We’ve seen iTunes releasing some apps for free lately, and now the latest in that line of limited time offerings you can download Episode 1 of the Law and Order: Legacies game. Based of course on NBC’s popular series you can become the investigators and solve each case like an expert. Episode 1 is about a maid being murdered in a five-star hotel and while investigating this case a deep conspiracy involving hacking is uncovered. Definitely an interesting game with great graphics now available for free, and who could argue with that logic?

A $3 discount makes this app free!

Looking for a free game to play and pass the time? Why not check out the latest of the free apps from the iTunes library; Jetpack Joyride. In this iOS game you take on the roll of Barry, who has just got his hands on a very powerful jetpack. You pilot him through various stages and utilize some powerful weaponry to annihilate your foes along the way. Each level allows you to earn some cash and upgrade your guns for even more destructive power. It’s a simple and fun game, while at the same time utilizing some heavy reflexes as stage increase in difficulty. It’s won some awards in 2011 for being a best iOS game so it’s definitely worth a shot, not to mention that it’s free.

We’ve seen iTunes offering free downloads before, and now JetPack Joyride is among them for a limited time.

Looking for a fitness coach to assist you in your running on the go? There’s an app for that! And this time that app is free! Thanks to iTunes being so generous and just giving away popular apps we have today a fitness assistant which provides multiple layers of information and tracking to keep you going on the schedule you need. With this app you can track and calculate all of your runs via GPS navigation, but at the same time can also schedule and plan them out based on how far you would like to go or even to the point of how many calories you want to burn. Keep it all timed so you know exactly where you are in it, and improve yourself if needbe. Calories are all taken into account, so you can always know where you are with that, and beyond the simple calculations it provides this app also boasts sexy voice feedback in either English or German if that’s how you roll.

Get this, today only, for FREE!

Spotify has skyrocketed to success in the last year and is the largest and fasted-growing music service of its kind. They’ve recently opened a new world of possibilities for music fans with its Spotfiy Platform that provides third-party developers the chance to build new music-based apps. These apps are supposed to integrate easily with Spotify and be accessed and shared by users via its new App Finder (available to both premium and free users).

The music service already has some partner apps from the likes of:  Billboard, Fuse, The Guardian, Last.fm, Moodagent, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Songkick, Soundrop, TuneWiki and We Are Hunted, with Top10 and ShareMyPlaylists apps coming soon. The apps are built in HTML5 and are supposed to take advantage of Spotify’s vast music library, as well as the service’s integration with Facebook. Spotify mentioned that it’s open to all developers, but they’ll still manually approve submitted apps before placing them in their App Finder. Spotify believes this new addition to their service will “add many more layers of music enjoyment.”

iTunes of offering this HDR Photo Camera App for iPhone for FREE!

Looking to expand upon the built-in camera the iPhone provides? Well here’s an app just for that, and in this case you can get it for free. The HDR Photo Camera is designed to of course give you the ‘High Dynamic Range’ lighting and clarity to any photo you take. Now it does this by snapping three photos at once at different exposure levels and combining them together to create one perfect shot. Your mileage will vary of course depending on what you’re trying to capture, but they do suggest that the photo include some dark and some light areas for the absolute best results overall. But since it’s free you have nothing to lose in trying it out!

Now you can get this App as a free download straight from iTunes!

For a limited time you can download the Pyramix Game for Android for FREE off of Amazon!

Looking for a challenge to keep your busy at the bus stop? Or how about that long ride in the cab or plane? Why not solve this issue for free. Thanks to Amazon this is easily doable and that’s in the form of the Pyramix game compatible with any Android device. Pyramix is a word puzzle game which requires that you unscramble a special assortment of letters into words of various lengths. These lengths are decided by the position of the pyramid by which you are placing the letters. Definitely a time-passer for those sleuthing types, and depending on your play situation you can also choose between going against a timer or simply playing untimed.

For a limited time Amazon is offering this App for Free!

For a limited time iTunes is offering this iGun Zombie Game for iPhone for FREE!

In the mood to shoot things? Than iTunes has you covered and for a limited time you can download the iGun Zombie game straight from their stores for free. iGun Zombie of course features the gameplay you would expect from reading off that title, so don’t worry about complicated storylines or dealing with cute and fuzzy animals. Just sit bad and shoot things, and in this very case things that should already be dead. The more zombies you splatter about the more opportunity you have for upgrading your armory of weapons thereby allowing more methods to splatter them about. Over 150 missions are available here and every gun is customizable to suit your style. It’s free for now and the developers are promising an update very soon so grab it while it’s still available!

Nothing beats free!

iTunes is offering free access to the game Duel: Blade & Magic Pro for iPhone!

