A wide variety of websites and online services are region restricted to the USA: Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, annual credit reports, some banks, the list is significant. Region restrictions are generally something you don’t notice until you need to access a website from outside the USA, and then they’re a huge pain. We’ll show you how to get around region restrictions securely by using a SOCKS proxy and SSH tunnel.

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The smartphone discussion is typically focused around iPhone and Android, but Microsoft is still cooking up it’s own unique smartphone OS: Windows Phone 7. Now thanks to an HTML5 demo, the curious can try out a basic Windows Phone 7.5 experience directly on your iPhone.

Open up Safari and throw in the following URL:

• http://aka.ms/wpdemo

If you haven’t used a Windows Phone before, the first thing you’ll notice is the similarity to the upcoming Windows 8 OS, which Microsoft says is the future of their desktop and tablet efforts (and probably smartphones too). Lots of tiles, swiping around, it’s fast and fluid and an enjoyable enough GUI. Perhaps best of all for, it’s original, as opposed to the shameless borrowing everyone else seems to have done with iOS.

Is this demo going to swing you away from an iPhone? Doubt it, but it’s always fun to see what the competition is cooking. (via Gizmodo)

Flick down with two fingers on a trackpad or Magic Mouse in Mac OS X and you’ll experience inertial scrolling, where after your finger has stopped moving the page continues to scroll in the intended direction until it slowly stops. This fluid and natural scrolling experience comes from the iOS world, and while it works quite well on the desktop, it’s not for everyone.

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iOS 5.1 beta 1 continues to spill the beans for Apple product ID’s, with the latest find being a direct reference to Apple’s next-generation iPhone, referenced as “iPhone 5,1”, and two unreleased iPad’s, referenced as “iPad3,2” and “iPad3,3”.

iPhone5,1 would technically be the sixth generation iPhone, which may indicate iPhone 6 is the proper name for the device. Of course, nothing but speculation is known about the iPhone 5 (6?), but references appearing in current iOS 5.1 beta builds suggest there are working prototypes that are running iOS 5.1 right now in Cupertino. Most rumors suggest the next generation iPhone will have a 4″ screen, a thinner aluminum enclosure, and likely an A6 CPU, and a release time frame could be somewhere between summer and fall of 2012.

The iPhone 5,1 reference was first discovered by @Filippobiga on Twitter – you can follow us there too – who also pointed out the references to two unreleased iPad 3 models, also shown in the screenshot as iPad 3,2 and iPad 3,3. Presumably, those are for the upcoming iPad model that is expected to debut sometime in early 2012 with a retina display.

The recently released iOS 5.1 beta 1 has already uncovered a few hints about potential upcoming products from Apple. First, the Sprint iPad 2 reference, then an iPhone 5 reference, and now a codename reference to an unreleased Apple TV unit dubbed “J33” has been found.

Other than the reference to the devices codename there is no additional information on the unreleased Apple TV device. It’s possible the device will simply be a revamped existing Apple TV model that includes an A5 CPU and the ability to export 1080p video, which 9to5mac suggests could be the case, and there is also a vague possibility it could be the rumored “real” Apple television.

Currently, the Apple TV is a set-top box that costs $99, allowing users to stream iTunes and video content directly to their TV. After the passing of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, there have been numerous rumors regarding a real Apple television set, said to debut sometime in 2012 or 2013. Dubbed “iTV”, the television is said to run iOS and feature Siri as the TV’s remote control, with heavy reliance on iCloud services.

Apple has seeded iOS 5.1 beta 1 to developers, the build is 9B5117b and runs on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen. For those in the iOS developer program, you can download the iOS 5.1 beta right now directly from Apple’s dev center as IPSW files. Alongside the iOS 5.1 beta came a new build of Xcode 4.3, which is also required for developing anything for iOS 5.1.

The 5.1 beta notes include many mentions of bugs, you can read the full release notes on 9to5mac if you’re interested. They also uncovered references to an unreleased iPad 2 model in the beta, which they presume is for the Sprint network.

Have an Android phone or tablet that you want to transfer files and movies to and from your Mac with? Maybe you got a new Kindle Fire that is freshly rooted, and you’re looking to move some of your own movies and pictures to it? No sweat, there are some really easy ways to do this, one of which is Google’s free Android File Transfer app, which is compatible with almost every Android smartphone or tablet out there.
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Skyrim is one of those games that is so massive with so many individual elements that it could take forever to try and cover everything. Included all over the game is a massive collections of books that fill in elements of lore, backstory, information on quests and characters, you name it, but who has time to read all of that while you’re playing a game?

