The latest controversy: Dish Network’s “Auto Hop”. The way it works is that after 1am the following day a show airs, network shows on Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC will automatically advance over commercials. We promise you that 100% of subscribers to Dish Network want and love this feature. But what we want as customers, the people who matter most, often gets tossed by the wayside.

Broadcasters (and advertisers), meanwhile, are already heading to the courtroom. Fox in particular has filed a lawsuit already stating that Dish Network’s Auto Hop violates copyrights and on a greater scale, harms Fox and its advertising partners:

“We were given no choice but to file suit against one of our largest distributors, DISH Network, because of their surprising move to market a product with the clear goal of violating copyrights and destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the broadcast television ecosystem. Their wrongheaded decision requires us to take swift action in order to aggressively defend the future of free, over-the-air television.”

Dish Network maintains their product is 100% legal and has pushed onward by asking a judge to let them continue offering their Auto Hop feature despite the already heated remarks coming from broadcasters and advertisers. Most importantly, however, is the fact that Dish Network is not backing down. They have counter-sued Fox as well as opening individual lawsuits against ABC, CBS and NBC, too. (Via: Hollywood Reporter)

Another issue on deck – Fox’s lawsuit also attacks Dish Networks’ slinging/streaming features that lets customers stream paid content over the internet to their mobile devices — something FOX says violates their terms of service.

We sincerely hope a precedent can be set here, and that what customers truly want comes before a select few executives only looking to line their own pockets. Sadly, the pessimist (and realist) in us takes a quick look at history regarding such fights and know the days of Auto Hop are already numbered.

Source: Hollywood Reporter | Via: The Verge, Reuters

User Interface

Upon firing up you’re met with a fresh, clean UI that quite frankly, we wish the dedicated Facebook app shared (perhaps a the future of Facebook’s mobile apps?). At the top of the app you’ll see a single row of recently snapped pictures (your own) as well as a camera icon to take new pictures. Underneath the first row, you’ll see a photo timeline similar to the normal Facebook timeline/app. What we really like is that when swiping down, more of your photo library on your phone is revealed; swiping all the way down brings reveals a full-screen grid view of your photo library from which multiple photos can be selected, edited and shared. It’s all very smooth and fast — quite different than the normal Facebook app.

Sharing Photos

Sharing photos is super simple, as is applying filters. Simply hit the camera icon located in the top left of the main timeline view or swipe down to select a Photo Library photo. Select your filter, add a comment/location/tagged friend and hit “post”. And…that’s it. Short paragraph, eh?

Really, the Facebook Camera app is very similar to Instagram’s entire service save for (of course) the UI.

We have to admit, after avoiding the mobile Facebook app as much as humanly possible we’re actually finding the Facebook Camera app to be quite nice. It has a few hiccups here and there, occasionally crashing to the homescreen of our phone when taking a picture or applying a filter. But for the most part, Facebook Camera 1.0 is a nice first try. Navigating the app is again fast and smooth, and the large assortment of filters mean kids and adults alike will have plenty of fake photography chops to dump online.

If Facebook could re-do their dedicated app with the UI and polish of Facebook Camera, we’d actually consider using it again. (Listening, guys/gals?)

Why A Separate App?

If you’re scratching your head wondering why Facebook released this dedicated camera app after instead of integrating directly into the main Facebook app, you’re probably not alone. For what it’s worth, Facebook has already done this before — use the Facebook Messenger app?

Releasing a standalone photo app solidifies the belief that Facebook’s mobile ambitions are now even stronger, not to mention their quest to become a one-stop shop for sharing all of your life’s journeys whether it be desktop or laptop. Also, the mobile photo sharing/filter category is a hotbed of activity no thanks to popular app Instagram.

But didn’t Facebook buy Instagram? Why yes, yes they did. Though, it’s worth pointing out the purchase hasn’t officially been finalized. On top of that, the fact that Facebook pushed this app out now, before the buyout of Instagram has completed, means this app has been in the oven baking for quite some time, and that buying Instagram only made sense given Facebook’s greater focus on mobile photo sharing/basic photo editing.

Removing competition is probably one of the reasons Facebook has decided to purchase Instagram. But, we’re willing to bet Facebook no doubt wanted some of Instagram’s designers/developers and Instagram IP, too.

Will Facebook’s Camera App Garner The Same Following As Instagram?

