Two More Ways To Hack Facebook’s Timeline Cover

Now we have five different tools that create Facebook timeline cover images, all of them appearing to be reformatted banners, screensavers or Twitter backgrounds.
Even if they are all recylcled, it’s still pretty cool considering only one week has elapsed since Facebook made the new timeline profile available to those who have the Developer application installed on their profiles.

We’ve previously covered three such tools: Coverize.me, Facebook Timeline Cover Creator and Facebook Covers. Today we discovered two more of them.

Fresh Facebook Covers has different 211 images, grouped into the following categories: popular, for girls, for boys, celebrities, TV shows, music, quotes, cute and random.
Like the other tools in this space, all of these covers have Fresh Facebook Covers’ web address stamped in the lower right-hand corner — do you want that in your profile?

On Fresh Facebook Covers, the button “download this cover” appearing beneath all of the images makes it look like you’ll automatically capture the image, but clicking on it simply opens up a larger version of the graphic a new tab. You have to save it yourself and then upload it on your own to your timeline.

Meanwhile, FacebookCovers.org contains 50 cover images and lists 16 categories, some of which don’t yet have anything in them.

These groups are labeled: abstract, animals, awareness, awesome, cute, funny, hearts, life, love, movies, music, people, quotes, sports, TV shows and video games.

To the right of each image on FacebookCovers.org there’s a button labeled “add to profile.”

Clicking on the link fires up a permission window asking your permission for access to your profile, but all that does is upload the chosen graphic to your photo albums. You still have to click on “change cover.”

Also, like the others we’ve covered (pun intended if you want), all of the images available on FacebookCovers.org bear the site’s brand name in the lower-right-hand corner.

It’s easy to erase that branding in any graphics editor, although it would be impolite of us to recommend that practice.

So, dear readers, have you tried out any of the applications for tricking out your cover image in Facebook’s timeline?

Apple's iPhone Event is Near: 5 Predictions

Apple will put an end to the rumors and introduce its next iPhone on October 4--it's already sent out invitations to an iPhone-specific event that will be held at Apple's Cupertino campus. New Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to take the stage and make the big announcement.

This means we've got just one more week for some good, old-fashioned speculation. Here's what I think we'll see at Apple's upcoming iPhone event:

Prediction #1: The New iPhone Will Look
Different
Depending on which story you're reading, the next iPhone will either have a completely new design or be
 exactly the same, aesthetically, as the iPhone 4.

In other words, Apple has managed to keep the tech press guessing. But considering that Apple has gone 16 months without announcing a new iPhone, I would be surprised if the iPhone 5's design offers nothing new.

Prediction #2: Hardware Will be New, but Predictable

The iPhone 4 had a new design, but it didn't surprise us with its specs--it received the same A4 chip as the iPad. Following the same lines, I think the next iPhone will have the same dual-core A5 chip that debuted in the iPad 2.

I think we can probably look forward to a new camera--not only do rumors suggest that the next iPhone will have an 8MP camera, but Apple has a history of improving the iPhone's camera with each generation. To go with the new chip and camera, the next iPhone will also probably have 1GB of RAM--but Apple probably won't say much about this. After all, Apple doesn't usually spend a lot of time discussing specs.

Prediction #3: Hardware Isn't Everything

Rumor has it that the next iPhone will have software improvements, including expanded voice commands. The new voice commands--part of a feature reportedly called Assistant--are based on Siri, the virtual assistant software maker that Apple acquired last year.

This system-wide voice navigation system could be a standout feature that's exclusive to the iPhone 5, and a big focus at next Tuesday's event. Apple did make voice commands exclusive to the iPhone 3GS in 2009, so requiring an iPhone 5 for expanded voice commands isn't without precedent.

Bonus prediction: The event invitation includes a photo of the iPhone's maps application icon, which has me wondering if Apple will finally add turn-by-turn directions.

Prediction #4: A Cheaper iPhone

The use of the singular in the invitation ("Let's talk iPhone") has led pundits such as John Gruber to speculate that Apple will only launch one new iPhone, despite rumors to the contrary.

While Apple may not launch an iPhone 4S, it will still drop the price on its old iPhones--AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4's--as it has in the past. Low-cost, older-generation iPhones have proven to be very successful, and are one of the reasons AT&T far outpaced Verizon in sales in the second quarter, despite Verizon having the iPhone 4. I doubt Apple will give up that market.

Prediction #5: Sprint Gets Love

Between the Wall Street Journal's unnamed sources, Bloomberg's unnamed sources, and Sprint's internal memos telling employees to keep quiet, a Sprint iPhone 5 seems like a good bet.

T-Mobile, on the other hand, probably won't be part of Apple's announcement. When asked if T-Mobile would be getting the next iPhone, T-Mobile CEO Cole Brodman recently said, "To my knowledge, not in October."

When we talk about monitors, most of us would definitely think of the most common models that are sitting there, prim and proper on our desks. Well, AOC not only delivers said monitors, but they too know how some people feel about not getting enough viewing real estate whenever one travels. Guess this is why they have come up with what they deem to be the ultimate laptop accessory – a portable USB monitor that ain’t too small it might be deem useless, but is large enough to warrant more than a second look.

This lightweight and sleek 16″ monitor will boast a convenient built-in USB port which allows it to receive not only power, but also signal from the computer. Basically a single USB cable eliminates the need for you to tote around a power cord or VGA cable on your travels, now how about that? It isn’t only good for dual-monitor setups, but multi-monitor configuration as well.


Apart from being an extended display, this particular peripheral will also work great if you happen to need something more decent than an iPad for on-the-go presentations. With a 16″ form factor, it will be able to display a resolution count of 1,366 x 768, sporting 50,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a brightness level of 250cd and a response time of 5ms. There is even a built-in Smart Stand that pivots out when required, but if you don’t need it, it will be stored flush against the back of the monitor.

