Could an iPhone Mini debut this year? According to Bloomberg, Apple is set to unveil a smaller iPhone model in the middle of this year, which is around the same time the iPhone 5 release date and WWDC 2011 conference is expected.

iPhone Mini: iPhone 4 Components, 1/3 Smaller, $200

Citing a source who has seen a prototype, the smaller version of the iPhone that we’ll loosely call iPhone Mini will be cheaper and start at $200 without requiring a service contract. The device is said to feature components from the existing iPhone 4, but be about 1/3 smaller than existing models. Bloomberg’s source cautions that “the introduction may be delayed or scrapped” and that not many Apple employees know of the project.

iPhone Mini & iPhone 5: Dual-Mode with Universal SIM?

Possibly related, Bloomberg also says that Apple is working on dual-mode iPhones, which would allow a single device to work on both GSM and CDMA networks, in addition to a Universal SIM card that would allow iPhone users to jump between different GSM networks without switching sim cards. A Universal SIM may signify that iPhones carrying such a chip would be carrier agnostic, which would render the iPhone carrier unlock hacks irrelevant.

Bloomberg and iPhone Rumors
Earlier this year Bloomberg said that the upcoming iPhone 5 and iPad 2 models would become digital wallets through a built-in NFC chip.

Bloomberg should generally be considered a fairly reliable source of Apple rumors. Last year their sources accurately predicted the Verizon iPhone announcement would be in January 2011.

The iPad 2 might be in production but it hasn’t even been announced yet. Regardless, that’s not stopping the hungry Apple rumor mill from talking about the model to be released after that… iPad 3.

Talk of iPad 3 started when John Gruber of DaringFireball made a passing reference to the future device, which was quickly picked up by AlleyInsider and TechCrunch who cited that as a source for the products release schedule.

In return, DaringFireball wrote a lengthy post on the matter, part of which is him saying that some take his guesswork a little too seriously:

Now when I make actual guesses, some people (not unreasonably) think I’m being coy and actually releasing information that I know. Henceforth, when I say I’m guessing, I’m really guessing.

In other words, Gruber is not channeling Steve Jobs and Apple’s super secret release schedule from a crystal ball, although that is amusing imagery to consider.
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We’ve shown a few different ways of how to lock your Mac screen with a keystroke or a hot corner, but another option is to lock the screen and desktop of your Mac through a little-known Mac OS X menu bar item. The result is a little lock icon in the menu bar of OS X that you can pull down to access and instantly password protect the desktop and everything on your Mac, requiring a user log in to regain access again.

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If you’re on a Mac and you need to print to an older printer connected to a Windows XP PC, well, you’re in for a bundle of joy to get it working in OS X. While it’s not the simplest process in the world, here’s the gist of it, and it does indeed work to get an XP printer working with a Mac.

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I’m an Angry Birds addict, I admit it. I played it a bunch on my iPhone, and then once it came to the Mac, I found myself playing it even more. But even a frequent player like myself can get stuck on some of the more challenging levels of Angry Birds, and times like that require a level guide to help you through the rough patches.

These video walkthroughs are brought to you by Rovio, the creator of AngryBirds. They cover all levels of Angry Birds regardless of platform, so whether you’re playing on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, or PC, these will all apply to you:
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The next generation iPad is currently in production, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Citing sources familiar with manufacturing the device, WSJ claims that iPad 2 will include a camera, a faster processor and graphics chip, more memory, and be thinner and lighter than the existing model. Their sources also say that the new iPad will be available on both the Verizon and AT&T networks.

iPad 2: Similar Screen Resolution as iPad?
The WSJ’s sources also specify that iPad 2’s display will not have a significantly improved screen resolution, instead it will feature a resolution “similar” to the existing iPad’s 1024×768 display. The language here is worth noting, because a “similar” display is not necessarily the same, and could indicate a slightly improved screen resolution.

Many users have been hoping for an iPhone 4 style retina display on the next iPad, but this wasn’t possible due to “trouble improving the display technology, in part because of the iPad screen’s larger size compared with the iPhone.”