At this stage in the game, Instagram is practically a household name on iOS, and more recently, Android — though, so is Facebook. Facebook certainly doesn’t have to worry about attracting users with well over 700 million accounts. Still, we see Instagram as an easier, more socially friendly way to take, edit and share pictures seeing as how we can share to not only Facebook, but Twitter, Tumblr and a host of other social services. Furthermore, Facebook Camera is currently an iOS-only app with no mention of an Android variant (though there will have to be one at some point).

All that said, we think Facebook Camera will probably only appeal to die-hard Facebook users — at least for now. Then again, once the Facebook-Instagram takeover finally goes through, and if Facebook shutters the standalone Instagram app/service, the only logical place to go from there is right back to Facebook Camera as it is more or less going to be a Facebook-ified Instagram, complete with large userbase and wide assortment of filters. The other option: find a new service.

Facebook Camera, Instagram Or Something Else?

So we have to ask: Is Facebook Camera going to pull you away from Instagram. If you don’t use Instagram, will you begin using the Facebook Camera app? Or, are you pretty much over photo sharing apps at this point? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

• Facebook Camera for iOS: Download (iTunes Link)

More: Facebook Newsroom

Gallery

Google+ v2.6 for Android brings a brand new, photo-centric UI as well as redesigned +1 buttons in an effort to make the app easier to use/share content, and of course to simply look nicer. Under the hood, Google has brought several new features to the table including: improvements to video Hangouts, comment editing (without having to use a desktop browser or deleting entire comment), and a new, dedicated “Hangout Ribbon”.

All in all, the update is one of the (visually) biggest to date and goes a long way into making Google+ on mobiles feel a lot nicer and easier to use. The big question that remains, however, is just how many people are actually actively using Google+.

Download the new Google Plus update for Android: Download

The handset has already hit North American shores, unfortunately dropping the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor. But it’s not all bad. In exchange we received a super fast dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor that rivals the Tegra 3 in many instances, and more importantly, LTE. Similarly, the German version of the One X, the One XL, will also drop Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core in favor of the same dual-core Snapdragon and incorporate LTE, too. Carriers Vodafone, O2 and Duetsche Telecom are a few of the still limited carriers abroad that offer LTE service.

Other than the inclusion of LTE, the One XL is pretty much physically and cosmetically the same as the North American One X — 1.5 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 4.7″ screen and all. Look for it to hit the carriers mentioned above in early June, with other European carriers following

Via: AndroidCommunity

A recent tweet from the @HITBsecConf twitter account for said conference says that on Friday, May 25th, pod2g and friends will be showing off a live demonstration of the new jailbreak, with a public release hitting the interwebs (reportedly) shortly thereafter. The event is kicking off at 11:30am CET (5:30am EST) and will begin with a few discussions and other demos before the real meat of the day, Absinthe 2.0, is shown off.

Needless to say, a lot of iOS users will be hunched over their keyboards tomorrow, anxiously awaiting a download link for the new jailbreak — it’s been a longtime coming.

Source: conference.hitb.org | Via: ModMyi, @MrRobinson

A new report by the WSJ claims CEO Thorsten Heins has pretty much killed the project that would see RIM release iOS and Android compatible version of BlackBerry Messenger. The original goal to opening up BlackBerry Messenger was to have it compete with the flood of other device and non-device specific chat apps like iMessage, Kik, WhatsApp, etc.

On top of that, the WSJ report also says the same sources claim that previous talk of licensing the BlackBerry OS to 3rd parties has also been effectively quashed (or more accurately, “put on the backburner”).

RIM’s entire future rests on how well BlackBerry 10 does in the marketplace, and said OS isn’t slated to ship until late this year, after Apple ships iOS 6 and a new iPhone and very possibly after Google unveils their next major OS, too. Still, what we’ve seen so far from the small number of public showings and leaked images suggests RIM does have a potential winner on their hands. As always, however, the statement “too little too late keeps coming to mind”. All that said, we’re pulling for RIM and hope they can get all of their ducks in a row and release something truly unique.

Source: WSJ | Via: ElectricPig

As the concept depicted, the tweak itself is pretty basic; you unlock your screen by sliding across as normal. Though, instead the usual sliding button at the bottom, the screen folds in on itself into a series of several uniform folds.