It doesn’t matter whether you are going to go portrait or landscape with the display, since the foldable stand supports both configurations. Those who have a penchant for model numbers will make do with e1649fwu, so calling it a simple “portable USB monitor” makes a whole lot more sense (and is easier on the brain and tongue). With a serious looking black piano-polish finish on the bezel, there is also a hard glass screen that delivers superior protection.

If you are interested, AOC’s portable USB monitor will set you back by $139, although I do not see it listed on the official website just yet.

iPhone 5 tops many a mobile-phone shopping list

Though yet to be released, the iPhone 5 is already on the shopping list of more than 40 percent of those polled by InMobi.

In a study released yesterday, the mobile ad network discovered that 41 percent of mobile users in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will buy the new iPhone, with 50 percent of those planning to pick one up within the first six months of the phone's debut. If those numbers hold true, the iPhone 5 would become the most successful product launch yet from Apple, according to InMobi.

Apple has an iPhone event planned for next week, at which the tight-lipped company is widely expected to unveil the iPhone 5.

Further, the new iPhone could easily shake up the battle between Apple and Android by boosting the market share of iOS to 41 percent from its reported 27 percent in June, the study said. A small survey conducted in early August by Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster found similar results, prompting the analyst to forecast that the iPhone 5 could double Apple's market share.


The iPhone 5 is also expected to steal business from other platforms as it's being eyed by 51 percent of current iPhone users but 27 percent of Android owners and 52 percent of BlackBerry users. Some of the new features that consumers are hotly anticipating in the new iPhone include better battery life, faster performance, higher screen resolution, and stronger phone service, InMobi said.

Though most people may be expecting Apple to unveil a totally new phone at next Tuesday's event, past reports have claimed that the device will just be a revamped iPhone 4 with a few improvements but the same basic features. Even if such rumors prove true, a new "iPhone 4S" will scoop up business from 11 percent of current iPhone users, 11 percent of Android owners, and 28 percent of BlackBerry customers.

As a mobile ad network, InMobi has seen an increase in ad impressions for iOS, particularly in iPod Touch devices. Including all of its mobile devices, Apple currently holds the leading share of impressions on InMobi's network at 29 percent.

Though demand for its mobile devices is still running hot, Apple's iOS has seen its once dominant lead in the smartphone OS market overtaken this year by Android. InMobi points to iOS as the top dog on its network, but fellow mobile ad network Millennial Media has been tracking Android in first place since shooting past iOS early this year.

iPhone 5 hardware spec check

With Apple now on the record about an October 4 iPhone event, analysts are reaffirming their prognostications about the phone's hardware--and adding an item or two to a growing list of specifications.
Chris Whitmore, Deutsche Bank Equity Research, said in a research note Monday that he expects an iPhone 5 with aluminum unibody construction, better camera, and a slightly larger screen size. No big surprise there.
Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw, said on Tuesday he expects better graphics silicon--not unlike the big performance increase that Apple boasted about for the iPad 2.
Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster probably had the most intriguing speculation this this week, saying today he expects speech-based features for the iPhone.

So, without further ado, here are the iPhone 5 upgrades expected:

• More memory: Possibly 1GB of memory, twice the amount in the iPhone 4.

• Higher-resolution camera: likely 8-megapixel versus current 5MP.

• Near-Field Communication (NFC): for virtual wallets. Possible but not certain.

• Voice control: speculation says new tech will allow voice navigation.

• Improved graphics: similar to Imagination's PowerVR SGX543 graphics silicon used in the iPad 2.

• Dual-core Apple A5 chip: a virtual certainty that the iPhone 5 will get a boost in chip performance.

• iOS 5: new iOS with iMessage, tabbed browsing and lots more.

• 3G: Qualcomm chipset that will allow connection to both CDMA and GSM networks.

But Apple will need to pick up the pace on new phone introductions next year, according to Rodman & Renshaw's Kumar. "The last iPhone came out 16 months ago. Meanwhile rivals are updating products every three to four months," he said.

Conspicuously absent from the list of iPhone 5 specs is 4G. But Kumar says that 4G on Apple devices won't come any earlier than 2012.

How To Hack The Cover Image In Facebook’s Timeline

The Facebook timeline profile is not even a full week old — for developers — but those who’ve have made the switch can see the need for serious bling in the cover image that takes up half of the screen. The first turnkey offering we’ve seen is Cover Creator.

So Facebook Covers offers Facebook users who have the timeline profile the options of creating their own cover images, choosing from already-created images in several categories, or creating a photo collage of people on their friends lists selected by the user.

The myFBCovers.com site and Cover Creator app were created by GraphicFlash, which was also responsible for Facebook banner creator myFBBanners.com. Banners will no longer be part of Facebook profiles after the switch to timeline, so the company turned its attention to cover images.

Facebook Covers allows users to choose their own image and resize, flip, or rotate it to create their cover images.

Categories listed for the premade cover images are: abstract, anime, cars, celebrities, companies and websites, drinks, games, holidays and celebrations, humor, love, movies, music, nature, pets and animals, photographs, quotes and sayings, random, schools, sports, support and causes, and TV shows.

And the Create Collage Cover option incorporate friends chosen by the user into a photo collage that can be used as the cover image for their new timeline profiles.

Considering how early Cover Creator has come out, and the fact that it’s first in the space, the app is pretty decent.

Further down the road, we’d expect to see a lot more customizability. For now, GraphicFlash’s early entrance into the cover image space seems like that ought to help the vendor take leadership of this particular product category.