It wasn’t long ago that 10.6.5 came out, but now Mac OS X 10.6.6 GM has been released to developers. So what’s the big deal? Well, the next Mac OS X update includes “developer support for fetching and renewing App Store receipts” suggesting that the release date of the Mac App Store is imminent.

Other notes on the new OS X build refer to changes to Bonjour, Spotlight, OpenGL (perhaps further improving gaming performance), and printing. The printing reference may refer to an expansion of AirPrint compatible printers beyond the twelve HP models that are currently supported to work with the iOS 4.2.1 wireless printing technology.

Apple originally announced that the Mac App Store would be out “within 90 days” of the October Mac OS X 10.7 announcement, but rumors have since gone both ways; some say that the Mac App Store will be released before years end and others suggest it will be pushed live in January 2011.

I would be really pleased to see the Mac App Store released before the end of 2010, and I think the chances are pretty good if the Mac OS X 10.6.6 update is pushed to the public in the next week or two. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

You can fine tune how Mac OS X handles archives with a secret preference pane. There’s quite a few features tucked away in the Archives preference pane, including the ability to delete the archive after it’s expanded, reveal the expanded items in the Finder, and of course the same features for compressing files too. These are great, but my favorite part about the hidden Archives preference pane is the ability to adjust where expanded files go, you can manually set a specific directory for all expanded files to go into automatically.

How to Access and Install the Hidden Archives Preference Pane

Enough talk about the features, let’s access and enable the secret preference pane:

• From the Finder, hit Command+Shift+G to access the “Go to folder”
• Type in /System/Library/CoreServices/
• Locate the app “Archive Utility.app” and right-click, then click on “Show Package Contents”
• Now open Contents > Resources
• Double-click on ‘Archives.prefPane’ to add the Archives preference pane

Once the preference pane has been installed you can access it anytime through System Preferences as any other control panel is accessed. I’m not sure why this isn’t enabled by default, but it’s definitely handy and makes the built-in archive tool a lot more useful (now if only it could unrar files itself).

Update: You can now enable the iPad orientation lock switch in iOS 4.3, this is allows you to adjust the side button to be either a rotation lock or mute button. Highly recommended!

The iPad orientation lock used to be controlled by a switch on the side of the device, since iOS 4.2 the orientation lock switch has been changed to a mute switch, which functions just like the iPhone and iPod touch. So now what? What if you want your iPad screen locked into horizontal or vertical mode?

How to Lock Screen Orientation in iPad iOS 4.2

Here is how you lock the iPad screen orientation:

• Hold the iPad in the orientation you want locked (vertical or horizontal)
• Double-click on the Home button at the bottom of the iPad to bring up the task switcher
• Swipe right on the task switcher to bring up the iPod and iPad controls, and the orientation lock button will be located on the left
• Tap on the orientation lock button (see screenshot above) to lock the current orientation in place
• Hit the home button to exit

Locking the screen orientation through software like this is easy once you know how to do it, but from a user experience perspective it can be a little confusing to change the functionality of a hardware button after it’s been established. Just get into the new habit and all will be well.

I want my iPad orientation hardware switch back!

Apple will allow the iPad side switch to be adjustable between either a Mute button or Orientation lock in iOS 4.3, the beta is now available to developers and a public release is expected in March.

In the meantime, you can get the mute button to function as an orientation lock again if you jailbreak your iPad, the app you’d need to install through Cydia is called “NoMute” and returns the mute button to an orientation lock button.

Update: Download Redsn0w 0.9.6rc8 instead, it is the newest version. You can follow new redsn0w releases here.

Redsn0w 0.9.6b6 has been released for download for both Mac OS X and Windows. Redsn0w 0.9.6b6 is of particular interest to unlockers who experienced battery drain and the disabling of push notifications after unlocking with the previous version of redsn0w.

The new redsn0w includes the ability to enable a “Deactivate” option that removes previously installed patches on an unlocked iPhone, and instead allows you to use a new tool called “Subscriber Artificial Module” or SAM for short. SAM will perform a pseudo-official activation on an iPhone without a stock SIM, and it then tricks your unlocked iPhone and iTunes into sending legitimate activation tickets which returns the usage of push notifications. SAM should also provide a significant boost to your unlocked iPhone 3GS or 3G battery life.

Download Redsn0w 0.9.6b6

You can get the latest version of redsn0w now:

• Download redsn0w 0.9.6b6 for Mac – click here
• Download redsn0w 0.9.6b6 for Windows – click here

You can jailbreak and unlock iOS 4.2.1 as usual before installing the SAM tool. In order to use the new “Deactivate” option in redsn0w 0.9.6b6, you need to first install the SAM tool by adding http://repo.bingner.com as a repository to Cydia, and then installing SAM and SAMPrefs, and then you will be able to use Deactivate in the redsn0w app. Then you just need to enable SAM on your iPhone by tapping on Settings -> SAM -> “De-Activate iPhone”.

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.