Naturally, one might assume that the left-to-right swiping gesture for Unfold to Unlock might interfere with other onscreen gestures. Not so. According to iDownloadblog, several big name jailbreak tweaks such as LockInfo, Camera Grabber, Bulletin, IntelliscreenX and even the iOS passcode screen all work with Unfold to Unlock, not to mention many others.

The app is available for free, however, we wouldn’t hesitate to chip the developer a couple bucks for his efforts. These talented people often work for the community, for free, and put aside other work to do so.

Let us know what you think!

Via: iDownloadblog

Image Property of Robert Scoble – link

Sony and Samsung cheap TVs you will find no more. Apparently, 3rd party retailers’ heavy handed price slashing has gotten both consumer electronic giants hot under the collar. So much so, in fact, that both manufacturers are reportedly beginning to enforce minimum pricing. The new minimum pricing scheme will allegedly “protect both the manufacturers’ margins and the retailers’ profits from ‘showrooming’” — showrooming is the act of checking gear out in-store and then purchasing online for a lesser price. Admit it. We’ve all done that. (And why not?)

But no more. Sony in particular drastically wants to get their TV business out of the red ink and returning to a profit earning giant. That said, simply slapping a higher price tag on your products doesn’t add additional value. That comes from actual performance of the hardware, support network, software related goodies, etc.

Will the move pay off for Sony and Samsung in the long run? We’ll see…

Source: WSJ | Via: The Verge

That said, we’ve come to be quite the battery case aficionados here at Gadgetsteria, building an ever-growing database of iPhone battery case reviews/data over the last 12-18 months. Looking back at it all, it’s become apparent that some type of round-up is needed so you the reader can more quickly compare and contrast the various cases we’ve spent some time with. So, here it goes…

Powerskin 2000

As one of our earlier case reviews, the (at the time) massively large 2,000 mAh battery was a worthy talking point. It was, and still is, on the high side as far as battery cases go. Charge times (both charging the phone and charging the case) are “average” in our book, taking roughly two and a half hours for the phone and two and a half to three hours for the case.

Oddly enough, while the Powerskin’s 2,000 mAh battery is considerably larger than the iPhone 4S’ 1,420 mAh internal pack, it rarely gets our phone higher than 90-95% — something to consider.

Performance is the Powerskin 2000′s claim to fame, design and feeling-in-the-hand are not. For starters, the Powerskin is very brickish in shape with lightly contoured edges that really do make it feel pretty large. More annoying, however, is the ultra-soft rubber finish. It’s too sticky in our opinion, meaning pocket lint and other dirt/dust will adhere to the case easily. Weekly cleaning is something you’re going to want to think about.

$79.99 is a tad much in our book considering it doesn’t come with any extras. Still, it’s a decent battery case.

More: Powerskin full review

Incipio offGRID

Switching gears from the larger-than-life Powerskin above, Incipio’s offGRID feels downright tiny in comparison. Instead of going for a full 0-100% goal, Incipio instead chose to cater more towards providing an extra bump in daily battery life while still keeping the case relatively thin and lightweight. Spoiler: They succeeded.

The offGRID is by far one of the thinnest battery cases on the market. Not only that, it is also one of the most comfortable to hold and use in our book. In fact, in many instances we’d say the offGRID makes our iPhone more comfortable to hold/use for extended periods. Whereas Powerskin took a soft touch, rubber-ish approach, Incipio instead choose to leave the offGRID’s plastic exposed, albeit painted over (obviously) to look better to the users’ eye.

The 1,450 mAh battery is just barely bigger than the iPhone 4S’ 1,420 mAh internal battery, and as such, will only recharge your phone in the range of ~50-70%. Considering the much smaller footprint, we think Incipio did a damn fine job with the offGRID in both design and functionality. Re-charge time for the offGRID itself is between two and two and a half hours.

The only gripe we have with the offGRID is the price — $69.99. In this instance you’re not paying solely for battery power (as it is lower than its competitors). You’re paying for a modest bump in battery life along with a well designed and more pocket-friendly case.

More: Incipio offGRID full review

Incipio offGRID Pro

At CES 2012 we stumbled into Incipio’s booth and were ecstatic (really) to find a new offGRID Pro prototype floating around. At the time it was confined to a glass box, unable to be poked or prodded. But our waiting (and persistance) finally paid off this spring when a shiny, new offGRID Pro showed up at our doorstep. So what has Incipio done to make it better?

