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Watch the 2011 State of the Union Address on iOS Devices
Liz Shannon Miller provides a great list of where to watch tonight’s State of the Union Address online, but what if you’re not at a computer? The list of possible sources is different for those hoping to follow the action on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

President Barack Obama begins his third State of the Union address tonight at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. While usual suspect CSPAN will be providing a live feed, it won’t be accesible to Apple’s iOS-based devices. The White House, on the other hand, has your bases covered, with both a web feed and a live broadcast available directly through its free eponymous iPhone application. The app isn’t universal, however, so you’ll have to either settle for using it in compatibility mode, or choosing one of the methods listed below.

Luckily, the WhiteHouse.gov/live feed will be compatible with the iPad, as well as the iPhone and iPod touch. Along with video, the feed from the White House website will be accompanied by a stream of charts and graphs relating to what Obama is discussing.

As for third-party sources, unfortunately Facebook’s live stream with its roundtable of policy experts who will be fielding questions by viewers requires Flash and therefore isn’t compatible, but iPad and iPhone owners can navigate to YouTube.com/CitizenTube instead for live footage from Google’s video site.

As for other app solutions, CNN will be offering live streams of the Address to both its iPhone and iPad applications (both are free), which will be available to all users with the app so long as your News Preference is set to U.S. and not international in your Profile settings. CNN.com will also be offering live mobile coverage.

If you know of any other iPhone and iPad sources for tonight’s below, please share them in the comments.

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GeoRing Makes iPhone Ringtones Out of Your Entire Music Library
Last week, I wrote about creating your own iPhone ringtones on the Mac. As it turns out, there’s an app called GeoRing out there that lets you use your entire iPhone music library as potential ringtones, without the need for syncing with iTunes or any track editing on your part.

GeoRing ($0.99) lets you either specify any song in your library as your ringtone, or allows you to use playlists to set random ringtones for each incoming call. But, as you might have guessed from the name, that’s not all it provides, either. The app will also geotag and log your incoming calls, telling you how long it lasted (to the nearest second) and letting you see where you received it on a built-in Google Map.

GeoRing takes advantage of Apple’s multitasking capabilities (introduced in iOS 4) to function. For it to work, you have to open the app once and select the songs from your library that you’d like to use as ringtones. As long as you don’t reboot your phone or kill the GeoRing app in the multitasking tray on your iPhone, it’ll play one of your selected songs at random whenever you receive an incoming call. The app will play the track over whichever ringtone you’ve selected as your default, but the app’s developer has figured out a way around that limitation. You simply need to download a free silent ringtone from GeoRing’s support site (or create your own), sync it to your iPhone, and set it as your default ringer.
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It may not be a perfect solution (you can’t set specific songs as custom ringtones for specific people, and if you forget to relaunch the app after a restart you could miss calls), but it’s the best way to enable access to your entire library as potential ringtones without jailbreaking or time-consuming conversion. It also raises the question of why Apple doesn’t put this right in iOS Settings, if it’s okay with a developer building a complicated workaround. Are iTunes ringtone revenues really that lucrative? Considering that the process for buying them requires almost as much input as creating them yourself in Garage Band, I somehow doubt it.

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Microsoft Now Offers 30-Day Free Trial of Office for Mac
Curious about Office for Mac but unwilling to drop at least $150 to find out if it’s any good? Microsoft seems to have finally realized that might be a common sentiment, and is now offering Office for Mac 2011 on a 30-day free trial download basis.

In case you missed our coverage at launch, Office for Mac 2011 is a marked improvement over its predecessor, Office 2008, in almost every regard. It more close resembles recent Windows releases, thanks to the omnipresence of the ribbon command interface, and yet it manages to seem much more at home on the Mac than previous iterations of Microsoft’s productivity suite.

To get your hands on the free trial, simply head over to Microsoft’s Mac trial download page, register and hit the resulting download link. Registering takes all of about 20 seconds, and doesn’t require an account. The download itself is around 900 MB, but you’ll need around 2.5 GB of clear hard drive space for a full install. The trial includes unrestricted versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook 2011 (which is only available in the $280 Home & Business edition, should you decide to make a purchase).

