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Hey, all. I haven’t posted in a while but I thought I should get back on the band wagon.

Today, I’ve got some iPhone cases from one of my favorite clothing designers, Johnny Cupcakes. Those of you that don’t know anything about Johnny Cupcakes, you soon will. He runs a Boston based clothing company with the main design theme being the cupcake. They stock everything from T-shirts, to jumpers, to belts and now iPhone cases. The whole brand itself has got a cult kind of following and is known for its kooky and usual way of doing things.  Check out the website and you’ll know exactly what i mean.

The new Johnny Cupcakes iPhone cases fit both regular iPhones and the new 3G iPhones. They are available online and in both the Boston & LA stores.

A little late here but I needed to post on this. The latest update to Mac OS X, in testing since the beginning of August, is now available for download. As usual, the OS X 10.5.5 update is “recommended for all users,” and “includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.”

The fixes include improvements to MacBook Air performance, iPhone and PalmOS syncing, Time Machine and Time Capsule reliability, Mail IMAP and SMTP compatibility, and tweaks to iCal and Address Book. The update also improves MobileMe syncing, Disk Utility, Speech Dictionary, and Kerberos authentication with some Samba servers.

In addition to the performance and reliability improvements, though, this update includes numerous security fixes. Several fixes are included for dealing with images in TIFF, JPEG, PNG, and PICT formats. Several components are updated to further protect against DNS cache poisoning, including BIND, mDNSresponder, and libresolv. Other security fixes are detailed in Apple’s KB article. A separate update for Mac OS X 10.4.11 includes these security fixes for that OS version.

As usual, the updates are available via Software Update.

[via Arstechnica]

CNBC has sat down with a healthy and happy Steve Jobs following the San Francisco ‘Let’s Rock’ event. Much of the interview is based around his keynote and new product announcements however, there is talk of stock prices, the current position of Apple as a company and the new Microsoft ad.

Head over to the CNBC website to see the full video interview.
CNBC.com

In case you haven’t noticed, Apple has updated their homepage. So, if you’re after the new iTunes 8 download, new iPod Touch or iPod Nano information, or guided video tours or the Steve Jobs keynote… its all there.

You know where to go, Apple.

Last week I decided to try a new app from Foozoo Design called Lockdown. Lockdown is security software app that locks your mac, allowing no-one but you to use it. Once enabled Lockdown’s motion-sensors, keyboard-sensors, external device sensors and MagSafe sensors prevent all co-workers, thief’s and family members from using your mac. When your mac detects a unauthorized user, the computer sounds an alarm, preventing the system from being muted or put to sleep. The software will even take a snap shot of the user with your iSight and email directly to your account.

Sounds cool huh? I thought so too, until Lockdown locked me out of my own computer. Yes, things were looking good for Friday afternoon. I was going to relax, watch some movies, but silly Ben…I decided to try out the new Lockdown.

All went well with the installation of Lockdown and I was ready to test it out. I pressed the enable button and waited to be identified as a ‘unauthorized user’. As a hit the keyboard, the alarm went off; frightening everyone in the house. Make it stop, make it stop! Shaking doesn’t work, pressing the keyboarded doesn’t work, nothing works! Unless of course you have an Apple remote. Something I didn’t have with me at that time (being away from home). The only option was to manually force my mac to shut-down, hoping that it would turn on again normally when I got home.

It didn’t…..

I couldn’t start the computer in safe mode, i couldn’t start the computer in normal mode. What a headache it had turned out to be. After checking the website (on a PC) I realised there was no user feedback or instruction manual. No fix for my problem anywhere. Only a few people reporting the same issue on Mac forums.

So, I guess your wondering if I got my mac working again. Yes, I did. Thanks to the staff at my local Mac shop I was advised do an OS reinstall. Fortunately I kept all my data and the whole experience merely cost only a few troublesome hours. No thanks however, to the Lockdown team. I’m still waiting on a return email regarding a fix to my problem.

Lockdown is unnecessary software. Any security program that doesn’t have an easy to use disable method isn’t worth using. There are plenty of other software alternatives out there, similar to Lockdown, yet better.