From iTunes you can now grab a free copy of this very popular Role-Playing-Game for iPhone called Duel: Blades & Magic. As the name implies this game is all about battling with monsters and even your friends. It has over 10,000 concurrent users making it one of the most popular RPGs available on this platform. You can choose between being a traditional warrior or also a spellcaster (ie. Witch) and learn many different skills which will help you in your quest to trounce the enemy forces and advance through quests. There’s also a variety of pets which will help you along the way (30 to be exact) and since this utilizes the features of IOS4 you will be treated with some great visuals and fluid animations which definitely aid in this game’s reputation.

This app usually retails for $9, but you can get it for free for a limited time.

iTunes is offering its users this C.H.A.O.S. HD Game for iPhone for FREE!

If you’re looking for an action-packed gaming experience on the go then check out this C.H.A.O.S. App for FREE from iTunes! That’s right for a limited time you can grab this nea and updated game designed to take full advantage of the guts of your iPhone 4S or iPad 2. In this game you can pilot some of those most hardcore helicopters in the world as you fight and destroy enemies of terror. Enjoy awesome upgrades and plenty of ways to rank up and adjust your bullet and rocket spewing chopper to ravage all enemies that come in your path. In C.H.A.O.S. it’s all up to you to save the entire world so it’s about time to get to the choppah!

For a limited time you can download this App for free off iTunes!

For a limited time you can grab this Whatsapp Messenger App for iPhone off of iTunes for free!

What better way to get ahold of distance family during the holidays than with a free download! iTunes is offering this and more by taking the light price tag away from WhatsApp for a limited time. This App allows you to collaborate with friends and family all in one place, and while its SMS based you have many options to choose from for sharing content with your loved ones. Whether you want to insert audio snippets or show off some new photos these options are all available to you and thanks to support for Android, iPhone, Blackberry and more it’s easy to keep in touch with just about anyone regardless of where they are especially now that you can grab this app for free!

This usually $.99 app is now free for those that download it today and maybe the next few days.  Good for those of you that want to chat with people on blackberry.

For a limited time iTunes is offering this I Am T-Pain 2.0 iOS App for FREE!

For this week only you can grab this I Am T-Pain app absolutely free from iTunes. If you’re a fan of Rap music than allows T-Pain to guide you through an entire collection of music from your favorite artists and even transform your voice as you sing to your favorite hits. Your voice will sound much better than you could imagine, and with all your best beats scrolling and tied along with visible lyrics you have all you need to become T-Pain, at least when you’re around your phone. If anything it’s a fun and nifty bit of technology which will offer up some great amusing times as literally anyone will sound like T-Pain when they sing with this app. Be sure to grab it while it’s still free!

Now you can download this app for $0 as in free!

For a limited time iTunes if offer this Nike Training Club App for iPhone for Free!

If it’s free it’s for me, and apps are definitely no exception. Now iTunes is offering you a chance to grab this Nike Training App so you can put a whole new spin on your exorcise routine. It acts as your own personal trainer which allows you to choose between 60 custom and built-in workout routines and the ability to fine tune and tweak it to perfection to make you lean and muscular. It features full body workouts that time out to 30-45 minutes or more professional variety workouts for 15 minutes a piece. it’s functionality is simple and very easy to use, so you don’t need to be tech savvy to handle your workout setup and since its on your phone it integrates nicely to your music albums for background to your routine.

iTunes has this 500MB app for free!

iTunes is offering a super low price on this Dermandar Panorama Photo App for iPhone!

Now here’s an app that describes itself in its simplicity. The Dermander Panorama App provides you with the ability to capture full panorama photos with perfect ease. With more than 1.8 million downloads under its belt you can see that they provide the best in this service, with a fully automated capturing system and blazing fast performance to get the best panorama shots with ease. At this super low price after its latest update it’s the perfect time to see what this app is capable of without limitation. Other features include full 3D viewing, 360 degree panorama creation, shared photo albums, ‘Near’ Me’ Gallery to see nearby panoramas related to yours and much more. If you’re into snapping photos now’s your chance to quench your thirst.

This $1.99 app is free for a limited time!

With the holiday season fast approaching us, it’s the battle of the lower-priced tablets with Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet that are both coming out next week.  With the popularity of tablets increasing, more and more companies are adding tablets to their model range, as they try to compete with Apple’s heavy share of the market thanks to their iPad 2. So as both come into the tablet game with reasonable prices and reputable specs, here’s the lowdown on how each measure up.

Size

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is sized at 7.5″ x 4.7″ x 0.45″ (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm), while the Nook Tablet is just slightly larger, coming in at 8.1” x 5.0” x 0.48 “ (201 mm x 128 mm x 13.2 mm). Really, not much of a difference between the sizes so it’s a tie here. Interestingly, the Nook Tablet is actually lighter than the Kindle despite being a tad bigger. The Fire weighs 16.6 ounces, while the Nook comes in at 14.1 ounces. This can probably be because of the Nook’s use of plastic for the bezel.

Winner: It’s a tie here. They both are small and light, making it easy to hold, browse and read with one hand. The specs are so close that even though one is bigger and lighter, they both look as if you’d be able to travel with them and have no problems fitting them anywhere.

