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This morning I ran across a photo of nails painted with old-skool Apple logos!

Apparently, last Tuesday's design of the week, at The Daily Nail, was done in anticipation of Apple's iPad announcement. All I have to say is well done and I hope you like geeks - especially old-timers, with beards, who lament Apple's decision to represent the company with a monochrome version of their logo.

Now...anyone care to try doing TechRestore nails? (c;

Labels: Apple, design, iPad, logo, nails

FUTURESHOCK

Greetings!

Since Shannon's out today, we're jumping right in to the goodies...

First off, I have to mention the iPad. It's definitely a Kindle killer and a netbook neutralizer - but then, Kindles and netbooks aren't $500+. I've heard that you really have to hold an iPad, and use it a bit, to fully understand this device's true sex appeal. While I totally believe that, I still think it's a little weak that you can't make calls with it, using a Bluetooth headset, or run ordinary Mac OS apps. That said, I certainly wouldn't turn one down, if it was offered to me for free - and that's exactly what we're doing!

Register to win an Apple iPad three different ways:

• Sign up for our bi-weekly Buzz newsletter (also see "signup" at upper right).
• Become our fan on FaceBook.
• Follow us on Twitter.
  

Srsly - it's that easy...and you can maximize your chances of winning by doing all three. Don't worry about the safety of your email address - no one on Earth has ever received spam from TechRestore! Our Buzz newsletter has an easy opt-out and we would never give or sell email addresses to another company, 'cuz that's just not how we roll.

For a brief summary of the iPad's features and my observations from the announcement, click here.

iPhone Ringtone Downloads

Joining our videos, screen savers, PDF guides and other free downloads, we now have iPhone ringtones!

I created these 19 high-quality, stereo ringtones mostly from iMovie sound effects. Unlike ringtones made from songs, these unique attention getters include retro phone rings, spacy sci-fi sounds and classy orchestral accents. There's even a Mac start-up chime for us die-hard Apple fans. (c: Just keep in mind that the audio previews require ultra-high compression, to be small enough for the web, so the're a bit rougher and tinnier than the actual ringtone files.

Once downloaded, simply drop them in your iTunes and sync with your iPhone.

If you'd prefer to make your own rigntones, I've posted everything that you need to know here. It's simpler than you think!

Web Videos

I have a couple of found videos that I think are worth sharing (no, not the Mad TV iPad commercial).

The first one is the iSandwich, an iPhone made of food. The video's a little on the slow side, as you watch the preparation of the edible electronics, but the surprise ending is well worth the wait!

Next up is the source of the "leaked iPad photo," that I wrote about just before Apple's announcement. Apparently, it was just part of an Apple Store window display, featuring a 10" iPod. It was just pure coincidence that the photographed part happened to be almost exactly the size of the new iPad.

New Homepage Layout

Here's a sneak peek at our new homepage. After our recent format change, we've decided to add some content "below the fold," for those of you who don't mind scrolling. Let us know what you think of it - suggestions are always welcome.

Enjoy!

Brian Northway
Design & Marketing
TechRestore

Buzz Specials

Here are the deals! You can use the links to order, or call 1-888-572-7372 if you have questions and want to speak to one of our awesome humans. Any coupons listed can be used online or via phone and are valid through 2/12 at midnight Pacific Time.

Labels: free, homepage, iPad, iPhone, ringtone, video

The iPad is here and we have a quick summary...

The iPad IS:

• a Kindle killing e-Book (or iBook) reader
• an awesome game machine
• a great video/movie player
• a giant iPod touch
• faster than an iPhone
  
• a larger, more hires screen than the iPhone
  
• the perfect portable web browser
• the best photo sharing device ever

The iPad is NOT:

• a phone
• a laptop computer
• a pocket sized iPod
• a still or video camera
• as revolutionary as the iPhone
  

Apple has done a great job at making us need yet another mobile device. The iPad replaces neither the iPhone nor laptop and you certainly won't be listening to music in the gym with it. However, at $499 for the WiFi only version, it's a great way to entertain yourself on the couch at home or, the $629 WiFi + 3G version makes it a great mobile web browser. The unlimited, month-to-month 3G data plan for $29 is also pretty ground-breaking.

I suspect that the real appeal of this device won't become clear until we see it in action, painting, reading typing and surfing. It's certainly very cool, with it's 1024x768 display (which falls just short of 720p HD video), but I'm a little disappointed that it's missing some key features found on iPhones (eg. camera, phone calls) or laptops (namely the ability to run any Mac OSX software). That said, the apps designed specifically for the iPad, and the interactive books or magazines found no where else, may eventually convince me that this is a must-have gadget, even if it doesn't fit in my pocket.

