It’s safe to assume that iPad 2 will have dual cameras, shed some weight, and likely even have a higher resolution screen, but that’s not enough for the rumor mill. The latest claim surrounding the popular tablet is that an unspecified smaller iPad will soon be offered alongside the regular 10″ version. This rumor comes from Reuters, who cites several hardware manufacturers in Asia as their source.

The idea of a 7-inch iPad isn’t particularly new, the rumor circulated earlier in the year and then was publicly shot down by Steve Jobs. This doesn’t mean much, as Reuters notes; “Jobs has a history of throwing Apple watchers off the scent of a good rumor — most famously when he derided the idea of iPods that play videos.”

The Reuters article also cites dual cameras coming to the iPad, which isn’t a surprise when recently leaked iPad 2 case designs clearly show a rear port for a camera.

Does a smaller iPad make sense? In many ways you could argue that the iPod touch is already a mini-iPad, and this feels even more true when you use the iPhone or iPod touch in landscape mode thanks to a jailbreak hack that realigns the iOS GUI to function horizontally. Will Apple create a device that fits between the two devices in screen dimensions? Why not just increase the screen size of the iPod touch and iPhone to 4″ instead? Several Android phones have proven it’s possible to maintain a slim design while achieving a 4″ screen, and just looking at an iPhone and iPod touch you can see where there is room to expand the display. Just a thought.

I generally trust Reuters as a reporting agency, and they certainly have better sources than your average rabbit-in-a-hat Apple rumor fabricator. Nonetheless I am skeptical of this claim, I think it is more likely that the 10″ iPad model will be reborn in a slimmer and lighter enclosure, rich with the features that everyone is now expecting, and some that we aren’t. With an expected early 2011 release for iPad 2, we’ll find out soon enough.

If you want to explore Android OS but you don’t have an Android phone, you can install Android OS directly into a virtual machine on your PC running either Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux. This process is pretty easy and it’s completely free, so if you’re interested in seeing what the biggest iPhone and iOS competitor is like, have a go.

Oh and before you ask, this tutorial is designed for Mac users but the process is identical in Windows and Linux too, so if you’re at work or you don’t have a Mac handy, you can follow along just the same. All of the download links are cross-platform compatible too.
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Amazon has knocked the price of the iPod touch 32 GB down $30 to $269.99, but that’s not all, they’re also throwing in a free $25 Amazon Gift Card with the purchase!

Here’s how to get the deal: Add the iPod touch and the $25 gift card to your Amazon cart, when you go to check out, the gift card will become free:

• iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) for $269.99 with free shipping – $30 off, retails for $299
• $25 Amazon.com Gift Card

Free shipping is included with the order, as usual on Amazon. This might just be the best deal on the newest model iPod Touch 32GB model available right now. This offer is only valid until 12/18, so hurry up!

Are you looking to upgrade a Mac’s RAM? You can get a Crucial 8GB RAM upgrade kit from Amazon.com for just $98.63 plus $6.98 in shipping and handling, bringing the total price to $105.61, this is by far the cheapest price I’ve seen for a Crucial 8GB upgrade.

• Crucial 8GB 204-PIN DDR3 (4GBx2) for $98.63 + $6.98 shipping and handling, total $105.61

This 8GB kit will install on any Mac that accepts a maximum of 8GB of 204-PIN 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, including many MacBook Pro’s, newer MacBook, Mac Mini, and iMac. You’ll want to double-check that it’ll work with your specific Mac, but it should be compatible with most models bought within the last two years.

If you’d prefer Corsair brand RAM, you can get the same 8GB upgrade kit for just $110 including shipping:

• Corsair 8 GB PC3-8500 1066Mhz 204-pin SODIMM – $109.99 with free shipping

If you’re wondering how good of a deal this really is, just take a look at Apple’s RAM prices, they charge up to $500 for an 8GB RAM upgrade on a Mac Mini and $400 for a MacBook Pro:

You may recall from my review of upgrading a MacBook Pro to 8GB of RAM that I think it’s one of the most cost effective ways to get a performance boost out of a Mac, particularly for power users and those who perform memory intensive tasks.

If you aren’t sure whether you’d benefit or not, check out: does my Mac need more RAM?