Design wise the offGRID Pro looks very similar to the original offGRID with the exception of how the case is actually held together. Whereas the original offGRID was a slider type case, the offGRID Pro features a more unique two-piece bumper + slider design. Slide your phone into the bottom/back piece of the phone and then wrap the bumper piece aground the phone and bottom/back piece of case to hold it all together. Are only gripe with this design is it is a bit difficult to get a part, though, nothing a sharp object can’t help.

But there similarities end there. For starters, the internal battery is larger — 1,600 mAh instead of 1,450 mAh. But Incipio went above and beyond by including a second 1,600 mAh battery as the batteries are now easily removable. On top of that, Incipio included a standalone micro-USB battery charger to keep the second battery charged at all times for quick, hot-swapping action.

Performance from the 1,600 mAh battery is a bit better than the offGRID’s smaller 1,450 mAh battery; we have seen 1% recharges go as high as 75%. (In the original review we noted ~71% as the max. Additional usage/testing has netted a few extra percentage points.) But again, while the offGRID Pro isn’t the runtime-doubling, ultra marathon case we were hoping an offGRID successor would be, we are completely head over heels for this case.

The batteries, when inside the case or via external charger, take about two and a half hours to re-charge. (See a pattern here…?)

While we had some reservations about Incipio’s pricing of the original offGRID, we really aren’t too surprised or discouraged by the offGRID Pro’s higher $100 price tag. When you look at everything you get — the case, 2x 1,600 mAh batteries and stand alone charger for the second battery — the
value is made readily apparent.

Despite all of the changes in design and mAh capacity, Incipio still managed to keep the case pretty much identical in size (read: it’s still, in our opinion, the best combination of mAh power and size/comfort) as the original offGRID. Job well done we say.

More: Incipio offGRID Pro full review

BoostCase

The BoostCase is another CES contestant. Before CES: Unveiled, we hadn’t heard of BoostCase. But after spotting a few on display, we immediately knew we had to try them out. The overall design which incorporated additional colors besides your typical black/white case colors was a very welcome change, as was the slide-and-twist nature of the two-piece case design. (This design, mind you, also allows swapping of case colors for customization’s sake.)

The 1,900 mAh battery inside the BoostCase got us back up to 75%-85% with our max test netting an 88% charge when charged from a save-me-now (says the battery) 1% charge. The BoostCase itself, like most other cases, takes about two and a half hours to fully recharge itself. Also, while the 1,900 mAh battery is on the large side, the BoostCase engineers did a pretty good job of making it not feel like a brick. Kudos.

One thing we noticed with the BoostCase in particular is that the charging LED lights on the back of the case could be a bit sporadic. Sometimes as soon as 20 minutes after turning on a fully charged case we’d see the 4 LEDs decrease to 2, and then ~15 minutes later drop to 1. That 1 LED would then stay lit for the next hour and a half while the case completely discharged. Our iPhone would still get a full (as much as the case would provide) charge. It’s just that the case was not properly registering its own charge.

$79.95 is a pretty fair price in our book for the fresh design and swappable color plates, not to mention the upper-tier 1,900 mAh battery.

More: BoostCase full review

Phonesuit Elite

The Phonesuit Elite is a self-proclaimed “fastest” charging iPhone battery case. And in our hands-on testing we found that statement to generally hold true. Average 1-95/97% charge times were as low as one hour and 27 minutes. Getting the additional few percentage points up to 100% could take up to an additional 20-40 minutes, however. Still, the Phonesuit Elite’s 2,100 mAh, class-leading battery is one of the few that can actually get your iPhone to 100%. In fact, the Phonesuit Elite can actually take you back up to 100% and then dump another ~10-30% charge back into your phone.

The class-leading mAh rating means a bigger battery which in turn means a
thicker case. Despite being 100 mAh larger than the Powerskin case above,
we actually found the Phonesuit Elite felt (and looked) smaller thanks to more contoured edges. Bonus: Powerskin made the soft touch coating far less sticky than Powerskin did meaning no pocket fuzzies mucking up your phone.

At $79.99, those looking for purely the best performance money can by will be surprised to find it priced at only $79.99. If size/weight isn’t as big of a concern for you, this is the case to look at.