Labels: Apple, first look, iPad, news, release, specs, summary

Here's all that you need to know about making your own iPhone ringtones: They're AAC files with the .m4a extension changed to .m4r and they have to be 40 seconds, or less, in length.

That's it!

You can convert any file to an AAC, using iTunes, if your preferences are set to import to AAC. Simply highlight the file in iTunes, and select Create AAC Version from the Advanced menu. Then right click on your new AAC file and select Show In Finder, to see the actual file, so that you can change the extension to .m4r Then, simply drag your new creation on to your iTunes library to import it, so that you can resync your iPhone and start enjoying your ringtone.

Audio editing software like WavePad, Audacity, or even Garage Band, will enable you to crop and fade your favorite songs, movie samples or sound effects. Just be aware that this does not work with DRM'd (copy protected) files.

If this all seems a bit complicated, software like iRinger (Mac) or ToneShop (PC) provides a one-stop solution. Also, we will be offering free iPhone ringtones on our Downloads page, soon.

Labels: .m4a, .m4r, AAC, audio, diy, editing, iPhone, iTunes, ringtone

The most convincing peek at the new Apple tablet doesn't even come from Infinite Loop: Sports Illustrated posted a great demo video depicting a multi-media version of their magazine, in December, which has largely flown under the radar of Mac rumor hype, until recently leaked photos confirmed the "giant iPhone" form-factor of Apple's new device.

The Sports Illustrated proof-of-concept video clearly depicts an iPhone type device, responding to the same orientation changes and finger gestures employed on the iPhone. The size of the mocked up tablet also coincides with the 10" 16:9 screen that is widely believed to be used in the new Apple tablet.

Obviously a Kindle killer (despite Amazon's frantic attempt to get apps on the Kindle), this hypothetical application of the new Apple tablet also fits with Apple's strategy of creating new media markets, as they did with the iPod, iTunes and iPhone. Paper media is quickly going extinct, but the engine behind print media may find a new rebirth, thanks to Apple. Reducing eye strain with e-ink, a la Kindle, is a great idea, but static, monochorme pages are no where near as exciting as full-color, animated, content with embedded video (nevermind Amazon's disappearing e-books).

It's clear that we are now an internet-centric society and, as cool as the Kindle may be, it's poor web browsing capabilities are a severe limitation. The type of speech recognition and synthesis capability, featured on the iPhone 3GS, could also go a long way toward enabling the new Apple tablet for use by blind users as well - further stranding the Kindle, even as Amazon scrambles to add accessibility to their e-book reader. Add to the list, all of the best features of the iPod, iPhone and MacBook, and you can see that Apple is likely ushering in a new era of computing, once again. One way or another, we'll know next Wednesday!

Labels: Amazon, Apple, demo, e-book, e-reader, e-zine, iPad, iPhone, iSlate, Kindle, magazine, Slate, Sports Illustrated, tablet

So, your MacBook, MacBook Pro, PowerBook or iBook is having a problem and your system is no longer covered under the original Apple warranty. You have some choices to make about where and how you get your system repaired. Here's some information that may assist you in making that decision.

If you take your broken MacBook, MacBook Pro, PowerBook or iBook to Apple for out of warranty repair, there are some pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

Trusted source

Proximity (if you are close to an Apple store)

Uses original factory parts

Apple Certified Technicians

Cons:

High prices

Delayed turnaround time

Only 90-day warranty period

Alternatively, you can consider an independent source to get your MacBook, MacBook Pro, PowerBook or iBook repaired. And since we are writing this article, we get to pick the independent source, so you won't be surprised when we pick our company, TechRestore. Here are the pros and cons to consider when deciding between taking an out-of-warranty repair to Apple or to TechRestore:

Pros:

Trusted source (over 50,000 repairs completed)

Proximity: over 4000 local pickup locations across the U.S.

Uses original factory parts

Apple Certified Technicians

24-hour typical repair turnaround time

1-year warranty

Cons:

You won't get to browse the Apple store when dropping off your repair

TechRestore has fixed tens thousands of MacBook, MacBook Pro, PowerBook and iBook systems. Our most frequent repairs are broken LCD screens, hard drive replacements, SuperDrive replacement, logic board repair, case repair and data recovery. Learn more about our services, our people and our company by calling 1-888-572-7372 or by visiting TechRestore.com

Labels: Apple, macbook pro, repair, warranty

Ivan and I have created a new stop-motion video, PSP Go Disassembly:

As you can see, there are far fewer parts in this latest version of the Sony PSP game system, though it's none less complicated. Unlike previous versions of the PSP, changing the battery voids your warranty (not our favorite feature) but the compact size makes it a solid contender for the best hand-held gaming device, even if it lacks the cameras of the DSi and accelerometer of the iPod touch.