Appearance

The Nook sports an “easy-to-hold soft touch design,” while the Fire is said to be designed from the ground up and looks a bit like the Blackberry Playbook or the first-gen Galaxy Tab with its sleek, black design. But if the Nook Tablet is made like the original Nook Color (and it looks like it’s true) then the bezel of the Nook Tablet will feel a bit flimsy (and can actually bend back and forth if forced hard enough). In all truth, the Nook Tablet seems pretty identical to the Nook Color, except that it’s lighter, thinner and features a lighter-colored plastic.

Winner: The Kindle Fire just looks as if it’s built more solid and we’re not feeling that plastic bezel on the Nook, either. The Fire’s sleek, black design also provides more of a sophisticated look to a tablet that’s under $200.

Display

Both tablets feature 7-inch touchscreens, with high-res 1024 x 600, 169 pixels per inch (PPI) displays. On paper this is the same, but that doesn’t mean they both share the same exact parts.

Barnes and Noble is claiming that its Nook Tablet has the “world’s most advanced VividView touchscreen” that allows for remarkable clarity and minimal glare. The display is also fully laminated with no air gaps, which gives way for that aforementioned claim on clarity and reduced reflection. And since the Nook Tablet’s first use is for e-reading, the anti-glare is important for those who like to read both outdoors and indoors. It also sports adjustable fonts so that you can customize your reading experience, boasting: 8 text sizes; 6 font sizes; and the ability to change background colors, line and margin spacing.

The Kindle Fire sports a multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching technology – same tech found in the iPad 2) for extra-wide viewing angle, as well as some anti-reflective specs. The display is also chemically strengthened to be “20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic,” making it pretty durable and resistant to scrapes and scratches.

Winner: For readers, the Nook Tablet wins hands down for its adjustable fonts, but the Kindle Fire takes the cake since it boasts more features like an IPS panel, making it a better overall display for a tablet.

Operating System

Both boast Android-based operating systems with Android 2.3 “Gingerbread.

Winner: Tie since they’re both Androids.

Processor & RAM

Much like how they share the same display specs, both tablets actually run 1GHz TI OMAP 4 dual-core processors, providing fast and powerful performance for multi-tasking on the tablet. However, the Nook Tablet has 1 GB of RAM compared to the Kindle Fire’s 512 MB. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that the Nook Tablet is faster since performance is a combo of many things (including software) and they still share the same dual-core processor.

Winner: Based soley on specs the Nook wins this battle.  However, something tells us the Kindle Fire might be faster in terms of real world testing, though that claim is unfounded at this point.

Web Browser

Thanks to Amazon Silk, the Kindle Fire has ultra-fast web browsing. Silk is a cloud-accelerated browser that uses a “split browser” architecture, which leverages power and speed from Amazon’s Web Services cloud. Oh, and it supports Adobe Flash Player, too! The Nook Tablet sports enhanced web browsing that is said to be “lightning-fast,” which means you can get books under 10 seconds. And since it’s built for speed, you can switch between books, movies and games effortlessly.

Winner: Amazon Silk is pretty cool, so the Kindle Fire takes it here.

Storage

For on-device storage, the Kindle Fire has 8 GB, which is enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies, 800 songs or 6,000 books, says Amazon. The Nook Tablet has a bit more with its 16 GB built-in memory (that’s up to 10,000 books), but can add up to 32 GB with a microSD memory card, resulting in 48 GB. But even though there’s no SD slot on the Kindle Fire, it does offer free cloud storage for all Amazon content, which sort of makes that low memory problem not a problem anymore since you can store all your Amazon digital content in the cloud and retrieve it at a touch of your finger.

Winner: The cloud service provides the Kindle Fire a win on this one. Even though you can store more on the actual device with the Nook Tablet, that cloud service allows you to store EVERYTHING without it sucking up memory on the Kindle Fire.

Apps

Because the Kindle Fire taps into the that cloud service it includes Amazon’s Web Services, Prime, Kindle, Instant Video, MP3 and the AppStore. The Amazon MP3 Store has more than 17 million songs, which you can stream your music library form the Amazon Cloud Drive or download them to your device to listen offline. Book worms can buy practically everything in the Kindle Store that offers more than 1 million books, in addition to more than 2 million free, out-of-copy, pre-1923 books. Oh, and for those that get a Prime membership ($79 a months for free two-day shipping, instant movie and TV show streaming and more), they can also access thousands of books through the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library.

The Nook Tablet has some apps of its own that are pre-loaded like games and other favorites, while it has 2.5 million book titles. It also includes free trials of music services like Rhapsody, MOG and Grooveshark, while Pandora comes pre-loaded. It also comes pre-loaded with Netflix and Hulu Plus so that you can start watching HD movies and popular TV shows, with each including free trials. However, you can’t download from the Android app market.

