really enthusiastic about our product pipeline.”

“We are extremely pleased with our record September quarter revenue and earnings and with cash generation of $5.4 billion during the quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 14 weeks rather than 13, we expect revenue of about $37 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $9.30.”

Of course these results don’t include 4 million iPhone 4S sold last weekend. In other words, North Carolina might not be enough. They’re going to need a bigger money bin.

We’ll be covering Apple’s financial results call at 5pm EDT, so keep your browsers’ locked here.

Is Apple working on a 7.85-inch iPad for 2012?

According to Economic Daily News out of Taiwan, Apple has purportedly paired up with LG Display and AU Optronics for a new 7.85-inch iPad to be released in early 2012. The smaller iPad would supposedly carry the same 1024×768 resolution of the current iPad 2, making a higher DPI level and helping Apple compete with the recently-announced 7-inch Kindle Fire.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of a smaller iPad from Economic Daily News, as around the same time last year there were rumors of Apple prepping a 7-inch iPad for a Christmas 2010 release that never saw the light of day.

As with all iPad speculation, take this with a 7.8-inch grain of salt. Steve Jobs famously hated on the idea due to the lack of screen size limiting the quality of the apps.

Anyone else get the feeling the crazy rumor people won’t be happy until they’ve spread word of Apple making an imagined tablet in every size Samsung makes a real one?

Source: Economic Daily News via UnwiredView

iPhone 4S intelligently switching antenna hands on

We’ve already looked at new iPhone 4S features like the 8MP camera and 1080p video recording, but I’ve been taking it out to test the fancy new intelligently switching dual antenna array.

After all the backlash over antennagate last year, Apple claims they’ve rebuilt the technology to supposedly offer better voice quality and call handling. Until I got my hands on my iPhone 4S this past week I wasn’t too sure how much of a difference it would make. Turns out the newly designed antenna really does function better.

We all know about the iPhone 4 death touch issue. So is the iPhone 4S affected by it? In short, no.

It appears whatever Apple did to the antenna design fixed not only the single-point-of-failure death touch, but also made it more resilient agains the industry wide death grip issue. I’ve been trying to reproduce the issue since the day I picked up my iPhone 4S in various locations and haven’t had any success. Sure a bar may fluctuate here and there but in my experience that’s simply due to signal strength in general. I fluctuate between 4-5 bars in my office. As you can see from the video above, the iPhone 4 drops bars when the bottom is held. The iPhone 4S does not seem to drop bars. It fluctuates a bit towards the end but I’m almost certain this is just due to signal strength in my office.

When tested in other locations and even in downtown Chicago I was not able to reproduce the death grip issue on my iPhone 4S.

As stated above, I haven’t noticed too much of a signal strength difference from what I experienced with my iPhone 4. This could be due to the fact that my area is heavily blanketed with AT&T HSPA+. I receive 5 full bars of service in most places.

To test this theory I made a note of my bars in the one area I typically have issues getting signal — the lake. In this scenario I seemed to maintain a signal (2-3 bars) and was able to make and receive calls or use data services just fine. My iPhone 4 has a few issues holding connectivity on a call or using data services on the lakefront. So the newly designed antenna seems to be a bit more constant when it comes to holding onto a signal.

So far call quality on my iPhone 4S has been exceptional. I’ve not had one dropped call so far. I never had too many on my iPhone 4 either as we have very good service with AT&T in my area. It also appears that the volume when you’re on speakerphone has been enhanced and is quite a bit louder than my iPhone 4 ever was. (A volume increase would make sense given the addition of Siri.

I’ve had next to no issue with or without a headset either. It seems noise reduction is just as good if not better as well. Several times while on the phone I felt the need to ask if someone was still there since I could hear next to no background noise at all. I always noticed it a bit on my iPhone 4 but I can’t notice it at all with iPhone 4S.