WARNING: Avoid Lockdown.

For those interested, PwnageTool 2.0.3 for iPhone & iPod Touch was released yesterday from the iPhone Dev Team. The new version sports the ability to jailbreak iPhone/ iPod Touch firmware 2.0.2 5C1, a new look version of the Installer.app beta 6 and New .de localization for German speaking users. If your keen to jailbreak your iPhone and run those crazy homebrew apps, you can download the new PwnageTool at the iPhone Dev Team’s Blog.

Brave enough to jailbreak your iPhone? Let us know how the new PwnageTool worked for you.

If your a regular in our forums you might have seen the so-called new Macbook Pro advertisement that has been circulating the internet. Well, sure enough its a fake, created by MacRumors forum member. But, for what its worth it is a pretty good fake. The ‘fake’ Macbook Pro features an aluminum case, MacBook Air-style backlit black plastic keyboard, tapered edges and a thinner design. It could actually be very close to the final Macbook Pro Apple churns out. Ah but, what will be under the hood I hear you ask? Well.. You’ll just have to take that up with Mr Jobs because we have absolutely no idea.

In other news; it seems that all sources are pointing to September 9th for Apple to launch their new product line. Will it be the iPod Nano 4th-gen, Macbook Pro or a Macbook Touch (iTablet)? Who knows, neither the date or the product is confirmed or denied by Apple. I’m guessing we’ll just have to wait this one out guys…

In the mean time though, head to the rumor mill in our forum to discuss possible products, dates and specs.

Kevin Rose founder of Digg and Pownce has fueled the current Apple rumor speculation in stating that we will see a huge overhaul in hardware and software updates over the next 2 - 3 weeks. Rose has not only suggested that we will see a completely new iPod Nano (resembling the stylistic features of the Macbook Air) but we will could also see iTouch updates, iPhone firmware updates, current iPod price drops & the new iTunes 8. Wow, big promises Mr Rose! Lets see how close your predictions are this time…

Check out his full blog post here.

Think he’s on the money? Discuss in the forums!

Developer: TinyPlanet
Price: $40
Requirments: Mac OS X 10.5
Trial: Fully featured (30 Days)

I’ve been putting this review off for quiet sometime. Why, I hear you ask?
…Because I really want to like ‘Knapsack’, i do! But, its just not all there yet.

Have you ever had the feeling of ordering a really tasty meal? So tasty you could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 10 years of your life? It tastes phenomenal, yet just doesn’t fill you up. You finish, yet you still feel hungry. Knapsack is a little bit like that feeling. Its all comes together really well, has a great foundation yet doesn’t quiet have all the perks of a professional & high quality program.

Knapsack is a personal travel organiser for Mac OS X which allows users to plan, organise, and relive their travel adventures. The organiser allows users to place map pins with location postcards onto the globe, create itinerary’s, trip checklists, sync trip information with iCal and print professional-looking itineraries. It’s user friendly, not to bulky and time efficient. Its great for organising a trip from start to finish to avoid all annoyances and issues. Knapsack has a foundation of features that is seamless and has been executed really well! Its use, integration and sync as a personal organizer is second to none.

Knapsack is only Tinyplanet’s first release and as such I’m left wanting more. iPhoto sync, Google Maps–like interface and an integrated trip dairy are just some of the possibilities that could really lift standard of Knapsack. Tinyplanet and Knapsack obviously have a bright future ahead of them. I cant wait to see all the future updates and releases of this software as I hear a few of these features are already on way!

Basically, Knapsack is a great personal travel organiser. Although it still has a long way to come, it’s a solid program and already has a lot of great features to offer. If you need to get organised for you next trip or getaway, Knapsack is defiantly the only way to go and is honestly only going to improve with future releases.

Head over to the Tinyplanet website and grab a free 30 day trial. Your next trip away will love you for it.

Yippee! Three new Mac vs. PC ads have been posted on the Apple website: Pizza Box, Throne and Calming Teas. As usual, they are full of hilarious one liners. Go check them out.