Reality & the Rumors
If you’ve been following the iPad 2 rumors, you’ll notice that the WSJ claims are right in line with what the rumormill has been expecting. Noticeably absent are some of the more wild claims like dual HD cameras, NFC digital wallet chips, and a micro-USB or HDMI port.

Naming Conventions: iPad vs iPad 2 vs iPad 2G vs iPad 519491289184
While most of the features sound like they’re well established and set in stone, the devices name is the last big mystery. What is Apple going to call the next generation iPad? Will they keep the name simply as iPad like they do when they update their Mac lineups? Will they add a generation number like the iPhone and iPod touch? Does iPad 2 sound too boring?

(Above picture is from one of these iPad 2 mockups)

If you have a website of your own or are developing one for someone else, you should customize the saved bookmark icon that appears on a users iOS home screen. In the screenshot above you’ll see the custom OSXDaily favicon sitting on the screen of an iPhone.

Setting the Apple Touch Icon is a good idea because by default iOS will just save a small thumbnail of the site. The small thumbnails are often hard to identify and generally don’t look that great, so let’s set your own favicon image instead.
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Are you an existing Verizon customer and looking to get an iPhone? If so, don’t miss the Verizon Contact Transfer app that is freely available on the iTunes App Store, it will pull your contacts from your old phone via Verizon’s Backup Assistant service and transfer them onto your new VZ iPhone. The app looks extremely easy to use, just backup your old phone to their cloud, then put your phone number into the Contact Transfer app to pull all contacts phone numbers and email addresses to your new iPhone.

Transferring contact information from an old phone to a new one can be a huge inconvenience, so it’s nice to see that Verizon has an easy service to handle this for you. Considering the pre-order sellouts and pent up demand and for the Verizon iPhone, I imagine this app will get a ton of use.

You can download VZ Contact Transfer from the App Store (direct link).

If you’re looking for some good deals to upgrade your MacBook Pro, Buy.com is offering two killer upgrades at great prices:

First up is the Kingston 128GB SSD V Series 2.5″ Hard Drive upgrade for $139.95 after a $75 mail in rebate. It’s actually part of a “notebook bundle” meaning it comes with an external drive caddy and USB cable to turn your existing 2.5″ internal hard drive into a portable external drive.

• Kingston 128GB SSDNow V Series SATA II 2.5″ Solid State Drive, Notebook Bundle for $139.95 after rebate and includes free shipping

If you get the 128GB SSD drive, don’t forget the $75 mail in rebate (PDF). The SSD rebate offer and price are valid until 2/14/2011.

Next up is a Kingston Apple 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 RAM Upgrade, you’ll want to double-check that your machine handles the upgrade but it should be compatible with most new MacBook Pro’s, iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook models.

• Kingston Apple 8GB Kit (2 X 4GB Modules) 1066MHz DDR3 SODimm for $79.95 includes free shipping

I used the same Kingston 8GB Ram Upgrade for my MacBook Pro and I’m thrilled with the results. If you’re a power user I would highly recommend 8GB of RAM, but it’s easy to check if your Mac needs a memory upgrade.

Is the iPhone 5 scheduled to be released on June 5, 2011? The wonderfully named “AppleBitch” discovered an unspecified “Corporate Meeting” on the Moscone West convention center schedule from June 5 to June 9, and notes that this vague terminology is often used to describe Apple venues. Additionally, the early summer dates are typical for Apple’s WWDC events.

So what does an event on a calendar have to do with iPhone 5? Well it’s conjecture, but WWDC is usually when Apple announces their new iPhone in addition to major updates to iOS. If these dates are in fact for WWDC, it’s quite possible we’ll see the new iPhone announced around then. WWDC 2011 may even include Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, which is scheduled for a “Summer 2011” release date according to Apple’s preview of Lion last October.
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The Mac App Store now has an order and buy confirmation, which should prevent many accidental purchases from occurring.

This is a nice addition and undoubtedly helps to eliminate refund requests, and maybe it’ll even make some people think twice before inadvertently buying an app twice.

I imagine it’s only a matter of time before someone is able to disable the order confirmation via a defaults write command, if not becoming it’s own preference option entirely. Hat tip to MacStories for noticing this one.