A downloadable version of this video will be up next week, followed by YouTube annotations labeling the parts inside the PSP Go.

Enjoy!

Brian

Labels: animation, games, PSP Go, Sony, stop-motion, video

Greetings!

Welcome to the first TechRestore Buzz newsletter of 2010. We're back with you on a regular basis to share the latest Mac & TechRestore news, tips, stories and deals.

I just got back from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and I think I'm still recuperating from the event. If you've ever been to this show, you know what I mean - with literally thousands of products to see and touch and what seems like miles of floor space to cover - it's a workout, but if you are into technology and gadgets, it's a great event.

While I was at CES, the overall message that resonated with me was all about the sharing of experiences. The older I get, the more I realize that one of, and perhaps the most enjoyable things for me is sharing experiences with family, friends and colleagues. CES was no different - everywhere I went, I was struck by how each company has a plan to make their way into our daily lives and provide us with the technology to share more information, entertainment and data across countless devices. Oh, and most seem to want to charge you 10 bucks per month to do so, via one type of subscription service or another.

Ford was there - yes, Ford Motor Company, with cars and trucks that can share data about where you're at, what tools you have onboard, what jobsite you are on and more.

Plastic Logic wants to share business publications with you, if you'll only send $650 their way you can get access to tons of newspapers and magazines, books and blogs, word and excel files. I really liked their black and white eBook thingy, but I didn't have the heart to tell them that Apple was about to make their product obsolete - but I'm sure they already knew that.

Speaking of Apple and CES - Apple never exhibits at the show, but this year, more then ever, their presence was felt. It seemed like almost every product was compared to an Apple product. Every phone, music player, tablet computer or eBook was mentioned as a comparison to a market leading Apple product. It was great to see this in action and to listen to execs at these companies stumble over the details of why their device was "better" than the Apple version.

All in all, it was a very interesting show, with lots of cool stuff to see and do. We spent most of our time meeting with vendors and customers that came to Vegas for CES as well, so it was pretty productive and it's not like I get to look at an 82-inch 3D LCD TV everyday now, is it?

Back at TechRestore, we're coming off a record month of repairs and Restored MacBook sales and moving into 2010 with lots of new stuff that we think you'll enjoy.

Starting off the new year, we expand our exclusive anti-glare matte finish screen replacements for MacBook and MacBook Pro systems with the 2009 white polycarbonite MacBook. If the shiny glare of the screen on your new MacBook is driving you crazy, our Apple Certified Technicians will replace your screen with an anti-glare, matte finish version for just $179! This price includes a brand new replacement screen with the exact same specifications as your current screen (except that it will not reflect like a mirror), installation and Free return shipping! This is another TechRestore exclusive and it is available immediately. You can learn more about this MacWorld Expo Best of Show service by visiting our MacBook repair and upgrade section online, or by calling 1-888-572-7372 to speak to one of our friendly humans.

Local Repairs Expanding

TechRestore has always performed nationwide repairs, with over 2000 local drop-off centers throughout the country receiving Mac, iPhone and other repairs daily. We began to reach out more to our local customers in the San Francisco Bay Area a few months ago and we are now seeing a surge of new business coming from our neighbors. If you live in the Bay Area and need help with a Mac laptop, iPhone or iPod Touch, we offer same day turnaround on most services (drop off by 10AM) and we also sell a large selection of restored MacBook and MacBook Pro systems that can be picked up at our Concord facility. See our building from space and get directions to our building here.

Best regards,

Shannon Jean
Founder
TechRestore

FUTURESHOCK

Hello again!

After the holidays, we retooled our newsletter and blog and we're calling it the TechRestore Buzz. News and specials will be in every e-mail the news will be in our online blog and the latest specials will always be a click away via our "Instant Savings" button. Now we're ready for an awesome 2010!

To kick things off I've uploaded some videos from my recent trip to Disneyland. The ASIMO show at the spinning Innoventions building, in Tomorrowland, was amazing! The latest model of ASIMO robot has artificial intelligence and eerily realistic speech synthesis. Almost as impressive was the Toy Story 3D Zoetrope, in California Adventure - a rotating sculpture that becomes animated under a strobe-light. You definitely have to check them out in person, if you have the chance! Oh, and I highly recommend The Grand Californian hotel, with it's mountain theme and private entrance into the park - I was just disappointed that the Monorail just passed through without stopping.

