A newly discovered Apple patent suggests that Light Peak or a variation of the technology may be making an appearance in future Apple products. The patent describes a “Power and Data Adapter” that has a standard DC power cable with fiber optics included in the same cord, creating a single connector that would replace existing MagSafe adapters. The new adapter would have the ability to charge a device while transferring data at a very high rate of speed, the technology would clearly benefit Apple’s portable hardware, including the MacBook lineup, iPad, and iPhone.

The patent was discovered by PatentlyApple who says “the new I/O promises us a means of rapidly recharging our mobile devices while wildly-accelerating our data transfers.” Whether or not the fiber optic portion of this patent is actually Light Peak or an Apple crafted technology that is just similar in functionality is not known.

Light Peak is described by Intel as follows:

“This new technology is a new optical cable technology designed to connect all of your electronic devices together, such as disk drives, peripherals, displays etc. It runs at very high speed. Its bandwidth starts at 10 Gbps and has the ability to scale up to 100 Gbps over the next decade. And because it’s optical, it allows you to run it on smaller connectors and very long cables such as a 30 meter cable.” Mr. Ziller goes on to state that “another benefit of this technology is it has the ability to run multiple existing I/O protocols simultaneously on a single cable.”

The patent also shows the possibility of MagSafe style power adapters coming to Apple portable devices like the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, which would be a great addition to the portable hardware.

PatentlyApple is on a bit of a roll lately, earlier in the week they uncovered a patent for a Macbook Tablet that features a sliding screen that transforms a standard laptop into an iPad like device.

If you have used redsn0w to jailbreak your iPhone and you are stuck on a “waiting for reboot” screen, you can try the following tips to fix this problem. Be sure you are using the latest version of redsn0w, you can download redsn0w 0.9.6b6 if you need to.

Fix “Waiting for Reboot” with Redsn0w iPhone Jailbreak

First, be certain the iPhone is actually stuck. Redsn0w will display the “waiting for reboot” screen and the iPhone screen may be all white while it reboots, this is normal for a certain amount of time. It may take up to a minute for the iPhone to reboot itself. Assuming you are stuck, let’s continue:

• Make sure you are using the proper IPSW file for your iOS device. You can download iPhone firmware, iPad firmware, and iPod touch firmware if you need to
• Windows users need to be sure they are running redsn0w as Administrator in XP Compatibility Mode

If you are using the proper firmware and running the app correctly, and you are still stuck, proceed with the following fixes:

• Fix 1) With redsn0w running, unplug your iPhone’s USB connection and plug it back in
• Fix 2) Unplug the USB cable from the computer and plug it into a different USB port that is closer to your computer (not a USB hub, keyboard, etc)
• Fix 3) Reboot your iPhone by holding down the Home and Power buttons for 30 seconds

The two USB fixes are suggestions from the iPhone Dev Team. With a hard reboot, you will get out of iPhone DFU mode and boot as usual where you can try jailbreaking again. If you are still having problems, you may be using the incorrect firmware version for your iOS device, or you may not be running the redsn0w application in the proper mode.

The “waiting for reboot” message may also appear on the iPod touch and iPad too, troubleshooting the problem is the same.

Thank you to OSXDaily reader Parakeet for providing some of these troubleshooting tips in the comments.

Dolphin is probably the best Gamecube and Wii Emulator for Mac that exists, it’s open source and somewhat regularly updated so you won’t be stuck high and dry like the old GameCube Gcube emulator.

Dolphin supports playing both Wii and Gamecube discs and downloadable games, and it has your typical emulator features like save states, controller support, and various graphical enhancements such as anti-aliasing.

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AirPrint is the new wireless printing technology that is incorporated into iOS 4.2, and it allows you to print to AirPrint compatible printers directly from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Apple is working with printer manufacturers to make more printers compatible with the technology, and software updates will likely be issued to support these printers as they become compatible.