So you’ve come across a .7z file and you’re on a Mac, what is it and how do you use it? First off, a .7z file is an archive format that stands for 7-zip, you can think of it like any other archive file. By default, Mac OS X does not know how to handle these files, but that’s not a big deal because there’s a freely available app that will open the .7z file for you, offering simple access to extract the 7zip archive and get to the contents.

We’ll walk you through how to open .7z archive files on any version of Mac OS, it’s quick and easy.

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Teenagers are notoriously hard to shop for. To make your holiday shopping a little less stressful this year, here’s a few things that I know teenagers love. Start off with the iPod touch, it is one the most wished for items on Amazon, so it’s a pretty safe bet for the teenager on your list.

• iPod touch 32 GB 4th gen comes with a free $25 Amazon gift card
• iTunes Gift Card
• iPod touch 8 GB
• Flip UltraHD Video Camera 8 GB
• Skullcandy Subwoofer Stereo Headphones
• iPod nano 16 GB

If you plan on giving a child an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as a gift, or even for them just to use for a little while, you may want to disable in-app purchases (IAP). This prevents accidental and unintentional purchases, and it can avoid receiving a shocking iTunes account bill down the road when a young one inadvertently taps a bunch of the IAP’s that are becoming more and more common in apps these days.

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You can zoom in and out into any image within Quick Look, the instant image viewer built into the OS X Finder, simply by holding down the “Option” key and then using either a scroll wheel on a mouse, or a two finger up or down swipe gesture on a multi-touch track pad. Scrolling up (or swiping up) while holding the Option key will zoom in to the picture, while scrolling down or swiping down while holding Option will zoom back out of the picture.
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If you’ve got the big gift buying out of the way but that stocking hanging on the mantel is looking a little empty, here are some low-cost techy gift ideas to fill it up.

• Soft Silicone Case for iPod Touch 4th gen
• 15-Item Accessory Bundle for iPod Touch 4th gen
• OtterBox Defender Case for iPhone 4
• splash Masque Screen Protector Film for iPhone 4
• Apple In-Ear Headphones
• iTunes Gift Card

Giving gifts to kids is one of the most fun parts of Christmas, and this holiday is techier than ever before. You can’t help but get that joyful Christmas feeling when you see their faces light up at the sight of that present they really REALLY pretty-please-mom-and-dad! wanted. But what the heck is that special gift? Every year it’s something new, but luckily for us all, Duracell has put out their 2011 Toy Report with a list of the top 10 items kids want this Christmas. You’ll quickly notice that gadgets make high marks on the wish lists this year:

1. iPhone 4 16 GB (14%)
2. iPod touch 8 GB 4th gen (13%) comes with a $25 amazon gift card
3. iPad 16 GB (12%)
4. Kinect for Xbox (6%)
5. Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters (5%)
6. Flip UltraHD Video Camera 8 GB (4%)
7. Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear (4%)
8. PlayStation Move (4%)
9. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1–4 video game (3%)
10. Barbie Video Girl Doll (3%)

One of the joys of unlocking an iPhone is being able to use it on another network of your choosing. A friend of mine just got an unlocked iPhone to work on T-Mobile, but she was disappointed to find out that MMS didn’t work by default. In versions prior to iOS 4.2.1 you can usually just set carrier settings and things work fine, but since iOS 4.2.1 you’ll need to manually edit some configuration files to enable iPhone MMS functionality on the USA T-Mobile network.

This is obviously only relevant to those with unlocked iPhones on T-Mobile. If you are interested in jumping to a different carrier, you might want to read “can I unlock my iPhone?” and then learn how to jailbreak and unlock iOS 4.2.1 with redsn0w and ultrasn0w.