More: Phonesuit Elite full review

Spyder i4

The newest addition to our battery case collection is Spyder’s i4 2,000 mAh case. Physically it isn’t all that impressive. Though, we do like the two-piece slider design and included second top piece. It makes loosing the
slide-off top piece less of a concern. We also really like the re-charge performance of ~90%. However, the real talking point with the i4 is the included, matching dock covered in the same matte black, soft touch finish. The dock is pretty basic — you plug it into a micro-USB cable and then sit your phone inside the dock. But we love being able to pop our phone on and off the dock exponentially more than fumbling around with USB cables any day of the week.

Like the Phonesuit Elite, the soft touch finish is not sticky at all, and should combat fuzz/dust rather well in the long run. Also (like the Phonesuit Elite), the designers of the Spyder i4 took comfort and usability into consideration as the sides and overall case shape are contoured enough to mask the case’s true size and and weight. It too escapes feeling like a simple battery brick like the Powerskin.

$89.99 for near-100% re-charges and a sweet included dock make the i4 a top
contender in our book.

More: Spyder i4 full review

The Wrap-up

While we highly suggest you check out each review above to find out more
about each respective case, we can pretty easily narrow the results above
down into three solid choices (though all of them are worthy).

• Small yet powerful: Incipio offGRID/Pro (either
  are a good choice considering the size)

• Ultimate runtime: Phonesuit Elite

• Added functionality: Spyder i4

We’ve been fortunate enough to handle and use a pretty good assortment of iPhone 4/4S battery cases over the last year including the BoostCase, Powerskin 2000, Incipio offGRID and offGRID Pro and Phonesuit Elite and more. Needless to say, we’ve built up a fairly extensive amount of knowledge regarding iPhone battery cases. And today we’re adding to that knowledge base with Spyder’s PowerShadow i4 2,000 mAh iPhone 4/4S battery case. Let’s see how it fares.

Design

Covered in a matte black, soft touch finish, the Spyder i4 mimics several other iPhone battery cases. This isn’t a bad thing though as we think the non-shiny, non-slip color/texture is a perfect combination. Another thing we like, and something that has seemingly become the norm, is the two-piece slider design. The top third of the i4 pops off the top allowing you to slide your iPhone in and out of the case. (We feel this is a better solution than some cases with you have to literally wrap the case around your phone – more secure and less prone to loosening with age.

As far as access goes, the entire screen of your iPhone is exposed. Ditto for the buttons and switches. Instead of button covers, the i4 has simple cutouts that allow easy access to all of your buttons. The only gripe we have (and it’s common with battery cases) is that the headphone cutout is too small. Anyone with a thicker 3.5mm headphone jack for mid- to higher-end headphones/earphones is going to need a small adapter to make everything play nice. Not a deal breaker per say, but something you have to consider (carrying around an adapter or removing the top piece every time you want to use headphones with a thick jack).

On the bottom of the case you’ll find a micro-USB port off to the far right, and a handful of metal contacts for the included dock (more on that in a minute) in the center.

If we are to be super picky, we’ll note that the addition of metal contacts to the bottom of the case make the bottom portion of the i4 ever so slightly thicker (~1-2mm) than your typical iPhone 4/4S battery case that uses just micro-USB. To some it’s an annoyance. Others, meanwhile, won’t notice it.

i4 Dock

We mentioned differentiation above and how battery cases are becoming a dime a dozen. While iPhone battery case manufacturers haven’t gotten too crazy yet with experimenting with different features, hardware designs, etc., i4 has found a way to make us raise an eyebrow – a stand alone dock. Most battery cases are very basic when it comes to charging — you use a micro-USB to plug it into a USB port or wall jack and away you go. The i4 in comparison can either charge by micro-USB or by way of the included dock. The dock, mind you, features the same matte black, soft touch coating that the case is covered in — very nice.

Besides the physical appearance, we have to comment on Spyder’s attention to small details, particularly the weight of the dock. At first, we saw the dock on the cover of the box and worried that it would simply be a cheap, plastic shell that weighed about as much as a feather. Thankfully, however, Spyder built a hearty dock. It’s not a gigantic paper weight, though it is definitely not going to fly around your desk or shuffle around.

Performance

Design and included perks/accessories are always nice. But the #1 purpose behind a battery case is to recharge your phone’s battery. So how does the i4 fare?