Winner: Amazon’s Prime service provides a bit of an edge here, but that’s for those willing to pay and who use Amazon for practically everything. Besides, Amazon’s AppStore has actually been developed to rival that of the regular Android market so it’s pretty in-depth. Those who are book worms might like the larger selection of books that the Nook Tablet provides, but we still pick the Kindle Fire as the Winner for this battle.

Wireless Connectivity

The Nook Tablet has wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and free Wi-Fi in all Barnes & Noble stores. The Kindle Fire has supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication. However it does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.

Winner: Tie again!

Camera and Video

Neither actually feature camera and video extras, but the Nook Tablet does boast a built-in microphone, so that you can record narration for kids’ Read and Record books. While it may not mean most to many, it can become useful when hacked, but this is for experts only.

Winner: The Nook Tablet all the way, especially since it can be hacked and can make VoIP calls possible.

Battery Life

The Nook Tablet might be able to provide a better battery life over the Kindle Fire with 11.5 hours of reading time and 9 hours of video playback with WiFi off, while the Fire has 8 hours of continuous reading and 7.5 hours of video playback with WiFi off. But, of course, battery life will vary based on wireless usage and more.  It’s worth noting that neither company has posted the mAh for each respective device.

Winner: The Nook Tablet wins on this one if their claims are exact.

Carriers

Niether tablet has wireless connectivity beyond WiFi, so this battle is moot.  However, we might see a 3G version of the Kindle Fire in the future, since Amazon’s other Kindles have supported this connectivity.

Winner: n/a

Price

The Kindle Fire will go for $199, while the Nook Tablet will sell for $249. But for that extra $50 bucks, you’ll get a better display, dedicated apps for Netflix and Hulu Plus, and free in-person support at any Barnes & Noble store.

Winner: Amazon’s Kindle Fire is $50 bucks cheaper, which can make all the difference this holiday season given the economy.

Overall Winner:

Kindle Fire

Size Winner: Tie
Appearance Winner: Kindle Fire
Display Winner: Kindle Fire
Operating System Winner: Tie
Processor & RAM Winner: Nook Tablet
Web Browser Winner: Kindle Fire
Storage Winner: Kindle Fire
Apps Winner: Kindle Fire
Wireless Winner: Tie
Camera and Video: Nook Tablet (thanks to a mic)
Battery Life Winner: Nook Tablet
Carriers Winner: n/a
Price Winner: Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire.  It seems to be packed with some quality goodies for such a low price compared to the Nook Tablet. It comes with a free month of its Prime membership service, which might be just enough time to really grab enough attention to keep of an entire year. But for those looking for a cheap, but good tablet, the Kindle Fire is definitely the way to go.

We’ve definitely had a wide range of products get sales hit in the past week. From video cameras to HDTVs at record breaking low prices and even smartphones and tablets. Here’s we’ve compiled a list of the best ones that are still around to take advantage of:

10. Panasonic HDC-TM41H Camcorder – $200

Beach Camera offered this sale on eBay and regardless of the nice price docking here it’s still around. This portable camcorder from Panasonic has everything you need for taking videos everywhere and of course comes in at 1080p. It has 16GBs of internal memory to take advantage of along with slots for SD cards which allow for much more. It even boasts an impressive 135 minute recording battery life to boot.

9. Yamaha RX-V471 5.1-Channel Receiver with Free Apple TV – $330

Now this is certainly an impressive one. Not only do we get a sweet discount deal on this powerful 5.1-Channel receiver system but it even comes with a free Apple TV (Which is a $98 value by itself!) This receiver has full support for the latest technologies like 3D and ARC while also presenting us with 4 HDMI inputs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD encoders and an included iPod dock for pumping your music through your system.

8. Dell Ultrasharp U2412M 24-Inch Monitor – $320

Now this may seem like a high price from Dell, but this is no ordinary monitor. First off an $80 Coupon (XD5W7S1JRP52C8) bring this Dell LED Display down to this price. The monitor itself features IPS technology bringing out truly realistic and stunning visuals along with an incredible viewing angle which makes it easy to look at from anywhere in the room. And you also get a wonderful 16:10 resolution of 1920 by 1200 which gives you more than enough room for multitasking to be very easy, both vertically and horizontally.

7. Canon Powershot ELPH 100 HS 12MP Digital Cameras – $130

Crutchfield’s coupon savings still apply on this super portable Canon Digital Camera. Using code: 3A825 will save you $20 off an already low price mark. This camera can take large 12-Megapixel shots with ease and also contains a 4x Optical zoom while each and every image is graced by its DIGIC 4 image processor which brings out the best of quality. It also has a 3.0-Inch touch display and is capable of taking full 1080p High Definition videos.

6. Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch 16GB Tablet – $299

Yes you heard right, this powerful and brand new Blackberry Playbook tablet has had its price reduced even more, and even now you’re able to take advantage of it. This tablet comes with a colorful HD 7-Inch display and utilizes the BlackBerry OS which allows for some great multitasking and Internet browsing freedom. It’s powered by a 1Ghz Dual Core CPU and has 1GB of RAM, which sounds more like PC specs than a tablet. This one also comes with 16GBs of Internal memory which can be expanded with SD cards.