AirPrint Compatible Printers

Here is the current list of printers that are AirPrint compatible right now, according to Apple:

• HP Envy e-All-in-One series (D410a)
• HP Photosmart Plus e-AiO (B210a)
• HP Photosmart Premium e-AiO (C310a)
• HP Photosmart Premium Fax e-AiO (C410a)
• HP Photosmart e-AiO (D110)
• HP Photosmart eStation (C510)
• HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf Multifunction Printer
• HP LaserJet Pro CM1415fn Color Multifunction Printer
• HP LaserJet Pro CM1415fnw Color Multifunction Printer
• HP LaserJet Pro CP1525n Color Printer
• HP LaserJet Pro CP1525nw Color Printer

This supported printer list is directly from Apple. You’ll notice that some of the printers are basically the same model number but may have a ‘w’ thrown onto the model to emphasize the built-in 802.11 wireless capabilities, the Laserjet printers without those just need to be hooked up to a computer but they will still support AirPlay. If I was to be in the market to buy a new printer I would probably go for a wireless model for convenience, but all these printers work immediately with AirPrint and don’t require any additional setup or hacks, you should be able to find them on your iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone and print to them completely wirelessly.

Can I use AirPrint with other printers? Can I make another printer compatible?

Yes, but it involves using a hack and the printer must be hooked up to a Mac or Windows PC to work. You can make any printer AirPrint compatible for both Mac OS X and Windows, using something called AirPrintHacktivator, but it may be unreliable and prone to bugs. The other downside is that since the printer must be hooked up to a computer, the hack doesn’t offer quite the same wireless flexibility as it requires the computer to be turned on for the printer to work.

If you already own a printer, go ahead and try the hack app, but if you’re shopping for a new printer anyway I would recommend just buying one that comes with AirPrint compatibility by default.

Apple has released a new TV commercial for the iPad, this one is titled “iPad is Amazing” and it show off some of the flashier features of iOS 4.2, including AirPrint wireless printing, multi-tasking, and AirPlay, all on the iPad 1.

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Want to buy a cheap iPhone refurb? AT&T is the place to be, there are some great sales on refurbed iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 and each device includes free 2 day shipping. All refurb iPhones require a 2 year contract and a one time $36 activation fee.

Refurb iPhone 3GS Sale

All iPhones that are sold with ‘cosmetic blemishes’ include a free case with purchase.

• Apple iPhone 3GS (Refurb Cosmetic Blemish) – 8GB – $19
• Apple iPhone 3GS (Refurb Cosmetic Blemish) – 16GB – Black – $49
• Apple iPhone 3GS (Refurb Cosmetic Blemish) – 16GB – White -$49
• Apple iPhone 3GS – 16 GB – Black (Refurb) – $99
• Apple iPhone 3GS – 16 GB – White (Refurb) – $99

Refurb iPhone 4 Sale

The iPhone 4 with cosmetic blemishes includes a free case.

• Apple iPhone 4 (Refurb Cosmetic Blemish) – 16GB – Black – $129

What exactly is a “Cosmetic Blemish” on an iPhone? AT&T says each device is quality tested and that the blemish must not impair the functionality of the device, meaning the screen must be in good working order. The number and degree of blemishes vary, but they may include scratches, scuffing, dings and dents, and discoloration.

The warranty for refurbished iPhone hardware is as follows, according to AT&T’s warranty claim policy:

Warranty Claims/Exchanges
Refurbished Apple branded equipment is covered under Apple’s original Limited Warranty, and will have at least 90 days or more remaining under the warranty when sold.

For warranty claims on Apple branded equipment, please refer to www.apple.com/support/oss/ for details.

I’m not sure how long this deal is going for but if you don’t mind an imperfect looking iPhone then these are some good deals. If you get a blemished iPhone, just throw it in a good iPhone case and you’ll be good to go.

Whether or not you can unlock your iPhone depends on several things, including what iPhone you have and what version of iOS your phone is running. We have received many questions and comments asking if someone can unlock their particular iPhone and we hope this post will help to answer those enquiries.

We will go through each device and show you the criteria that must be met to see if you can unlock your iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, or iPhone 3G.
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Earlier in the year a patent for a MacBook Touch of sorts appeared, basically it was a MacBook with a touch screen, but that idea was later shot down by Steve Jobs in the Mac OS X 10.7 Lion preview keynote speech who said that touching a laptop screen was ergonomically awkward. Now another patent has surfaced that seems to alleviate that problem, and this time it features a MacBook that converts to a tablet by sliding the screen forward over the keyboard.