Now you can read your Skyrim books outside of gameplay, because some guy discovered the all the in-game books are stored as plaintext format, which have been translated into easy to download ePub and Mobi formats, ready to be viewed on the iPad, iPhone, Mac, Kindle, Nook, or whatever other reader you might use. If you want to view the .mobi on a Mac or iPad, you’ll need to download the free Kindle app from the App Store.

• Books of Skyrim – MOBI format
• Books of Skyrim – EPUB format

Whether you’re playing Skyrim on a Mac in bootcamp or just sitting on the couch with an Xbox 360 controller, this should be a welcome addition to the nerdfest.

Heads up to CultofMac for the find.

Need to jump to the parent directory of a folder on the Mac? Buried in a nest of folders in the Finder of Mac OS X? Mac OS includes a handy keystroke to immediately jump to the parent directory of a Finder window. For some quick reference, the parent directory is the enclosing folder in a hierarchy, in other words it’s whatever is above the current folder in the file system hierarchy. If the path is /Users/Paul/Documents/Notes/ than “Documents” would be the enclosing folder of “Notes”, and “Paul” would be the parent directory of “Documents” and so on.

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A new third party tool called Siri0us has appeared that brings Siri Dictation (speech-to-text) to the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 4G. The add-on, which requires a jailbroken device, uses Nuance technology to work almost exactly like the dictation feature of Siri does to convert your speech to text. It’s accurate and initiated via the onscreen keyboard, but it does require an internet connection in order to work.

Here’s how to install Siri0us, or you can follow the video below:

• Jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 with redsn0w or another tool
• Launch Cydia and add the following new source:

http://apt.if0rce.com

• Search for and install “Siri0us” (with a zero)

The developer of Siri0us noted that a bug exists that may effect some users during installation. The fix is simple:

If your iDevice keeps respringing, do not restore! Use a SSH tool to remove the /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/AssistantServices.framework file.

Check out the video below of Siri0us in action from iDB:

UI elements of Siri0us are obviously different from the real Siri, and you won’t get any of the other Siri features, but if you want a similar implementation to just get your words into text, Siri0us should get the job done.

Update: Siri0us has been taken down.

For those who prefer the old fashioned method of reading printed directions on paper, maps and directions can be printed directly from an iPhone or iPad via the built-in Maps app in iOS 5. This is handy if you need to give someone else paper directions, or if you don’t want to potentially get a ticket for using a smartphone while driving. Using the tip is quite simple, as MacTrast shows us.

Note: To use the Maps print feature, an AirPrint compatible printer must be nearby. There are third party tools to enable AirPrint with any printer in Mac OS X or Windows available.

• Launch Maps and get directions to a destination as usual
• Tap the curled page button at the bottom right corner of the Maps app
• At the next screen, tap “Print” and then select the AirPrint printer to print to

The printed instructions come in an easy to follow format:
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The holiday classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is now available as an interactive story book on the iPad. Featuring digitally remastered illustrations from the original 1965 animated TV classic, it features voice narration and the soundtrack from the original Charlie Brown episode, but the experience has been optimized for iOS. You can play Schroeders piano, finger paint, interact with items on screen, and even decorate your very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas – $6.99 (App Store link)

Whether you have kids or you just want to feel like a kid again, this app is a must have. A Charlie Brown Christmas works on the iPhone and iPod touch as well, but it’ll be best on the larger iPad display. Check out the video below:

Recently we covered how to show full file names on the Mac OS X desktop, avoiding the abbreviated labels that occur when a file or folders name is too large to fit in the allowed character count limit. That trick was done by increasing the desktops grid size, but as one of our readers pointed out in the comments, you are still limited to a maximum of 20 characters in a file name. Using a defaults write command, this can be adjusted to display very long file names without shortening them. As you may have guessed, this is achieved by increasing the desktops grid size even further.

Increase the File Name Displayed Character Limit in Mac OS X

The displayed character limit can be increased to virtually any number, for the purpose of this tip we’ll increase the file names character limit from 20 to 50.

Launch the Terminal from /Applications/Utilities/ and enter the following command.

defaults write com.apple.finder FXDesktopLayoutGridCharCount 50; killall Finder

Entering this command will change the count and immediately restart the Finder so changes take place. If you want fewer or more characters, adjust the number on the end accordingly. The screenshot at the top of this post shows a 100 character limit, but too large a number can look strange, making 50 a good compromise for showing long file names and not making a disaster of the desktop.

Restore the Default File Name Character Limit
defaults write com.apple.finder FXDesktopLayoutGridCharCount 20; killall Finder

Using the above command, the Finder will also restart and the desktops file name limit will be restored to the default setting of 20 characters.