5. Apple MC526LL/A iPod Nano 16GB (Current Gen) – $150

The price hit has come down for these super sleek and powerful iPod Nanos. You can grab any color you like at this new low price from Amazon. The newest Nano features a size similar to a shuffle, but includes a multi-touch display for controlling your music cravings. 16GBs of internal storage come from this model for plenty of music listening on the go and when gesture based controls are combined with its display its never been easier to listen to exactly what you want to hear.

4. Apple Macbook Air MC968LL/A 11.6-Inch – $950

Believe it or not you can still catch this super low price for the popular and super thin Macbook Air. This model comes complete with a super compact 11.6-Inch screen and comes powered by a speedy Intel core i5 processor and 2GBs of RAM. It also contains a 64GB solid state drive which gives it even more speed and impressing performance and includes support for Bluetooth 4.0, integrated HD Facetime webcam and a brand new Thunderbolt port.

3. Curtis LCD4686A 46-Inch LCD TV – $445

And here it is, if you’ve wanted to get your hands on a large TV for any room now’s your chance to make some awesome savings! This large 46-Inch Curtis TV has a full 1080p High Definition resolution and a 5,000:1 contrast ratio for deep colors. It also includes a wide variety of inputs which make it home theater friendly and these include HDMI, VGA, HD Component and several analog composites to fit all of your needs with ease.

2. Vlingo Voice Assistant for iPhone – FREE

We’re sure you’ve heard the saying If it’s free its for me, and iTunes has surely delivered on that by offering the powerful and flexible Vlingo Voice app for just that. This app allows you to speak your commands to your iPhone, which it will follow to a T and make life much easier on the go. You can tell it to do things such as texting your friend Mike, or updating your Facebook status or even ask it to locate a place of interest for you and a map will display. Eitherway it’s definitely worth checking out as it will cost you nothing!

1. HTC Droid Incredible 2 for Verizon Wireless – $0.01

Speaking of free, why not check out this new and improved Droid Incredible 2 for a price that may as well be free. With a contract deal you can experience the latest smartphone technology packed into this little phone. With a large 4.0-Inch HD display it graces you with the latest Android has to offer as well as SRS WOW HD sound to complete the experience. It includes an 8MP cameras as well and plenty of connectivity from Bluetooth to GPS and WiFI so you’re never left behind.

For a limited time iTunes is offering this Vlingo Voice Assistant for the iPhone for FREE!

Free is always a nice thing, and when it comes to apps that usually bear a price it makes for a great testing opportunity. Here iTunes is offering the Vlingo Voice Assistant for your iPhone as a free download, and with this app you can do pretty much anything or everything with simple voice commands. With Vlingo you simply press a page to speak, and when you do you are able to voice out commands that your phone will follow. Some includes examples are to “Text John; What’s up?” and your phone will follow, or even “find Italian restaurants” and your query will be searched for you. You can even tell it to “update Facebook: I’m on a boat” and that status message will be instantly applied. With Vlingo the possibilities are endless, and now anyone’s can be thanks to its free status!

For a limited time the VINGO voice assistant app is free

So what is iCloud?  Well, it used to be called Mobile Me, but it wasn’t automatic and it cost $100 a year.   But starting next month, iCloud is Free.  And simply put, it’s your archive online.  It stores everything you want and syncs it to every device you need, whether your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac, or PC.  You take a picture at Disneyland of the kids with Mickey?  iCloud will automatically sync it to you Desktop at home.  Get a new client’s information with a fist bump to your iPhone?  It’s automatically synced to both your iPad and Desktop.  Download a great song you heard at Starbucks?  It’s on your iPod almost immediately.   And with a simple login, you can transfer all your apps and media to your new iPad from your iPhone.

That’s iCloud.  More than just a hard drive, it’s a syncing service.  And the best part is, it’s free.  Well, up to 5GBs worth that is.  But here’s the kicker on that – your purchased music, apps, books, photos and TV Shows don’t impact your 5GB space.  Just documents you share and CDs you rip.  After that, you need to pay a nominal fee (between $20-100 a year) for more space.  And here’s the awesome thing – with an upgraded plan, you can also just list the CDs you own and iCloud will automatically go get them.  No ripping required.  Man, that’s completely worth the upgrade price!

Although Apple’s iCloud won’t officially launch until Apple releases iOS 5 next month, there are several features which iPhone and iPad fans can enjoy right now. Here’s how …

Finding previously purchased Apps on your iOS device

If you want to re-download an App you’ve purchased before on your iPhone , iPod Touch, or iPad

1. Go into the app store and navigate to the “updates tab.”
2. There, you will see a new button called “purchased apps.”
3. Touch that and it’ll take you to another screen that will list every app you have purchased and downloaded.
4. There are two tabs – all apps and then apps not on this phone. Find the app you want and then click on the download icon.
5. The app will begin to download.

