Apple may be planning an end to its restocking fees at retail which would help fuel the Verizon iPhone launch. The company would permanently waive the 10 percent penalty for anyone returning a device in the usual two-week grace period, starting January 11. That’s the same day as the special event.

However, 9 to 5 Mac didn’t say if it was a permanent policy or just a one time promo with the Verizon deal, but it wouldn’t be exclusive to the one device. Of course the company has not commented on this as yet. This might help get customers to try an apple product, if they were hesitant before.

MiLi Power has something different to show off in Las Vegas this year. The MiLi HD is a pretty simple device and you have to admire it’s minimalist nature. It’s a full featured charging dock, but it also includes an internal speaker, a mini-USB connector and an HDMI output.

It will help you stream iTunes downloads from your iDevice of choice right onto your television without an Apple TV. It will be available soon for just $99.99 if it fits your needs.

Apple’s iPhone alarm clock experienced a strange glitch with the new year and failed to wake users on New Year’s Day and January 2. This is caused by a bug that Apple still hasn’t fully explained, but the company did make a statement yesterday saying that the failure of its clock app only happens when you set a one-time alarm, and that it will somehow fix itself on January 3. However despite that, the problem still apparently exists.

So if you want to make sure that you wake up on time and don’t piss off your boss, here’s how to work around the problem until we get a proper fix.

Apple has already tested the waters of social networking via its Ping music-sharing service and now the company has filed for a patent that details a social networking tool for brick-and-mortar shopping. It allows iPhone owners to share comments, opinions and recommendations about any product. The store would allow customers to access a product list from their phone, which can then be shared through the social network, where you can do things like ask friends for approval or rejection of the item, or get feedback.

The patent also lets users create a community discussion, communicate and share easily with friends, without them having to be physically present.

The CDMA iPhone rumors just won’t go away and now there are reports that Apple is optimistic for a great 2011. The company is apparently planning to ship five to six million CDMA iPhones between January and March, and has increased the production of regular iPhones from thirteen million to fifteen million, bringing the total number of possible shipments to twenty-one million.

Rumor is that the CDMA version won’t be exclusive to Verizon since it could be shipping to the US and also Asia Pacific, with carriers like China Telecom, KDDI Au, and SK Telecom all possible destinations. Foxconn is said to be producing both editions of the iphone, and Pegatron will be helping on the CDMA side.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will soon be permitted to use iPads, iPhones and Blackberry devices on the House floor according to a recent report. Current rules ban the use of these devices, though incoming House speaker John A. Boehmer, the Republican Member for Ohio, is working on plans to relax these measures.

Members would still be banned from using the devices for matters that are unrelated to House matters, so they won’t be allowed to shop on Ebay or play games, but permitting the use of technology should help them be greener and help members quickly refer to legislation and receive important communiqués. So it could make things more efficient.

Apple is a patent filing monster. Let’s face it, they have a patent for everything. The latest patent app to surface from Apple has the name of many of the members of the iPhone team on it and once the app is approved, it will have the Apple name applied to the final patent.

The patent app details a new way that Apple wants to put antennas behind logos on their products. So in the future, your iPhone antenna might be behind the Apple logo. The antennas will be used on notebooks, phones, and other devices. This is one that we will likely see come to pass at some point soon.

Disney’s upcoming Tron Legacy is getting plenty of hype and Sci-Fi fans are waiting anxiously. Apple users also can share the excitement as iAd for iPad is for this very movie. This is the first and only iAd to hit the iPad for 2010 since iAds have been showcased for just iPhones until now.

However, 2011 could see a bunch of iAds hitting the device. Each ad features rich graphics, touch navigation and video native to apps. Disney’s Tron Legacy iAd is a full screener and will run in iPad apps like TV Guide. It’ll also have purchase options for various apps etc. based on the movie. The soundtrack can also be previewed or downloaded right from the ad via iTunes.

The design community loves Apple products. They also love the Pantone Matching System. So it’s about time these two got together, don’t you think? Case Scenario thinks so, that’s why they have released this new line of licensed cases.

They’re Pantone approved and nine different versions are available for the iPhone and four for the iPad, giving you plenty of options. No word on pricing or availability yet though.

Stuart Hughes is known for their gold, platinum, diamond, and crystal encrusted gadgets. But how do you up the ante on those precious gems? You use a material that dates back to 65 million years. This one was conceived by his wife, Katherine Hughes.

It’s the iPhone 4 History Edition, the world’s first Dinosaur mobile phone. It uses a tooth of a 65 million year old T-REX and meteor stone together to dress up the rear of the iPhone. The rim is caked with 8.5ct ‘IF’ flawless diamonds and a diamond studded Apple logo set in platinum on the tooth and stone rear.

The white iPhone 4 has been delayed several times and was even removed from the online Apple Store. There was never any official confirmation from Apple that the device was canceled, but that was the rumor. And now the latest in the white iPhone 4 saga is that some new signage has been going up in Apple stores which features a footnote that the white iPhone will be available in spring 2011.

Hopefully that is really the case. It’s in line with what Apple previously mentioned. Maybe we can get a happy ending for all of you white iPhone fans yet.

We’re all looking to avoid the holiday rush and long checkout lines in stores. Well if you find yourself at Old Navy and you have an Apple iPod Touch, you can get in and get out quickly. They’re testing out a new EasyPay point-of-sale type system that Apple’s calling ZipCheck, with iPods, to minimize long check out lines.

Employees of Old Navy will just need your credit card and by using the device via wireless, you can have your bill ready thanks to wireless printers around the store.

The BlackBerry had a victory today after StatCounter showed the platform overtaking the iPhone in web use in the US. They’ve been steadily narrowing the gap over the past year, and now RIM just slightly overtook Apple in traffic, accounting for 34.3 percent of American traffic while iOS slipped to 33 percent. Despite signs of growth before, Android as a web platform has leveled off at just 23.8 percent.

Worldwide figures also show RIM climbing, at 19.25 percent, but it still trailed iOS’ 21.9 percent and was well behind Symbian’s 31.9 percent. If these trends continue, Android and BlackBerry devices could get twice the web share of iOS sometime next year.

Audio-Technica has two new sets of noise cancelling headphones that are each under $100. Most Noise Canceling headphones will set you back more than that. The ATH-ANC27 and ATH-ANC25 both have similar features. The ANC27 headphones can block up to 85% of the sound in a room using active noise cancellation and are an over-the-ear design, while the ANC25 are on-ear style and can block 80% of the sound in the room.

Both use active noise cancellation tech and are compatible with Apple products like the iPhone and iPod. And both need an AAA battery for the noise cancellation feature. The ANC27 headphones are $99.95 and the ANC25 sell for $79.95.

Let’s face it, you have way too many iPod dock options. But this offering from Yamaha is stylish, powerful and should look good in your bedroom. Plus it will wake you gently. The TSX-140 desktop audio system promises to wake you gradually with the sound of your favorite music. It can fade in the music rather than simply jolting you awake.

It’s compatible with Apple’s iPod Touch and iPhone (3G/3GS/4), and it is also capable of playing MP3 and WMA files stored on a USB stick, as well as FM/AM radio programming.