Wonderfully. The 2,000 mAh battery inside the i4 was able to get our phone right up to 95-100% almost every time, taking roughly two and a half hours. Longer stints of inactivity (on our part on the phone) saw enough power to take it to 100% plus another ~10%. Your mileage will vary, of course, if you are watching a movie/twittering away for hours on end while the case is charging your phone.

Changing pace and charging the case is a slightly longer affair of two and a half to three hours from dead to 5 full LEDs indicating a 100% charge.

Quite simply, you can bet on getting twice the battery life you do sans i4. For a lot of people, battery life isn’t a big deal as there are ample outlets/USB ports. For road warriors, however, this doubling of off-the-wall runtime is a lifesaver.

Buy or Pass?

Spyder has priced the i4 at $89.99. It’s not the cheapest battery case on the market and it’s certainly not the most expensive. We actually think it’s quite fair. For starters, the i4 comes with two removable top pieces (probably in case you lose one). It’s really not needed as the top piece is snug enough it’s not going to accidentally slide off, and there isn’t any reason to use the i4 without said piece installed. More importantly, however, the i4 comes with its own handy dock that makes charging your phone quick and easy without having to fumble with wires all the time. The dock alone could be a $20-$30 addition.

At the end of the day, the only negatives we can find with the i4 revolve around the headphone cutout that’s too small. We don’t consider thickness a “con”, really, as cramming a 2,000 mAh battery is going to understandably add some size and weight. Given that, we’d have to say the Spyder i4 is worth a serious look (we’d say put it at the top of your list) if iPhone battery cases are on your radar. It has one of the most capacious batteries on the market, includes its own dock, is contoured enough to hide some of its size and is priced decently. What’s not to like?

More: Spyder i4 Product Page

Gadgetsteria’s Rating: 8.5

Gallery

According to a new post by 9to5 Mac citing there all-knowing sources, Apple will release a new iPhone this fall with a 3.95″ (diagonal), 640 x 1136 display.

The aspect ratio of the resolution above will give the new iPhone a near-16:9 aspect ratio meaning almost no black bars on widescreen content should be seen.

According to the same source(s), Apple is currently flogging two prototype next-gen iPhones (N41A/5,1 and N42AP/5,2) internally in ultra-thick cases designed to conceal the true form and design from the public.

Other tidbits to take away from 9to5′s info dump include:

• New iPhone will allow for 5th row of icons on homescreen

• Home button is still very much there

• Dock connector is a new, smaller evolution of Apple’s connector. “Not exactly pill shaped” and “somewhere between the size of a micro-USB and mini-USB connector”.

9to5 promises “much more” is “to come”. Excited? We are.

Via: 9to5Mac

For a little while a few years ago, “Global” version of Verizon Wireless (and a few Sprint) phones saw Verizon implementing in SIM card slots and GSM radios for overseas cellular networks. More recently, however, with LTE taking the main stage, international operability has sadly taken a backseat. There is also the whole battery life aspect. LTE by itself is a huge battery killer. There’s also the CDMA radio, too. Tossing in a third GSM radio sounds like a terrible idea if battery life is anything important to you. But global CDMA phones are in the process of making a comeback as components inside phones shrink.

Back at CES 2012 Verizon boasted how the DROID 4 and RAZR would become “Global” devices via a later software update. In the mobile world, nearly 6 months in is plenty “later” enough. And we may finally be almost there. Droid-Life sources claim that the hallowed updates for the RAZR and DROID 4 that unlock global GSM operability will be made available “soon”. On top of that, there’s the little image above floating around which shows an HTC Rezound sales card sporting verbiage that seems to indicate it too will be receiving the same global update.

Nothing has been confirmed by VZW (or Motorola or HTC) yet, but we’ll be sure to update you once we know more. Any DROID 4/RAZR/Rezound users chomping at the bit for some global roaming capabilities?

Via: Droid-Life

As it works now, SMS/iMessage previews show a simple 1-line preview in dropdown banner when in app, and a multi-line preview when on the lockscreen. After a few seconds, the alert goes away and is replaced by a line of text from said message on the lockscreen Notification Center. With Reveal, a new tweak on Cydia created by Conrad Kramer and Joshua Tucker, the top header banner and alert pop up can be configured to display the full message.