All in all, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are both great phones. When it comes to call quality, however, the iPhone 4S is clearly ahead. If you’re in an area that has great service you probably won’t notice a big difference . If you’re in an area with somewhat spotty cellular service the iPhone 4S is a safer bet.

iFixit App Heads To iPhone

Any time I need to go into my computer for any reason, to swap out RAM, put in a new hard drive, or anything else for that matter, I automatically turn to iFixit for the best written and most clearly illustrated tutorials on how to do it. And while their guides are incredibly useful, it’s not very handy to be trying to read the guide on the same computer that you’re attempting to fix.

They’ve had an iPad app out for some time, but they’ve just announced that the app now works on the iPhone and iPod Touch too.

 

The other new features in this update are offline browsing and the ability to favorite certain guides so you don’t need to track them down constantly.

Professor Layton Puzzles On iOS With Layton Brothers: Mystery Room

 

The Professor Layton series of games are an incredibly popular line of puzzle games that have up until now been on Nintendo’s handhelds only. These sometimes fiendish titles have stretched over five games, as Layton attempts to solve puzzles and mysteries around the world.

Now the franchise is branching out into iOS, though we’re still short on details. Here’s the complete announcement:

LAYTON BROTHERS: MYSTERY ROOM* – LEVEL-5 has announced that this title will put a new spin on the Professor Layton universe with crime-scene mystery style gameplay starring the intuitive son of Hershel Layton. The title is scheduled to be released on the iOS platform.

Seeing as we don’t know when this is meant to launch, I’ll just get my puzzle fix by playing the gloriously funny Puzzle Agent.

[via TechCrunch]

everythingiCafe App Version 1.8.1 Now Available

Available now in the App Store, everythingiCafe app update version 1.8.1 is now available. The free iPhone forums companion app features a number of assorted bug fixes including:

The application is available as a free download from the App Store and it also completely ad-free for members. Not a member, join today and download the everythingiCafe app for iPhone and iPad.

New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Tuesday, October 18

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

Calculus doodlus A calculator for elementary calculations that creates a tape that looks like you did the arithmetic by hand – in your own handwriting! [$0.99 - App Store link]

500px: The official iPad app for 500px is here! Enjoy the world’s best photos right at your fingertips. Discover exhilarating landscapes, cutest moments of wildlife, striking portraits and more. [Free for iPad - App Store link]

Feathergears: A simple and addictive flight game with amazing hd graphics. [Free for iPhone - App Store link]

Lady’s Days: Easy-to-use app for tracking your periods. This app contains everything you need for health monitoring. [Free for iPhone - App Store link]

jPuzzle: Turns your photos and pictures into an exciting, fun and easy to use Jigsaw Puzzle. [$0.99 for iPhone - App Store link]

Any other big app or game releases or updates today?

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

BlackBerry and Android strike back: BBX superphones and Galaxy Nexus

Apple had their big Let’s talk iPhone event a couple of weeks ago and have now released [iOS 5](http://www.tipb.com/iOS 5) and iCloud, and launched the iPhone 4S — now it’s RIM’s and Google’s turn.

Kevin and Adam from CrackBerry.com are live at BlackBerry Dev Con 2011, hoping to get their keyboard-crunching hands on a next generation BBX (QNX) based superphone and Playbook OS 2.0.

Phil and the gang over at Android Central are waiting for the big Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus (Prime) reveal from Google and Samsung tonight.

Keep an eye on both, then run — don’t walk! — back here and tell us how you think they compete with iOS 5, iCloud, and iPhone 4S. Did they raise the stakes?

App Giveaway: OfficeTime – Time & Expense Tracking

OfficeTime is a time and expense tracker for the iPhone and iPad. The interface is clean, elegant, and designed so you can quickly be in and out – keeping track of your time shouldn’t take a lot of time!

Ideal for anyone who bills by the hour, OfficeTime makes recording and tracking time and expenses simple with a clean, elegant interface. The iPhone and iPad versions focus on ease-of-use, recognizing that if time tracking is simple to do, users will be more likely to take the time to do it.

The good folks at OfficeTime Software have given us 5 promo codes to giveaway. But that not all! One of the promo code winners will also receive a copy of the OfficeTime desktop application ($47 value)! For a chance to win, just leave a comment below!

