Apple today revealed a significantly revised version of its iBooks application for the iPhone and iPad. iBooks 2 adds new elements for education, including support for textbooks. The textbooks feature offers full-screen textbooks with interactive animations, diagrams, videos, and photos; high-lighting and note-taking; and tools such as study cards, live questions, and a glossary. iBooks 2 is a free download from the iTunes App Store. Tweet Vote on HN ...

Time Warner Cable today announced TWC TV for the Apple iPhone. This free application lets iPhone owners access the program guide of their set-top box and view up to seven days worth of upcoming content. It also makes it easy for customers to access HD programming and their favorite channels. The app also lets iPhone users interact with their DVR, and watch television programs directly on the iPhone while in their home. The application is a free download from the iTunes App Store. Tweet Vote ...

According to a Bloomberg report that cites 3 unnamed sources, the next version of Apple’s iPad, the iPad 3, will arrive in March sporting an HD display and LTE 4G data. Tweet Vote on HN ...

The problem with tech is that the really cool stuff doesn’t usually turn up.From the jetpacks we were promised as kids to Intel’s latest concept PCs, what we actually end up with tends to be considerably more mundane – Ryanair instead of jetpacks, or incremental improvements on kit we’ve already got.The iPhone was the exception. It was the jetpack, the flying car, the house on the moon and the food in pill form, the outrageous promise actually delivered.Where other phones had clearly been made, the iPhone could have been recovered from the wreckage at Roswell, ...

Apple has announced that its latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S, will be available for purchase in China and 21 other countries around the world starting next Friday, January 13. With the expansion to China and other parts of the world, the iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries. Tweet Vote on HN ...

UNIEA, a manufacturer of cases for smartphones and tablets, has released a new line of cases for the Apple iPhone 4 and 4S that feature slim profiles and custom art designs. Called the “Design Series,” the cases are made from polycarbonate and sport anti-scratch UV coatings. UNIEA sent me three designs to check out, so read on to find out more about the Design Series of cases. Tweet Vote on HN ...

Apple today released iOS version 5.0.1 to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The new system software primarily fixes a bug plaguing iPhone battery life, but also adds multitasking gesture support to the original iPad, resolves iCloud Document bugs, and improves voice recognition for Australian users. Tweet Vote on HN ...

Siri, the personal, voice-controlled assistant that is part of the iPhone 4S, has been unavailable to many users across the U.S. today. Siri requires Apple’s servers in order to work. When users attempt to pose questions to Siri, Siri says that it can’t connect to the network. Apple has not yet commented on the outage. Tweet Vote on HN ...

Apple today released a new version of its mobile GarageBand application for the iPhone and iPod Touch (it was previously only available to the iPad). The new universal application, which costs $4.99, allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to record and create tracks and songs from their phones. It includes virtual, touch-based instruments, as well as the ability to work with guitars and other instruments that are plugged into the iPhone/iPod. It is available starting today from the iPhone App Store and is compatible with the iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPod touch (3rd ...

Earlier this week the United States Patent & Trademark office awarded a patent to Apple. That’s not unusual, as the company, like its competitors, is issued patents on a fairly regular basis. What makes this patent special, however, is that it covers the use of the now ubiquitous “slide to unlock” feature seen on most smartphone platforms. Apple applied for the patent in December 2005 and gives it the following description:“A device with a touch-sensitive display may be unlocked via gestures performed on the touch-sensitive display. The device is unlocked if ...