Finding previously purchased music on your iOS device

The huge development that iCloud is bringing is that users can now re-download music that they’ve purchased.

1. Just go to iTunes on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and click on the new “purchased” tab. You will see a listing of all the media you have bought divided up between music, movies, and TV shows. Select.
2. You will then see two tabs, “All” and again, “Not on this iPhone (or iPad)”. You’ll also see stats on how many you’ve purchased and how recent to break it down further. You will also note your songs broken down by artist and how many purchased.
3. Select an artist and you will get menu that shows the number of songs and each one listed with a download icon. If it’s on the iPhone or iPad already, it’ll be grayed out with “Downloaded.”
4. If not, you will see an iCloud icon to redownload it. Or, you can select the “Download All” option at the top of the screen.

Finding previously purchased music/apps in iTunes on your Mac or PC

1. Enter iTunes and log in.
2. On the main iTunes page you will see a option on the right that says “Purchased.” Click on it.
3. You will then see your media broken out into All Media, and Not in my Library. Then, it’ll further be broken out by Music, TV Shows and Movies, Apps and Books. You will then see it further organized, like in your mobile device, by artist and the number of each per artist.
4. Select your artist and you’ll get a separate page with each song or media broken down and a button to either download or you’ll see you’ve already downloaded. Then you can re-download whatever you’re missing, or turn on automatic downloads and they’ll download immediately without further action.
5. And in the lower right hand corner you’ll also see a download all button to download anything you’re missing off your desktop. This is advantageous if you’ve bought apps or music directly from your phone and you need to get them onto your desktop as a backup and to enjoy in iTunes directly.

In addition, downloading is complete, the song or app will also be automatically synced to all of the other devices using the same iTunes account via iCloud, for up to 10 devices.

Automatic downloading of previously purchased App/Music

To sync purchases to all your iOS devices and your Desktop, you’ll need to enable Automatic Downloading, and here’s how …

1. For the iPhone or iPad, go into Settings.
2. Then, scroll to the Store menu and tap.
3. There, you can enable automatic downloads and decide if you want to use Cellular as an option to download them over 3G. If this is disabled, you will only be able to download via WiFi.

What to expect in October

And coming in October, users will be able to sync up to 1,000 pictures and videos up to iCloud and share them with those same devices through an app called PhotoStream. Documents, emails, calendars and contacts will also be synced to the cloud through iCloud.

Users will be given 5GB of iCloud storage for free, with additional space charged as follows:

10GB – $20/year
20GB – $40/year
50GB – $100/year

Additionally, users can buy iTunes Match for about $25 a year, with unlimited iCloud storage space and the ability to sync all music, not just purchased but also ripped music from CDs or purchased from other stores like Amazon. And users won’t have to upload them. iCloud will merely scan your iTunes account and add whatever is missing to other iCloud devices – up to 25,000 songs per account. Brilliant!

And the best part is, you don’t have to enable anything except automatic downloads. Starting with iOS 4.3, iCloud functions became available.

Tomorrow, Apple will unveil the next iPhone, presumably the iPhone 4GS or iPhone 5.  Not only will it be faster and have an upgraded camera, but it will be powered by iOS 5.  Here are the top 30 new and improved features that users are going to love.

1. Wireless Sync and activation

Literally right out of the box, new iOS devices will be able to activate without a PC with wireless activation.  That’s something that Apple customers have been screaming for as some don’t want a computer, they just want an iPad.  This new feature fills that need.  And iOS devices don’t have to sync through a USB connection to iTunes.  Using a WiFi connection, users can backup to iCloud, as well as sync to iTunes on their PC.  And with new over the air (OTA) updating, users won’t have to sync to iTunes to get the latest iOS updates, something Android users have enjoyed since day one.  And any time you plug your iPhone into an AC outlet to charge, the iPhone will automatically sync to the Cloud via WiFi and look for a software upgrade.

2. Notification Center

The next new feature is another that isn’t really new to Android users, but that iOS 5 does quite elegantly … it’s the new Notification Center.  When users receive a message, whether text or email, iOS 5 will drop down a notification bar in the upper edge of the screen without kicking users out of the app they’re using at the moment.  Users can then swipe down to pull down the bar for more details. If there’s multiple messages, users can simply swipe to reply to messages.  For messages that come in when the iOS device isn’t being used, the Notification Center has lock screen notification, and a simple swipe will reveal and swipe to reply.

3. Greater Accessibility

This is so high on the list because Apple has always made accessibility to iOS a priority.  And these tweaks really help those who are hard of hearing or blind to further use their devices.  Features include LED Flash and vibration activation for incoming calls, improved voiceover support, a hearing aid mode for altering voice and voiceover, and custom gestures to perform key tasks.  Other improvements include a  larger text option, New speak selection, New assistive touch settings, and the ability to Set Mono Audio left or right.

