Archive for October, 2009

Bell Keller, Executive Editor of the NY Times, let slip on the still unconfirmed Apple tablet in a speech last week.

The New York Times speech comes from an internal "all hands" meeting at TheTimesCenter, which was intended to be off the record. However, the video was also provided to the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University. Skip to about 8:20, and you'll hear:

We need to figure out the right journalistic product to deliver to mobile platforms and devices. I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that.

Given the matter-of-fact way Keller refers to the slate, it sounds like a done deal versus a hypothetical.

via gizmodo, niemanlab

iPhone OS hacker, GeoHot, released Blackra1n RC2 today, an updated jailbreak utility for the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch.

This version provides a tethering jailbreak for the new iPhone 3GS with the updated Bootrom. GeoHot lists these new features on his blog:

• Fixed 3G issues
• Tethered jailbreak for 3.1 OOTB ipt 8GB and new 3GS units
• Fixed Icy issues
• Both Windows and Mac

You can download BlackRa1n here.

NASA, the government agency responsible for the space program of the United States of America, has just released its first application for iPhone. Through a simple interface this app allows us to know about all the missions planned.

Features:

• NASA Missions
• Mission Orbit Tracker
• Images
• Videos
• NASA Twitter Feeds/Mission Updates

Users can monitor the current position of the International Space Station and other spacecrafts around the Earth. App is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch, requires firmware 3.0 or later and is localized in English.

Avaliable for free in AppStore (link).

Apple created new "Get a Mac" advertising videos targeting Windows 7. The new ads can be viewed on Apple's site or below via YouTube. The first one is called "Broken Promises":

Here are two more videos "Teeter Tottering" and "PC News":

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Volkswagen and Firemint released a new iPhone game called Real Racing GTI. The 59.3MB download offers a Volkswagen branded racing experience with one main track and six 2010 GTI sport hatches. This game is free (AppStore link).

The three game modes include Quick Race, Time Trial, and GTI Cup Championship (across three tracks). Aside from being a great ad for Volkswagen, Real Racing GTI also serves as the Lite version of Firemint's widely acclaimed Real Racing ($6.99, Appstore link).

via toucharcade

There was an Anti-iPhone advertising campaign from Verizon called "iDon't" and designed to publicize the new Motorola Droid listing all the shortcomings of the iPhone. Today a new video was published obviously in favor of the iPhone, called "iDon't Care".

Obviously it was not made by Apple, which usually responds with irony only to Microsoft. The author is Jon Anderson, a simple Apple fan as well as admirer of the iPhone.

He's the original video from Verizon:

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Here's the first video preview of CoughMultitasking, the application from Steven Througton-Smith that will allow us to switch between different applications, leveraging the multitasking.

The application is only in early stages of development, but we already see 4 thumbnails per page and multiple pages.

iPhone application DropBox has just been updated and is now compatible with Firmware 3.0. So a lot more users can install it and enjoy its excellent features.

DropBox is a service that offers 2GB of free web space to store your documents, pictures, videos, music and more. Using the iPhone application you can access this information and view all files. If you have not tried the service, I recommend you to do so.

You can register and download the application for your desktop computer here (Windows, Mac, and Linux). Here is a link to application in AppStore.

Here's a little guide that allows you to enable tethering on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS with firmware 3.1.2. A hack that changes the CommCenter is used. It eliminates the need for a digital signature.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial:

1. First start Cydia and search for "iphone-notes". Install this repository and return to the tab "Search".

2. Now look for "tethering 3G - 3.1.2" or "tethering 3GS - 3.1.2" depending on the model of your device and install the package.

3. Restart the iPhone and then connect to the site www.unlockit.co.nz directly on the iPhone to create a custom APN. Create and install the profile.

After you restart you should see the field "Tethering" in the Settings.

via ispazio

Apple today announced financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter (third calendar quarter) of 2009. Apple posted revenue of $9.87 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.67 billion, or $1.82 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.6 percent, compared to 34.7 percent in the year-ago quarter, and international sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter's revenue.

The numbers represent the most profitable quarter in Apple's history and include record-breaking Mac and iPhone quarterly sales.

Conference Call Notes

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Here is a new tutorial from CNet specialists. They will show how to add media, downloaded from other sources, to iTunes.

With internet tethering enabled you can use iPhone internet connection on you desktop or notebook. Here is a quick tutorial for experienced users. For everybody else - just wait for the new version of PwnageTool or some other utility.

Here it is:

A bsdiff patch to apply to CommCenter in 3.1.2 to re-enable tethering is available here for the 3GS and here for the 3G. It's just a 2-byte patch as shown below (and an appropriate readjusting of the mach-o's codesign hash):

USE THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! Your carrier may end up charging you for unauthorized tethering access.

Update #1 It looks like a lot of people have been looking at CommCenter lately because IRC user CleanAir had a similar tethering patch. Meanwhile over in the 2G CommCenter, WhiteRat and geniusan have patched in native MMS support for that platform. Kudos to CleanAir, WhiteRat, and geniusan for digging into CommCenter and coming up with patches!

Update #2 A few tutorials have started to pop up. Eventually this will be made a part of the normal PwnageTool flow but for now this is best left for the adventurous users out there!

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