Can the BlackBerry RIMPIRE strike back against iPhone?

Nixon went to China. Reagan went to the Berlin Wall. Moses went to pharaoh. Now our own Mr. Michaluk has gone to Waterloo, the “Cupertino of Canada” as he calls it — the BlackBerry mothership. Ostensibly there for the RIM shareholder event — and perhaps to break, Mission Impossible style, into their labs and liberate a BlackBerry Bold 9900 — odds are Kev will also see the first signs of whether or not BlackBerry is headed towards RIMAGEDDON, or if it’s finally time for the RIMPIRE to strike back. (If so, he’s already got the t-shirt!)

Firebrand that he is, the students of Waterloo are already gathering around him, ready to rise up against the Android onslaught they feel threatens their beloved BlackBerrys. But here’s the thing — with iOS 5 on the horizon, and the iPhone 5 (and maybe even a second new iPad) heading their way like a freight-train in a couple months, what can RIM pull out of their PlayBook just to keep pace, never mind catch up?

Keep your eyes peeled to CrackBerry.com for a week of thrills, chills, and device spills, and we’ll see just what 3 COOs, 2 CEOs, and the world’s number one fanboy can do to breathe new life into the BlackBerry brand.

[CrackBerry.com]

redsn0w updated for iOS 5 beta 3, Jailbreakme.com updated to fix kernel patches

No sooner did iOS 5 beta 3 come out then the iPhone Dev Team followed with redsn0w 0.9.8b2. The previous version of redsn0w worked on the new release, but not perfectly according to MuscleNerd:

redsn0w 0.9.8b2 http://is.gd/6eek4Y should fix 50b3 App Store issue (if you’re already JB, just use this to boot tethered)

Jailbreakme.com also received an update from Comex that’s being pushed out via Cydia. Saurik explains:

So, @comex made some fixes to the kernel patches for JailbreakMe, and we are pushing them as an “Essential Upgrade”… I hope this works!

To be clear: do /not/ go back to jailbreakme.com and “redo” the jailbreak; instead, just open Cydia, and accept the new “Essential Upgrade”.

[@MuscleNerd, @Saurik]

iPad Live 64: Warm and fuzzy

Georgia, Seth, and Rene talk iPad 2 Pro rumors, a completely new fall lineup, 1080p Apple TV, Jailbreakme.com brings Jailbreak to iPad 2, and happy 3rd birthday App Store! This is iPad Live!

Thanks to the TiPb iPad Accessory Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Music Hear me Roar by iPad Live theme song contest winner, DieselJesus!

Daily Tip: How to extract Apple’s default iPhone and iPad icons in Xcode

Wondering how to get your hands on the PNG files Apple uses for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad interface icons? If you’re a developer running Xcode and for some reason you can’t use the default controls but want your custom controls to look just like them, you’re in luck, UIKit-Artwork Extractor by 0xced will get you everything from the action button to the trash can, Emoji to the glossy effect.

UIKit Artwork Extractor extracts all the artwork and emoji symbols contained in UIKit into png files.

In order to extract Retina Display @2x high resolution images, choose the Hardware > Device > iPhone 4 menu in the iPhone Simulator.

The png files are saved into ~/Desktop/UIKit Artwork Extractor-version where version is the SDK version.

Really clever. Hit the link below to grab it, and let me know how it works for you.

[UI-Artwork Extractor via @marcoarment]

Tips of the day will 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 news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Smoody for iPhone and iPad updated and free for today only!

Federico Kalayjian’s iPhone and iPad apps Smoody and Smoody HD have been updated with a new chapter “Underwater” and include 20 new levels. There are also new in-app purchases for new characters and additional cuts.

The Smoodies are scattered throughout the universe and are searching for one another to begin a new era. Use your wit and creativity to help them reunite while travelling through space.

Smoody is such a fun little puzzle game! It has a similar feel to one of my favorite games, Cut the Rope. It has a simple premise but can be surprisingly challenging. If you’re into these types of games, Smoody won’t disappoint!

Smoody and Smoody HD are available for free today only! They are normally priced at $0.99 and $2.99, respectively. Screenshots and video after the break.

[iPhone iTunes link] [iPad iTunes 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.

Apple Adds Extra Contractor For iPad HD

Industry rag DigiTimes has come out saying that Apple is going to add another manufacturer to help production numbers for another iPad to be released this Autumn:

Apple reportedly plans to add a second manufacturer for iPad 3 tablet PCs in addition to Foxconn Electronics with Taiwan-based Quanta Computer and Petagron Technology being indicated as the potential contenders for the possible orders, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

The current crop of rumors pegs that this September will see an iPad HD or something similar, a pro-level version of the iPad as distinct from the current lineup.

If DigiTimes’ sources are correct, this might help cut down the incredible shortage of iPad 2s that has plagued Apple, to the point where the delay in getting an iPad has only now dropped to a week.

iOS 5 features: Accessibility AssistiveTouch adds gesture control, replaces hardware buttons

iOS 5 beta 3 has an interesting new addition — Accessibility has been augmented with a gesture based control panel inside “AssistiveTouch” that can reproduce all the functionality of the existing hardware buttons, and much more.

Once turned on in Settings, the control panel can be activated by tapping the overlay on screen. It pops up with a menu containing Gestures, Favorites, Devices, and Home. Gestures has a sub menu for 2, 3, 4, and 5 finger gestures, and once you choose a quantity, blue circles in the appropriate amount appear on screen. Favorites contains defaults like Pinch and Swipe, and any custom gestures you’ve created. Device replicates the hardware features such as Rotate Screen, Lock Screen, Mute/Unmute, Volume Up/Volume Up, and Shake.

While some may think this heralds Apple ditching hardware buttons, remember, you would still need a way to reset your device if it locks up, to turn off the ringer or change volume if it’s in your pocket or purse, and to keep iOS accessible for children and people form whom complex UI and gestures are a barrier to entry.

Still, this could turn out to be a very interesting addition to iOS 5, especially for advanced users who want to have a software-based interface. Most importantly, it shows that Apple — who is already incredibly far ahead of the competition when it comes to accessibility — is not slowing down.

[Thanks @kyledziekan]