4. Twitter Integration

With iOS 5, Twitter comes built in.  All users need to do is go into settings, select to install the official Twitter app and sign in.  New users can register within iOS 5 without having to launch the browser and go to Twitter to sign up. Once installed and activated, users will find Tweet options in several places from the Safari browser, the camera app, maps, and contact information where Twitter handles can be added.  Additionally, the keyboard has been redesigned for more prominent #(hash-tag) and @ (mention) keys.  Location services can also be added to any Tweet, making Tweet ups easier to create.

5. Greater phone support

You remember that the iPhone is actually a PHONE right?  It can make and receive calls!  That’s what my wife likes to joke about.  Well with iOS 5, users have greater phone support including deleting of individual phone calls with a wipe, unsecured call warnings, location notifications for calls not in contacts, and users can now edit their phone number in settings.

6. Enhanced email features

With iOS 5, users can now add a little more flair to their emails with rich text editing of italics, bold, underline, and even indenting.  And to make addressing an email even easier, users can now drag email addresses to address fields.  Email also will have the ability to organize messages easier with the addition of custom folders. And users can now select & mark multiple emails as read.

7. Enhanced contact features

iOS 5 brings a few extra fields for contact management.  Users can now add family relations, as well as social media links

8. iMessage between iOS devices

Users can also send unlimited messages directly to users of other iOS devices with iMessage.  iMessage allows you to send pictures, video, text messages, group messages, and contacts to any other iOS device – iPhones, iPads, and the iPod Touch.  Users can set up to receive delivery notification and receipts.  iMessage works on both 3G and WiFi, and messages are encrypted.  And just for fun, users can now use animated GIF images in iMessage (only).

9. Airplay wireless mirroring

Airplay mirroring comes to iOS 5, allowing users to use their iOS device through AppleTV on their TV set.  Suddenly, that iPhone or iPad screen is 50″, making it ideal for meetings or even game play.  And the image will also rotate on the TV as it does on the iOS device as you alter it.

10. Enhanced camera control

Users have been screaming for this feature and now they have it.  In iOS 5, users will be able to take capture those instant moments with a Lockscreen camera control, meaning that they don’t have to go into the camera app to snap a picture.  Additionally, users can use the up volume button to snap photo.  And users have greater control over what the iPhone focuses on with one tap auto focus.  In camera editing features are also added including with red eye reduction, rotating, and cropping.   Users can also organize their photos in camera roll with the addition of albums. And here’s a great additional option – users can use their iPhone earbuds as a remote trigger by using the Volume UP button.

11. Photostream

Through Photostream, users can now automatically upload images and videos to the Cloud and directly to all iOS devices and their Desktop PCs.   Additionally, iCloud stores every photo for 30 days and every iOS device will store the last 1000 snapshots.  Your Desktop, however, can store them all.

12. Improved Facetime features

Apple has also finally freed Facetime from the confines of WiFi.  Users can now video conference over 3G.  And they don’t need a SIM to initiate a call either as calls can be made via phone number or email address.  And what could be better?  How about airplay support?  Facetime now enjoys airplay mirroring for video conferencing over your TV set through AppleTV.  And video quality is improved.

13. iCloud

Here’s the biggie.  Users can take advantage of the Cloud with wireless backup and restore.  Users can also schedule daily over the air backup or disable iCloud syn via 3G to save bandwidth.   As previously mentioned, iOS 5 will also automatically sync and backup to iCloud every time users plug in their phone to recharge and look for updates.   Images, videos and files are also backed up to the Cloud and synced down to other iOS devices as well as your PC via iTunes.  And speaking of iTunes, users have the option of a free 256kb upgrade of songs if backing up to iCloud, with any apps or music purchased not counting towards their monthly cap.  Users get 5GB free, with additional storage options ranging from $20-100 annually.  And  Find My iPhone is also available as a part of iCloud integration with an option to disable it.

14. Calendar enhancements

Calendars become more useful with a tap to add event option, tap and drag to adjust time and duration of an event, swipe left or right to view a different day, and viewing of event attachments.

15. Location based Task manager

iOS 5 makes people more productive now with the Reminder Task Manager.   Tasks can be created and checked off, as well as syncd w/ iCal and Outlook.  Reminders can also be location based, meaning when your iOS device sees where you’re in the vicinity of a task, it’ll remind you to do it. reminders. Reminders — Instead of taking notes on your iPhone’s notepad app or putting a reminder in your calendar, you can now use Reminders in iOS to create a digital to-do list right on your iPhone. The geo-location abilities will trigger surrounding events for you to choose from.

16. Storage usage and clean-up

Here’s a nice feature for housekeeping of your iOS device.  iOS 5 brings Storage Usage Clean Up so that we not only see what files have taken up space but also the option to empty that space of Apps, Game saved data, Music, Videos etc. with single wipe.