At first, that sounds like major pain but in reality, the scrolling functionality actually looks and feels pretty stock. In the header banner, you can scroll horizontally to read the full message while the alert pop-up can be scrolled vertically.

We tend to get a lot of messages. Cydia tweaks like TwitkaFly and BiteSMS make responding to tweets/iMessages within any app incredibly fast and easy for us. And now, the first step of conversing with others (reading their messages) is just as easy, too. Now we don’t have to leave our app or unlock our phone to read a full message.

Reveal is now available on Cydia for $1.99 from the BigBoss repo.

Update: Reveal actually works with all types of messaging apps/alerts, not just SMS/iMessage.

Via: RedmondPie

Design & Features

Made out of a hard, ABS plastic, the SlateSHIELD 360 is a touch case of sorts that will protect against scratches and minor drops/shock. It’s pretty stiff and feels robust enough that we’re pretty sure damage from normal wear and tear won’t affect your iPad in the slightest.

For the video buffs, ’round back a handy pull-out kick stand on the back allows landscape or portrait hands-free video watching. Power users banging away on a bluetooth keyboard will also come to appreciate the kickstand’s utility in turning their iPad into a pseudo-laptop on the road.

While the above novelties are certainly nice, the real draw to the 360 case is the stow-able, 360-degree rotating strap. Said strap sits on the back of the case and allows you to slide your hand back through it and rotate the case into landscape and portrait mode for whatever scenario you encounter. This rotating disc that houses the strap also contains the slide-out kickstand we touched on above.

Using The SlateSHIELD 360

We tried the SlateSHIELD 360 in all the possible scenarios. And even though hands-free video watching in either landscape or portrait orientations was more enjoyable, we absolutely love the rotating hand strap. In fact, we actually prefer using an iPad with the strap as it allows us to plaster the iPad to our hand, almost making it like a gigantic iPhone in ease of use. Thanks to the tight strap, we don’t have to worry about using two hands to securely grip the iPad meaning our second hand is free to interact with the iPad as we see fit. It makes sharing content with people in real life much more fluid and seamless than the usual two-handed orchestra the iPad requires.

Buy or Pass?

For both content consumers and creators, we think the SlateSHIELD ranks up their with the best. Even though visual sex appeal and flashy design isn’t part of the 360′s repertoire, the utility it brings is second to none. Like we said above, being able to brandish an iPad with a single hand is pretty awesome when out and about.

Is it $54.95 awesome? That depends on how often and simply how you use your iPad. If it is primarily a movie watching device, then no. We’ve seen plenty of other cases that 1) look nicer and 2) do a better job of presenting your iPad and movie. On the oposite end of the spectrum, if you’re a mobile junkie who uses their iPad as their office on the road, there are better cases for such purposes that even include built-in batteries. Somewhere in the middle sits the SlideShield 360 — a functional, decently designed case whose trademark feature, the 360-degree rotating strap, will surely win over a decent following of customers. We must say, once you go a few days using an iPad in such a manner (one-handed by way of a strap case) it becomes pretty cumbersome to go back to the two-hand grip.

We enjoyed using the 360 when walking around town and turning our iPad into more of a gigantic iPhone of sorts and think you will to.

More: Compatible with iPad 2 and iPad 3 – SlateSHIELD

Gadgetsteria’s Rating: 7/10

Video

For the price, we really think RHA has something special in the MA-350 that very few other companies can touch. The sound quality is top notch. Even better, RHA doesn’t waste their cash on senseless (and useless) celebrity endorsements or fluff-filled PR material. For the true audio junkies on a budget, the RHA MA-350′s are definitely an item to check out.

Usually we simply have you comment to enter and then pick a winner at random. This time, however, we’re going to do things a bit differently — with trivia. We ask you a question and you email us an answer. So, here it goes.

• The Question What day, month and year was the Apple II computer introduced, what day, month and year was the first unit actually sold?

Simply email your answer to “gadgetsteria@reidheath.com” for entrance into the contest. Because of modern, helpful services such as Google, duplicate answers are expected. As such, duplicate correct answers and the names attached to them will be dropped into a bowl and drawn at random.

We’ll run the giveaway for one week, announcing the winner next Friday at 1pm EST. Get sharing and find that answer!

**If you need a quick overview of the RHA MA-350s, check out our review for the details.