Anyway, here is what worked to fix T-Mobile’s MMS with iPhone OS 4.2:
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Amazon continues to offer great discounts on iPods across the board. The iPod touch, iPod shuffle, and iPod nano are all on sale and include free shipping. One of the better deals continues to be the base iPod touch 8 GB for $215 and 32GB models with a free $25 Amazon gift card, this deal expires December 18 so jump on it quick if you’re shopping for an iPod touch.

iPod touch sale prices:

All iPod touches are discounted, with the 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB being particularly good deals. All items include free shipping from Amazon as usual:

• iPod touch 8 GB for $215 – plus free $25 Amazon.com Gift Card (add both to cart, gift card becomes free at checkout) – Expires Today
• iPod touch 32 GB for $269 – retail is $299
• iPod touch 64 GB for $369 – retail is $399

iPod Shuffle sale prices:

Every iPod shuffle 2GB is offered at 16% off and gets free shipping

• iPod Shuffle 2 GB for sale at $41 with free shipping

iPod Nano sale prices:

All iPod nanos (all colors and 8GB and 16GB versions) are $10 off and include free shipping from Amazon:

• iPod nano 16 GB for $169.95
• iPod nano 8 GB for $139.54

Why pay full price for an iPod when you don’t have to?

Apple and Google have a rather interesting competitive relationship as they battle it out in the mobile front with iOS and Android. When one comes up with a good idea, the other seems to quickly adopt it as well, although this flow of ideas seems to trickle from Apple to Google more often than the reverse; touchscreens, app stores, instant search, tablets, etc.

With this in mind, check out the pictures of the new Google CR-48 Chrome Notebook, it’s a dead-ringer for the older black MacBook. From the chiclet style keyboard, to the matte black finish, to the overall shape, the resemblance between the two is striking. Here they are side by side:

Check out the keyboards too, the MacBook is on the left and the Chrome CR-48 is on the right:
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Here’s something you don’t see everyday: a stand up workstation featuring a MacBook Pro attached to two dual vertically orientated monitors.

[ Image is below since it’s huge ]
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If you have a music lover on your shopping list this Christmas, then check out this list of great deals on musician’s tools from Amazon. With powerful software like Logic Studio and iLife ’11 with the latest Garageband, more musician’s are creating from the Mac platform than ever before. If you’re shopping for a musician who seems to have all the software, consider supplementing their studio with a USB keyboard or a recording microphone.

• MacBook Pro 15″ – ultimate gift, anyone?
• iPod touch 32 GB 4th gen – comes with a free $25 Amazon gift card
• iLife ’11 with Garageband
• Logic Studio
• Logic Express 9
• M-Audio KeyStation 61-Key USB Keyboard
• Audio-Technica USB Microphone
• Behringer Guitar to USB Interface
• Audio Technica Precision Studio Headphones

Network World is reporting that Apple has disabled their jailbreak detection API in the latest iOS 4.2.1 update.

The API was originally bundled into iOS 4.0 and gave Apple and third party vendors the ability to detect jailbreaks by finding changes to the iOS system software. According to the report, Apple has not provided a reason for the API to be disabled, but vendors can utilize other methods to detect modifications to iOS.

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A new report from Reuters claims that iPad 2 will have front and rear facing cameras, in addition to a slimmer and lighter design that includes a higher resolution display. Citing several component suppliers, Reuters also notes that production of iPad 2 will ramp up in the first quarter of 2011, which might suggest a spring ship date.

The idea of the next iPad featuring FaceTime compatible cameras, a retina display, and being slimmer and lighter isn’t new or groundbreaking, these improvements have long been part of the speculative rumor mill. What I think is more interesting is the leaked iPad 2 cases show off various ports that have caused a wave of speculation in and of themselves. AppleInsider mentions one as “space for what could be an SD card slot.” I’ll have to disagree with AppleInsider here though, I am still convinced the port opening they refer to is for a revised speaker design and not an SD card slot.

If past Apple announcements are any future indicator, we might see the iPad 2 unveiled as early as January of 2011.

The Dock is one of those staple features of Mac OS X, containing all running apps and also serving as a quick launch bar for opening applications and managing multitasking. The Dock is popular and intuitive enough for it to be a core user interface element beyond the Mac, included as a major component in iOS and other OS’s too.

A simple trick to improve Dock functionality is hide it when the Dock is not actively in use. When the automatically hide feature is on, the Dock only shows itself when a cursor is placed over the region of the Mac screen where the Dock is displayed. This is easy to configure, either with a keyboard shortcut or by visiting the Mac OS X system preference settings, let’s get to it cover both.

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