According to Patently Apple, a variation of the MacBook Tablet patent first appeared in 2008 but the convertible concept has reappeared in new patents for iOS keyboard detection and a new scrolling API. Patently Apple also points out that the idea of a laptop with a sliding screen has already been adopted by Dell in the Inspiron Duo (shown below next to an iPad):
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AirPrint is definitely one of the more convenient features of iOS and thanks to a new tool you can turn any printer connected to your Mac or Windows PC into an AirPrint compatible printer.

The utility is called AirPrint Hacktivator and it’s very easy to use. Read on to learn how you can make any printer AirPrint compatible with this cool app.

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If you’re new to the world of jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone, you might be curious what the difference between an unlock and jailbreak is. Jailbreaking and unlocking are two very different things that are commonly confused by people who are new to the concepts, read on to better understand the differences between the two and to find out which you may want to use.

Note that I am referring to the iPhone in particular but this information is relevant for all other iOS hardware, including the iPod touch, Apple TV, and iPad.

Difference between Jailbreak and Unlock

Both jailbreaking and unlocking allow you to do things your iPhone does not normally have the ability to do. An unlock allows you to use other carriers SIM cards, and a jailbreak allows you to use unofficial apps and software on the iPhone. Here are further explanations:
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Did you know that multimedia file icons can serve double purpose as media playback? Yes indeed, you can actually play any mp3 or audio file directly in the Mac OS X Finder by using this little known icon playback trick.

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A white Cydia icon indicates that Cydia either needs to update or have a tethered boot with the aid of jailbreak software to run. If you have recently used redsn0w to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch, you may have rebooted the device to find that the Cydia icon is white (meaning no sources), or that Cydia won’t launch.

Fix #1) Perform a Tethered Boot
If you have used redsn0w to jailbreak and you find a white Cydia icon this tethered boot is the first fix to try. You do this by relaunching redsn0w while your iOS device is connected to the computer and then selecting that you just want to tethered boot for now. You can download redsn0w 0.9.6b5 for Mac or Windows if you need it to perform the tethered boot.

Fix #2) Re-download Cydia or Update Cydia Sources
If the Cydia icon still appears white or you did not use redsn0w, Cydia may not have any sources added to the app. You can either re-download or update Cydia, or add sources directly to the app. The Cydia source to add is: http://apt.saurik.com/cydia

Amazon is selling Pixelmator for $17.99 with free shipping, this is a remarkable 70% off the retail price of $59.99. This huge discount is a Cyber Monday only deal with a limited number of copies available, so grab it before it sells out.

Pixelmator is a great image editing application for Mac that has all the features you’d expect from an image editor but without the high price tag. Cropping, selecting, paintbrushes, text tools, layers, tons of color correction and adjustment tools, full iPhoto support, what’s not to love? In many ways it’s like a lighter version of Photoshop, and for most users Pixelmator is probably more than sufficient to accomplish most of the tasks you’d want to complete with an image editor.

If you’re looking for a great deal on an image editor for Mac OS X, Pixelmator for $17.99 is it, this beats any coupon or other online deal by a long shot. Head over to Amazon to grab Pixelmator for $17.99 including free shipping.
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The iPod touch seems to be on everyones shopping list this year, thankfully there’s some great deals floating around for the iPod and its many accessories.

iPod Touch Cyber Monday Deals & Sales

The iPod Touch from Amazon is a particularly good deal at the moment because you get a free speaker dock with the purchase. To get the free Butterfly Speaker Dock, follow an iPod touch link and then add both the iPod touch and this speaker dock to cart. You have to add the two items to your cart otherwise the Speaker Dock system won’t be free.