17. The Assistant

iOS 5 brings a Voice activated assistant feature.   With a long press of the home button, your iOS device will interact and respond to voice commands. Users will be able to drive hands free and tell the phone to send email, texts, get maps, tweet, and even make phone calls.  Based on the popular Siri app, which Apple recently purchased.

18. Split keyboard for iPad

If you’ve ever used an iPad, you know how hard it is to thumb type.  So iOS 5 adds a split keyboard option to make it easier to type in portrait mode.

19. Video and music now separate apps

With iOS 5, the iPod app is retired in exchange for separate video and music apps.  Seems kind of odd, but it was actually done with the iPod Touch, so this change makes it consistent across all iOS platforms.  Users can also move between tracks with a swipe to the left or right (iPad only) and a slide will delete a song right away.

20. Custom Tones

To make the iOS experience more personal, users can now add custom tones for Calendar events, send/receive mail, voice mail, week view on calendar, year view on calendar (iPad) and more.  And of course, that means a new TONES App store!

21. Dictionary

Not an earth shattering feature, but it’s nice that dictionary has been added and is available in every app.

22. News stand subscriptions

Available through iBooks, users can now subscribe to magazines and newspapers.  Searching by popularity of subscriptions is also a plus.

23. Cellular Network for App Store

If users want to be stingy with their bandwidth and only download apps over WiFi, they now have the option to Enable or Disable App Store downloads via GPRS and 3G.

24. Faster Safari

Safari has become streamlined and is faster to load.  Users can also save web pages in reader mode which eliminates all ads to make them easier to read.  They can also be saved off line to read later.  And in the iPad, Safari also offers Tabbed Browsing support.

25. Alternate Routes in Google Maps

Ever frustrated when Maps gives you a route that’s longer or goes out of the way?  In iOS 5, users can choose alternate routes that are more to their liking.  For those who prefer things old school, users can now print directions from their iOS device.

26. HD YouTube

Users now have the option to stream HD/HQ videos through YouTube over 3G.  For those concerned about bandwidth, the ability to disable HQ video playback is also available in settings.  Nice.

27. Disable In-app Purchases

As a dad, I really appreciate this option.  With iOS 5, users now have the option of disabling in-app purchases.  No longer will I have to pay for things I didn’t want to buy because the purchase was done in-app without our knowledge or consent.

28. Game Center Enhancements

By contrast, Game Center now allows in app purchases of games.  Users can also further personalize their account with photos, and decide if your profile is private or public.

29. Weather updates

The iOS weather app becomes more useful with hourly updates, local weather, and the ability to swipe the weather widget in Notification Center to see a 5 day forecast.

30. MultiTasking

Users can now do gesture based multi tasking (iPad only).  With a swipe of 4 fingers, the app switcher appears.  Pinch will return to home screen.  And a swipe left and right to switch between  any actve apps

There are over 200 new features to iOS, and depending on which iOS device you use, some or all are available to enjoy.  But it’s certainly a well thought out and welcome update which will only get better with the addition of the new iPhone!

Driving and phones aren’t exactly a welcomed combination. Texting and driving is a no-no, while talking on the phone without a Bluetooh headset can result in a huge fine. But a joint research team from Princeton and MIT has recently discovered that a smartphone might be beneficial to your overall driving experience. Through much research and real-life tests, they’ve found that having a smartphone while you’re driving may actually improve fuel efficiency by 20% using a fuel-saving system in cars that relies on dash-mounted devices. Called the “SignalGuru,” the system monitors and logs the timing of traffic signals to alert drivers so that they can slow down and avoid idling at lights. Idling at stop lights and then accelerating fast actually sucks up gas faster, thus decreasing fuel efficiency.

So how does this new system work, you wonder? Well, it relies on images that are captured by the phone’s camera, which it then analyzes to predict when traffic lights will change. Somehow, the SignalGuru is capable of working with both fixed-schedule traffic lights and on those that vary based on the traffic flow. The only downside to this new system is its light-predicting accuracy since it varies depending on how many cars have the system. The more cars that have it, the more accurate the readings are.

According to researchers the computing infrastructure that the system is based on could also be adapted to a wide range of applications. For instance, the camera could capture information about prices at different gas stations, about the locations and rates of progress of city buses, or about the availability of parking spaces in urban areas—which all are useful to commuters.

While still in its testing phase, if developed for commercial use, the system would probably use audio prompts and be built to work with existing routing software and most likely be a purchased application.

iTunes is offering this Discovr App for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad for $0.99 – $0.99 Instant Off = FREE!

If you’re a huge music fan then take a look at this app which is Free for a limited time! With this app you can discover a whole new set of artists which play the music that you love. It gives you a huge interactive web of artists simply by inputting a band you like, so you can spread out and search for new music. Once you’ve created an artist map you can click on any one you like to get access to instant content including their bio and picture as well as videos. You can then quickly save some to your favorites and even share them with your friends on Twitter or Facebook. It’s only free for a limited time, so now’s the time to try it!