OfficeTime – Time & Expense Tracking is available on the iPhone and iPad for $7.99.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

How to define a contact’s relationship using Siri

Seen the iPhone 4S commercial demonstrating Siri and wondering how to get it to understand relationships so you to can say things like “Call my wife”? You can always add relationships through Contacts but it’s much easier to just get Siri to do it for you.

Now if you have more than one brother (I don’t) – you’ll probably need to specify a bit more. You can use things like “oldest brother” or however you want Siri to distinguish people. You can also remove relationships from within your own contact card as well if you need to.

Once you’ve got the relationship defined, you can tell Siri to do really cool things like — “Tell my brother I’m running 15 minutes late”, or “remind me to change the lightbulb when I get to mom’s house”.

Want more Siri tips? Check out our TiPb Forums for even more tips and tricks!

UPDATE: To get the most value out of relationships, you need to be syncing contacts with iCloud (or MobileMe). Exchange, including Gmail over Exchange, only supports a few kinds. [via @theiBlog]

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Before iCloud, Apple tried to buy Dropbox for nine digits

Victoria Barret of Forbes profiles Dropbox today and reveals how co-founder Drew Houston was made an offer by Steve Jobs and Apple that it turns out he could refuse.

In December 2009 Jobs beckoned Houston (pronounced like the New York City street, not the Texas city) and his partner, Arash Ferdowsi, for a meeting at his Cupertino office. “I mean, Steve friggin’ Jobs,” remembers Houston, now 28. “How do you even prepare for that?” When Houston whipped out his laptop for a demo, Jobs, in his signature jeans and black turtleneck, coolly waved him away: “I know what you do.”

Houston and Dropbox didn’t want a buyout, even a nine digit one. They wanted to build a company. Jobs told them they were a “feature, not a product” and at WWDC 2011 revealed iCloud.

The entire article is fascinating. Give it a read.

Source: Forbes

Daily Deal: Incipio dermaSHOT Case for AT&T iPhone 4 only $5.95!

For today only, the TiPb Store has the Incipio dermaSHOT Case for AT&T iPhone 4 on sale for only $5.95!. Shockingly good protection in purple, pink, and yellow. Now get them before they’re gone!

Shop Incipio dermaSHOT Case for AT&T iPhone 4 now!

Poll: What do you think of your new iPhone 4S?

So you went and got a super sweet new iPhone 4S and you’ve had a few days to try it out, play with Siri, take some 8 megapixel photos and shoot some 1080p video, and no doubt try your darndest to death grip the new antenna, and — what do you think?

Is it the best phone you’ve ever owned? Is it just a decent upgrade? Is it about the same as your previous phone? Or are you already regretting the decision to buy?

We’ve already told you what we think about the iPhone 4S, now it’s your turn TiPb Nation. Vote in the poll up top and give me the details in the comments below!

How to create a contact relationship with Siri

Seen the iPhone 4S commercial demonstrating Siri and wondering how to get it to understand relationships so you to can say things like “Call my wife”? You can always add relationships through Contacts but it’s much easier to just get Siri to do it for you.

Now if you have more than one brother (I don’t) – you’ll probably need to specify a bit more. You can use things like “oldest brother” or however you want Siri to distinguish people. You can also remove relationships from within your own contact card as well if you need to.

Once you’ve got the relationship defined, you can tell Siri to do really cool things like — “Tell my brother I’m running 15 minutes late”, or “remind me to change the lightbulb when I get to mom’s house”.

Want more Siri tips? Check out our TiPb Forums for even more tips and tricks!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

iDoodle: Siri-ously?

“Siri: I can’t answer that right now.“

Apple updates Apple TV software to version 4.4.1, claims to fix connect to iTunes issues

Apple has released another update for the Apple TV which takes it from version 4.4 to version 4.4.1. The update claims to fix issues with a small number of Apple TV units that needed to be connected a computer running iTunes after last week’s iOS 5 update.

Addresses an issue that required a small number of Apple TV units to be connected to iTunes in order to complete the update.

A word of warning before you update, there are widespread reports that this update is causing more connect to iTunes issues than the original update. It may be wise to hold off updating until more information is available.

Source: Apple Support via 9to5 Mac