Lastly, I've got a new screensaver for ya. This one uses your photos! Simply place whatever pictures you'd like to see, in your "Pictures" folder and they will appear on a 3D cube as it tumbles endlessly through the vastness of space...

Preview & Installation Instructions

Enjoy!

Brian Northway
Design & Marketing
TechRestore

Buzz Specials

Click here for the latest deals! You can use the links to order, or call 1-888-572-7372 if you have questions and want to speak to one of our awesome Humans. Any coupons listed can be used online or via phone and are valid through 1/22 at Midnight Pacific Time.

Labels: ASIMO, CES, disneyland, Honda, Pixar, screen saver, Toy Story

Breaking your MacBook screen can be a traumatic event - but the good news is that it doesn't have to be!

If you own a classic black or white MacBook, screen replacements are fairly straightforward and typically require just the replacement of the MacBook LCD screen itself, not the plastic outer casing. If you own an aluminum MacBook "unibody", you may not have actually broken your LCD screen, but rather you could have broken the unibody MacBook glass screen cover. Either way, there's a quick solution for Canadian MacBook owners.

TechRestore Canada offers overnight and same-day repairs on all MacBook models and you can rest assured that your MacBook screen repair will be completed by an Apple Certified Technician. With a turnaround time typically of 24-hours or less, the TechRestore Canada technicians have mastered the replacement of MacBook LCD screens as well as the replacement of the MacBook unibody glass screen covers. In the event that your MacBook requires additional repairs, such as a damaged case or screen housing, a TechRestore Canada technician will provide you with a detailed repair quote so that you can make an educated decision about how you wish to proceed with your repair. In many instances, case damage can be corrected without replacement the entire part. No matter what type of MacBook you own, help is on the way.

To schedule a repair, simply call 1-888-384-5613 from within Canada and one of our friendly humans will assist you in scheduling your repair. You can expect a quick turnaround time, friendly service and an exclusive 1-year warranty on all repairs.

Good question - but actually, the first thing we need to clear up is the idea that your MacBook or MacBook Pro has an LED screen and not an LCD screen. The LED refers to just the backlight portion of your screen, not the entire screen itself. There is a common misconception that the current model MacBook and MacBook Pro do not use LCD screens.

So, what's the deal? Well, before June of 2007, Apple laptops used LCD screens that used a cold-cathode fluorescent lamp as a "backlight". And why would these need this backlight in the first place? Another good question - you're on a roll. LCD screens need a backlight, because the screens themselves (the liquid crystal display part) do not actually emit any light. In order to see what is on your screen, you need a special light, located behind the glass LCD screen, to brighten things up enough for you to view them. A common repair for MacBook and MacBook Pro systems is a damaged screen due to a fall that causes the backlight to stop working. You can usually tell if your backlight is damaged - turn on your MacBook or MacBook pro, or your PowerBook or iBook for that matter, and if your screen looks dark, but you can still see things on the screen when you shine a flashlight onto it, chances are your screen has a damaged or non-functional backlight.

During 2007, Apple (and a bunch of other companies) decided that CCFL backlights were evil and they had to go. They were full of mercury (bad), they used up to much power (bad) and they broke rather easily (very bad). So, enter stage right, the LED powered backlight in June of 2007. Since that time, all Apple laptops have used a backlit LCD screen that has an LED based backlight. This has helped increase battery run-times, increased reliability and helped the environment all at the same time. All good.

The Apple Certified Technicians at TechRestore still see LED backlit MacBook and MacBook Pro systems arriving daily for repair. Even though the LED is more reliable and less fragile than the CCFL, they still break when dropped hard enough, when your kid sits on one or when run over by a car (we've seen it all!). TechRestore customers often ask if just the backlight can be replaced on an LCD screen, and while it is true that you can replace just the backlight in many LCD panels, the parts and labor costs are not that much lower than replacing the entire screen. Plus, the vast majority of screens that come in also have additional damage, either to the LCD itself or to the screen housing on the MacBook or MacBook Pro.

TechRestore technicians perform MacBook and MacBook Pro screen repairs on the same day they are received for our local customers and overnight for customers throughout the United States. Their award-winning technicians have mastered a proprietary "Factory-Fit" screen replacement process that insure that your new screen will look as good as new.

Thanks for joining us for this brief educational interlude!

Shannon Jean

Founder

TechRestore, Inc.