It’s good to see Microsoft offering users a chance to try before they buy. Somewhat ironically, Apple did not build the ability to do the same into its recently launched Mac App Store (where Office for Mac is not yet available). Maybe this is a subtle indication of the changing relationship between the two companies and consumers?

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How to Sell Your iPad for Instant Upgrade Gratification

Conventional rumor wisdom suggests the iPad 2 will be an evolutionary update, not a revolutionary one, with the biggest feature additions being cameras and maybe an SD card slot. Of course, the iPad 2 will be faster, have more memory, and the display resolution may be higher, but why upgrade at all if you’re happy with your current model?

$140 is why.

That’s how little nine months of use on my 16GB Wi-FI iPad cost me (not including tax) after selling it for $475. A resale value of 95 percent of the original purchase price sounds insane, and it may be, but only if you’re buying at that price. For sellers, it means a new iPad every year is well within reach.

Selling: In-person or Online

If you live in a large city, you may want to sell your iPad through a free classified service like craigslist. If so, the rules are simple: Arrange for a cash only, in-person sale. I suggest meeting the buyer at an Apple Store, where the buyer can try out the iPad on the Wi-Fi network, or even have a Genius look it over. Don’t forget to bring your receipt to prove ownership and sale date.

If a local sale isn’t possible, eBay is your best bet. Love it or hate it (I mostly fall into the second camp), eBay probably offers the greatest potential profit when selling an iPad, and possibly the most risk, too, but the risks can be mitigated. For example, I chose not to sell internationally, despite the likely reduction in final sale price. I also stated I would not sell to new eBay members that appeared to have registered just to bid on my iPad, nor members with a lot of negative feedback. Arguably, I could have put myself in violation of eBay policies and been sanctioned, and I would have had to pay fees on a cancelled auction, but that’s nothing compared to selling an iPad and not getting paid at all. To that end, I also required a PayPal account with a confirmed address.

Apple iPad 16GB Wi-Fi *Warranty* *Free Shipping*

Auction titles on eBay can have up to 55 characters. The above title has 42, covers specifications and why this iPad is better than others, at least once people start selling iPads out of warranty. (The iPad hasn’t yet been available for a year, so technically they’re all under warranty right now.) Besides the title, a picture of the actual iPad and a short description is all you need.

For the picture, a presentation on woodgrain floor or table works best; not so much on a messy desk or upholstered surface. You can also link to pictures hosted elsewhere and avoid additional eBay image fees. As for the description, be honest about the condition of the iPad, including battery life. List everything you’re selling, all of which should also be in the picture. Explain why you’re selling the iPad. Make sure you give the date you bought it, and remind potential buyers they can extend the warranty another year by purchasing AppleCare.

Reiterate the conditions of the sale, whether or not you ship internationally, types of payment accepted, and what the return policy is. I would never buy a used iPad without the option to return it, so I wouldn’t expect others to. I gave three days to contact me about a return, requiring the buyer to pay return shipping costs.

Once the sale is made, wipe the iPad. You can do this on the device by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings. Charge it, shut it down, clean it thoroughly, and pack the iPad and all accessories in the original box. Pack that box in a larger one filled with styrofoam peanuts or other packing material. Using a form of shipping that provides tracking and requires signature for delivery is a must. UPS Ground is my shipper of choice. Remember, free shipping to the buyer sets your auction apart, but it does reduce your profit, as do using eBay and PayPal, but all of these measures reduce your risk and make the sale that much more likely to go through successfully.

Profit, Loss, and Value

I purchased my iPad for $500, plus another $40 in sales tax. It sold for $475 on eBay. Auction fees are 9 percent, up to a maximum $50, auctions being the least expensive in terms of fees when selling on eBay, plus another $2 insertion fee. For me, the total in eBay charges was about $45. Adding to that a $15 charge from PayPal for handling the monetary transaction, and about $15 to ship via UPS across the country, and the total cost of my iPad was $615. Subtracting the sale price, my iPad cost me $140 for nine months of usage, or about 50 cents a day.

At 50 cents a day, or less, upgrading to a brand new iPad every eleven months is a value proposition that’s hard to beat. Anyone else selling in anticipation of new hardware, or have any other advice for potential sellers?