If your iPhone or iPod has been acting strangely or not working, it’s worth checking the “Liquid Contact Indicator” locations as shown in the image above from Apple, this may give you a hint of what’s wrong with your hardware.

If the sensors shown in the pictures are red, you may have water damage. I say may because the sensors can be tripped occasionally by high humidity or even just a small rain drop, so it’s possible the sensor is red but you don’t have any damage. On the other hand, if you definitely dropped iPhone into water or it sustained substantial liquid contact that you’re aware of, you’re going to really need to take some immediate action to try and preserve the phone, drying it out for as long as possible so that none of the internal components have retained moisture.

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Apple is planning to eliminate traditional retail box software in their stores in favor of digital distribution through the Mac App Store, according to a report from MacRumors. Apparently they heard the rumor from someone, and then cite Apple’s new “Personal Setup for Mac” walkthrough service as further evidence of the move.

Installing software through the Mac App Store is certainly more convenient than using a physical installation DVD, but there are some issues with this method. As MacGasm points out, several major software companies have yet to board the Mac App Store train, some may never jump ship, most notably Adobe and Microsoft with their high priced productivity suites. The solution to this might be in the form of USB based software installers, like the reinstallation drive that comes with the 2010 MacBook Air, which would be a welcome change.

Perhaps we’ll see this change in place by the launch of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion?

The first Verizon iPhone 4 jailbreak has been made available to download as an update to GreenPois0n RC5. The update comes as RC5.4 with the major change being support for jailbreaking the Verizon iPhone 4 running iOS 4.2.6.

Download GreenPois0n RC5.4 to Jailbreak Verizon iPhone 4

Currently RC5.4 is available for Mac and Windows users:

• Download Now (Mirror 2) (Mac)
• Download Now (Mirror 2) (Windows)

As pod2g notes, GreenPois0n RC5.4 should be considered as ‘early adopter’ software, so there may be some bugs to work out still. Our guide on how to jailbreak with GreenPois0n RC5 works the same for RC5.4 and will jailbreak any iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and AppleTV2.

You can follow our GreenPois0n updates as they become available.

Angry Birds for Mac is a ton of fun, but you probably already know that. Here are some keyboard shortcuts for the Mac OS X version of the game:

Keyboard Shortcuts for Angry Birds on Mac OS X

Some of these you can use anytime and others must require you to be in a current game:

• Command+F – Windowed mode, or toggle between full screen and windowed mode
• Scrollwheel / Two-fingered swipe – Zoom in with a swipe forward and zoom out with a swipe back, same affect with a scroll wheel
• R – Restart the current level and zoom into the target pigs structures
• S – Mute and unmute the game sounds
• P – Pause
• Escape – Toggle the sidebar menu
• Type “open” on levels with a locked treasure chest to open them

These are what I have for now but I’ll update the list if more are available. Apparently there is a cheat mode involved with the “C” key, but I wasn’t able to get it working myself.

If you haven’t played Angry Birds yet you are missing out on some highly addictive gameplay. You can get it from the Mac App Store (Direct Link) or from the iTunes App Store for iOS hardware.

Thanks to Josef for sending in the shortcut list!

GreenPois0n RC5 allows you to easily jailbreak an iPad running iOS 4.2.1, the main advantage to GreenPois0n is that it provides a completely untethered jailbreak solution that can be initiated from both Mac OS X and Windows.

This guide will walk you through the process of jailbreaking an iPad with iOS 4.2.1 software.
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If you purchase an app from the iTunes App Store, as long as you use the same iTunes account again, all subsequent downloads of that app are free. This means that if you bought an iOS app for an iPod touch, but you just got a new iPhone, iPad, or Mac you do not need to buy the same app again.

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Did you know that your Mac has a built-in FTP & FTPS client? You don’t need to download any additional software or apps to connect to FTP sites from Mac OS X, instead you can connect to remote servers directly from your desktop by using an excellent and little known feature. If you’ve never used the Mac FTP tools before, you will find them incredibly simple and quite familiar, because the connection utilities and server browsing are much like navigating through the normal Mac desktop. Let’s get started.

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