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Week in Apple: pre-iPad event edition

We're just days out from the March 7 Apple event and it was (unsurprisingly) a …

We're just days out from the March 7 Apple event and it was (unsurprisingly) a hot topic of discussion among Ars Infinite Loop readers this last week. But we also covered how to create your own iPhone ringtones, looked at hints within the iOS 5.1 code, discussed several German court rulings, and more. Need to catch up? You've come to the right place.

How to: create your own iPhone ringtones: Some iPhone users have been creating their own ringtones for years, which sometimes comes as a surprise to friends and family. For those users, we've put together a how-to on making your own ringtones without plunking down extra cash every time you want to change things up.

Apple announces March 7 event, likely iPad 3 unveiling: It's official: Apple is holding a special event on March 7 in San Francisco that is believed to be reserved for the iPad 3.

iOS 5.1 code hints at simultaneous A5X and A6 processor development: References buried in iOS 5.1, the upcoming revision to Apple's mobile operating system, suggest Apple is working on two next-generation mobile processors.

German ruling spells trouble for Motorola's 3G patent lawsuits: Motorola may not have a legal leg to stand on if it continues to sue Apple over "standards essential" 3G wireless networking patents. As Samsung recently discovered, suing over patents that are part of an industry standard is a losing strategy.

German iPhone users can no longer use iCloud's push e-mail—for now: German iPhone users can no longer use push e-mail due to an injunction awarded to Motorola earlier this month over a pager patent.

Apple looks to improve app search and discovery with Chomp acquisition: Finding apps on the iOS App Store can be a challenge if you're looking for anything that's not on the top app charts. That's likely the reason why Apple acquired Chomp.

Mercedes Benz to integrate Apple's Siri for hands-free commands: Voice commands are nothing new in the auto world, but Mercedes Benz is looking to step up its game by integrating Siri support into its new Drive Kit Plus.

Fix reportedly coming for iOS photo uploading loophole: It's not just your iOS address book that can be uploaded to a remote server without your knowledge—apps can siphon your photos and other data too.

Hands-on: News.me's iPhone app filters your friends' timelines for news: News.me is a service that combs through your social network feeds for news links shared by your friends and e-mails them to you in a digest. Now, the company is offering a new iPhone app that performs the same service, but in real time. Ars goes hands-on.

Have a great weekend everyone! Stay tuned for our live coverage of the Apple event on March 7.

Listing image by Photograph by Jacqui Cheng

Channel Ars Technica