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Verizon iPhone Will Have $30 Unlimited Data Plan
Customers planning to buy a Verizon iPhone have reason to celebrate today as the company’s COO, Lowell McAdam, has confirmed that there will indeed be a $30 unlimited data plan available for the device. McAdam shared the news with the Wall Street Journal ahead of Verizon’s meeting with investors today.

iPhone buyers won’t have much of a choice when it comes to data options, however, as Verizon is also discontinuing its lower tiered 150 MB data plan, which costs subscribers only $15 a month. That option, just introduced last October, will be discontinued at the end of January, and won’t be available at all to new iPhone subscribers.

McAdams told the Journal that the decision to keep the unlimited plan for iPhone subscribers is specifically intended to attract subscribers away from rival AT&T. "I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot,” he said. “Not offering an unlimited plan would put up a barrier for customers who might otherwise switch from AT&T.”

AT&T currently offers two data plan to iPhone subscribers: 200 MB per month costs $15, while $25 will get you 2 GB of usage. AT&T discontinued its $30 unlimited data plan in June 2010 in an attempt to ease its network congestion problems.

Are higher data limits reason enough to convince you to switch to Verizon for iPhone service, if you weren’t convinced already?

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With NFC, Apple Most Likely to Take Mobile Payments Mainstream
Apple will introduce near-field communications technology (NFC) to the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 to be released this year, according to consulting firm director Richard Doherty (speaking to Bloomberg). Doherty cites engineers working on Apple hardware as the source of the information. The NFC tech will also bring mobile payments to the iOS platform, according to Doherty.

NFC is widely expected to make its way into future iterations of Apple’s mobile hardware, and since it’s already showing up in some competing Android devices, there is little reason to suspect Apple would pass on the technology, especially because it represents a major opportunity to capitalize on Apple’s existing success with digital transactions made through the iTunes and App Stores.

During Apple’s last conference call discussing its quarterly earnings results, the company revealed it made $1.1 billion in revenue through its combined music, movie, TV and applications sales in the first quarter of its 2011 financial year. While that represents only a relatively small portion of the company’s overall quarterly revenue ($26.74 billion), it’s still an impressive number on its own, and shows customers trust Apple when it comes to digital transactions.

Apple could easily use its existing relationship to become the payment method of choice for its mobile customers. I suggested as much back in November 2010 when I discussed Apple’s role in the evolution of mobile commerce, and again when I argued that NFC could lead to another power struggle between Apple and carriers. That Apple seems intent on bringing NFC to the iPad as well as to the iPhone (even if it is just the AT&T model, as Bloomberg’s report seems to suggest) only reinforces my belief that the company is gearing up for a major push into mobile payments. The combined reach of the iPad and iPhone, and Apple’s insistence that an active iTunes account be associated with those devices in order to download and use software give the company a massive head start in ushering in NFC-based e-wallet capabilities.

Currently, iTunes accounts are tied to credit cards, which could mean Apple would charge a convenience fee on top of the price of goods purchased, either from retailers or from consumers, to cover the costs. Were Apple to bypass credit card companies entirely and make it possible to link iTunes accounts directly to user bank accounts, like PayPal allows, then it could conceivably begin to make money on each transaction. Obviously, the 70/30 split it enjoys with developers in the App Store wouldn’t be feasible, but even if Apple only made enough through service charges to cover costs, the rewards it would reap in terms of perceived value add for consumers would help drive iPhone and iPad growth to new highs.

Mobile commerce is coming eventually, but its first major hurdle will be encouraging customer buy-in. When payments are at stake, consumers are slow to trust and twice-shy once burned. Apple already has more than 100 million people who trust it with their sensitive financial data, a payment system in place that’s comfortable and familiar for all of those users, and the infrastructure to back it up. If anyone is well-positioned to usher in the era of the e-wallet, it’s Apple.

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iPod Nano Watchband Shootout: TikTok vs iWatchz Q
We could debate the merits of wearing an iPod nano as a watch until the cows come home, but chances are the downsides won’t dissuade the dedicated Apple enthusiast anyway, so what say we just get right to the business of finding the perfect watchband accessory?