• iPod touch 32 GB (4th Gen) for $269.99 plus free Speaker Dock – 10% off retail plus a free $69 speaker dock
• iPod touch 8 GB (4th Gen) for $214 – 7% off retail saves you $15 – get the free Butterfly Speaker Dock by adding it to cart as well
• iPod touch 64 GB (4th Gen) for $369 – save $30 off retail and you get the free Butterfly Speaker Dock by adding it to your iPod touch order

The free speaker dock is a little strange looking but apparently it sounds pretty good and hey, it’s free, not bad right?

iPod Touch Case Deals & Sales

These iPod touch cases fit the above 4th gen iPod touch and are so deeply discounted they’re practically free:

• Black Soft Gel Case for iPod Touch 4th Gen for $2.49 – this is 92% off of retail of $29.99, plus it includes free shipping
• Rubberized Hard Crystal Case for iPod Touch 4th Gen for $2.84 – 91% off retail and includes free shipping

iPod & iPhone Speaker Docks

The Altec Lansing deal is deeply discounted for a great iPod/iPhone speaker set, I have another Altec Lansing speaker dock and I really like it.

• Altec Lansing inMotion MIX iMT800 Portable Boom Box for iPhone and iPod for $179.65 – 40% off retail saves you $120, this is one of the best reviewed speaker docks for the iPhone and iPod
• Logitech S715i Rechargeable Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone for $119.99 – 20% off retail saves you $30 and gets free shipping

There is much more available, so check out more deals on Amazons iPod Store.

Amazon is one of the hottest places to shop this Cyber Monday, they have tons of deals for just about anything you can imagine from TV’s to books to computers. I’ll highlight a few good tech deals but if you’re shopping you ought to head over to Amazon.com Cyber Monday Deals to see everything, there are just too many deals to list.

All items include free shipping from Amazon.com.

External Hard Drive Deals

• Western Digital WD Elements 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for $69 – 47% off retail
• Western Digital WD Elements 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for $89.99 – 41% off retail

Mac Software Deals

• Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 – Single License for $79.99 – 33% off retail
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 for $46.22 after rebate – 49% off retail

Mac Hardware Deals

Apple hardware is rarely on sale, but Amazon has some pretty good Cyber Monday deals on MacBooks

• Mac Mini 2.4GHz for $612.50 – 12% off retail
• MacBook Pro 13″ 2.4GHz for $1098 – 8% off retail
• MacBook Air 11.6″ for $969.99 – 3% off retail

Check out Amazon.com’s Cyber Monday Deals for tons more

This is a handy Finder tip for those who like to use the Column View of the OS X file manager: you can zoom into the Mac OS X Finder Column View Preview panes. Here’s how this works using either a key modifier or multitouch trackpad:

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Redsn0w 0.9.6b5 jailbreaks iOS 4.2.1 but also provides the added ability to install baseband firmware that can be unlocked for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G. For other iOS devices, redsn0w 0.9.6b5 will simply jailbreak the device but some models will be a tethered jailbreak.

It’s very important to remember that the 06.15 baseband update for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G that is required for an update is irreversible and it will void your iPhone warranty with Apple. This is currently the only way to unlock 05.14 and 05.15 basebands. Proceed at your own risk.
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Redsn0w 0.9.6b5 has been released for download for both Mac OS X and Windows, and it allows you to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 on iPhone. This new version of redsn0w is particularly valuable to those wanting to unlock their iPhone from baseband 05.14 and 05.15 because it prepares the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G for unlocking with ultrasn0w.

Redsn0w might also be considered easier to use since the application will automatically download the iPad IPSW 3.2.2 file from Apple rather than you having to do it yourself, meaning you only have to point at one IPSW file, which is your own jailbroken version.

Download redsn0w 0.9.6b5

You can grab the latest beta 5 version of redsn0w 0.9.6 for Mac or Windows:

• Download redsn0w 0.9.6b5 for Mac – click here
• Download redsn0w 0.9.6b5 for Windows – click here

Note: these links have been updated to download the rc16, the newest version of redsn0w.

Be sure to keep your device plugged in and powered via USB throughout the entire jailbreak process with redsn0w. For Windows 7 and Vista users, be sure to run redsn0w as Administrator in “Windows XP Compatability Mode” to avoid any errors.

The functionality of Redsn0w 0.9.6b5 is similar to PwnageTool 4.1.3 in that it allows you to upgrade to 06.15 baseband (from the iPad) which is vulnerable to the newly released ultrasn0w 1.2 unlock. This is currently the only way you can unlock certain versions of iPhone baseband.

Update: A new version of redsn0w has been released, you can now download redsn0w 0.9.6rc8, the new version is recommended for all.