Thanks to Brah for the great tip left in our comments

Update: Additional testing and user feedback suggests the defaults write trick may work in Mac OS X 10.6 only. For OS X 10.7 Lion users, increasing grid space works to the same effect but doesn’t require Terminal intervention.

“Siri, start my car”, “Siri, Set the thermostat to 72 degrees” – saying that to the iPhone and having an AI agent perform those tasks sounds futuristic doesn’t it? It’s not from the future though, it’s now, thanks to the ambitious work of a third party developer who created something called Siri Proxy.

As the name suggests, SiriProxy is a proxy server to Apple’s Siri assistant that allows for creating custom plugins that perform virtually any function, including tasks like remotely starting a car, locking and unlocking car doors, and even querying and controlling a home thermostat. The potential here is huge, and none of it requires any on-device hacks or jailbreaks because it’s handled away from the iPhone on a remote server.

Due to it’s very early stage in development, setting up Siri Proxy isn’t the most easy thing in the world. You’ll need an iPhone 4S, and some experience with Ruby, certificates, web servers, and OpenSSL (you’re setting up a web server, after all). If that’s you, check out the source code and instructions on how to get it working here.

Here are some videos of Siri Proxy in action:
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Amazon is deeply discounting the base model MacBook Air 11.6″, slashing the price 15% taking $150 off the base $999 tag, bringing the price to $849.99 with free shipping. Amazon doesn’t charge sales tax for most states, making the deal even better for many. The Black Friday deal is live now, and presumably will continue throughout the day tomorrow.

• MacBook Air 11.6″ Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) – $849.99
• MacBook Air 11.6″ 4GB / 128GB (NEWEST VERSION) – $1098

This is cheaper than any other offer for the newest MacBook Air, beating the official Black Friday deals offered by Apple.

Update: The initial Amazon $150 off deal is gone but they reduced the next model by 8%, they’re adjusting prices quickly.

If you’re looking to buy some extra media storage for your computer, or you just need a larger Time Machine backup drive, pay attention, because Amazon is having a great sale on external hard drives. The best part is they’re not limiting these discounts to Black Friday, so they’re live now. Most are USB 2.0 but there’s a couple Firewire drives in the mix too if you don’t mind paying extra for the interface. All drives can be formatted for Mac or PC compatibility.

Free shipping, and no lines? Works for me. Don’t miss Amazon’s internal hard drive and SSD deals too.

External Hard Drives

• Western Digital My Book Essential 2 TB External Hard Drive – $129.99
• Iomega eGo 2 TB External Hard Drive – $169.43
• Iomega eGo 1TB External Hard Drive – $140.43
• Western Digital My Book for Mac 2 TB External Hard Drive – $129.99
• Western Digital My Book Essential 3 TB External Hard Drive – $229.99
• G-Technology G-DRIVE 3TB External FireWire Hard Drive 0G01973 – $341.43

Portable External Hard Drives

• Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 750 GB Portable External Hard Drive – $99.99
• Western Digital Elements SE 1 TB Portable External Hard Drive – $109.62
• Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5 TB Portable External Hard Drive STAA1500100 – $159.99
• Buffalo Technology MiniStation Stealth 500 GB Portable External Hard Drive HD-PCT500U2/B – $85.77
• Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 500 GB Portable External Hard Drive STAA500105 – $116.08
• Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB Portable External Hard Drive – $149.99

Interestingly enough, some of the portable drives are almost as cheap as the less portable variants, typically the difference between the two is 2.5″ vs 3.5″ drives, USB powered vs AC adapter, and what can be a substantial difference in weight and size.
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Apple started airing a new iPod Touch commercial titled “Share the Fun”, and in the process is about to launch a new song into popularity. Many of their recent commercials have featured minor instrumental soundtracks, but now they’re right back in their old habits of picking a catchy song for a TV ad and skyrockting the artist and their music into pop culture.

So what’s the song that all the kids are lip syncing in the new iPod touch commercial?

It’s “Tongue Tied” by GROUPLOVE , a band out of Los Angeles, California. Of course, it wouldn’t be in an Apple commercial if you couldn’t get the song from iTunes:

• Get the song or full GROUPLOVE album on iTunes (iTunes link)

The full music video to GROUPLOVE’s song “Tongue Tied” is below:

Apple has started to air a new iPod Touch commercial titled “Share The Fun”, the commercial features both the 4th gen white and black iPod touches being used to play games on Game Cnter, take pictures, tweet, use FaceTime, and a variety of other fun activities.

This one is much more similar to the fun and upbeat iPod and iPod touch commercials from the past with a playful feel to it, compared to the more serious iPad 2 commercials and the new Siri iPhone 4S commercials that focus on the real life uses of the device.

If you’re wondering what the song is in the newest commercial, it’s Tongue Tied by GROUPLOVE.