The Contenders

I’m narrowing my focus to only two contenders for the title of top iPod nano watchband, reason being that the others I’ve tried didn’t come close in terms of quality and performance. It also helps that both the iWatchz (don’t ask me how to pronounce that) Q Collection and the Minimal TikTok are roughly the same price ($24.95 and $34.95 respectively) and share similar design principles (as you can see in the gallery below).

The iWatchz Q Collection is one of two nano wristbands currently available through Apple retail, and it can also be found at Best Buy locations. The TikTok, on the other hand, is a Kickstarter-funded project currently only available for pre-order directly from LunaTik.com. Based on physical appearance alone, you’d be forgiven for thinking the two are virtually the same, but you’d also be very wrong.

Design and Build

Both these nano straps share a fairly similar design. There’s a notched silicone band attached to a plastic holder for your nano. The Q’s nano clip is made of a thin piece of hard plastic, while the TikTok features a thicker and slightly more flexible hard plastic mount to keep your iPod in place.

But once you get a look at both close up, the differences are instantly apparent. The iWatchz Q has all the hallmarks of a mass-produced product, with poorly finished surfaces on the hard plastic parts that feel rough enough to potentially scratch skin. One reviewer at the Apple Store online even noted that he’d used a Dremel tool to correct this oversight himself at home, and checking other units in-store at both Apple and Best Buy, I found the problem to be far from a one-off.

The TikTok, on the other hand, tells the story of its design chops in the attention paid to fit and finish. Minimal founder Scott Wilson isn’t new to the watch game, having worked with Nike on its time pieces, and he had a hand in the redesign of the Xbox 360 and its Kinect peripheral. While the TikTok is a little more understated than the new look for Microsoft’s console, the differences in craftsmanship between nano straps are easy to spot even for the casual observer.

Both products strive to integrate the nano fully, making the accessory and iPod together look like a watch first and media player second (if at all). The TikTok is slightly bulkier, while the Q does a very good job at approaching maximum minimalism with its “just the basics approach.” The Q also offers many color options besides the black version I tested, while the TikTok is available only in black.

Comfort and Usability

Looking at early nano watchband designs, my main concern was that I wouldn’t find one that fit comfortably enough for all-day use. Both iWatchz and Minimal seem to have anticipated this worry, as the silicone band surfaces and lightweight plastic materials used in each make them quite easy on the wrist.

If either of the two gets the edge, it’s the Q, since it’s slightly lighter overall and really feels almost like you’re not wearing anything at all. Neither design provides cause for complaint in this regard, though. Women and those with slender risks might want to test out any iPod nano watchbands in-store prior to committing a purchase, however, since the nano itself takes up considerable space on the wrist. If you try the Q and find it works well, the TikTok will pose no problems either.

Both watchbands are also easy to use, though this time it’s the TikTok that gains the upper hand. The Q has a two-band system for securing excess strap once you’ve fastened it on your wrist at the desired size, but this can lead to some awkward fumbling, and it tends to get stuck a bit on the strap itself since both surfaces are rubberized. The TikTok uses an innovative and highly customizable hard plastic peg adjustment system that makes right-sizing and securing excess band a piece of cake.

Both provide access to all ports/buttons, so you can actually use the iPod as an iPod while you’re wearing it, though I’ve found that doing so feels clunky at best no matter what strap you’re using. Getting the nano in and out is not difficult with either band, though here too, the additional attention to detail paid in the TikTok’s design process is evident. Snapping the nano in and out of the TikTok makes the accessory feel like it was designed in-house at Apple itself.

Verdict

Is wearing the iPod nano a good idea? Some say not, but I have no problem pressing a button to see the time. It’s not like the nano is the only watch that requires this (see most of Tokyoflash’s line, for instance). And people say the battery is an issue, but I’ve gotten at least a week out of nano, when using it exclusively as a watch.

Whether or not it’s a good idea, if you’re going to wear a nano as a watch, do it with the TikTok. The TikTok is the only watch I’ve been complemented on by strangers (and I have a fairly large watch collection). It feels great, isn’t that expensive, and it’s an example of drool-worthy industrial design that you can carry with you anywhere. At first glance, the Q may look like a worthy competitor, but after prolonged wear and a close look, the TikTok’s emphasis on good design easily carries the day.
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