News from category ‘Software’

As it announced last month, Apple is now officially selling the iPhone 4S unlocked and contract free in the U.S.A.

The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a contract commitment. You can activate and use it on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States. The unlocked iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.

If you don't want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you'll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the micro-SIM card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

You can purchase the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB unlocked iPhone 4S for $649, $749, and $849 respectively.

iH8Sn0w has released Sn0wBreeze 2.8b11 with support of recently released iOS 5.0.1 firmware.

As usual the jailbreak is semi-tethered for iPhone 4, iPad, iPhone 3GS with new bootrom, iPad Touch 3G, iPod Touch 4G and untethered for iPhone 3GS with old bootrom.

Sn0wBreeze 2.8b11 will create a custom firmware with jailbreak and preserve modem version for unlock. Unlockers will also be able to flash 06.15 iPad modem for unlock.

You can download Sn0wBreeze 2.8b11 here.

Here are our step-by-step tutorials that will guide you through all the process of jailbreaking iOS 5.0.1 with sn0wbreeze 2.8b11:

• iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad 1
• iPod Touch 3G
• iPod Touch 4G

Other tutorials are available here.

Apple has recently released iOS 5.0.1. It is still tethered jailbreakable. However if you want untethered jailbreak or unlock - you should stay away from 5.0.1

Earlier this week pod2g reported that a code signing bug found in iOS 5.0 will make it easier for hackers to develop a full jailbreak for iOS 5 firmware version. That bug might have been closed in iOS 5.0.1. UPDATE: According to pod2g the bug is still present, but harder to exploit because another exploit found by Charlie Miller is fixed in iOS 5.0.1.

Also, MuscleNerd via twitter has warned iOS users that there is no downgrade from iOS 5.0.1 to iOS 5.0 yet and he recommends to wait until downgrade mechanism is available.

Jailbreakers and unlockers should avoid today's 5.0.1 until a flow for downgrading to 5.0 is developed.

Downgrade flow needs to be modified for AP "nonce" http://is.gd/b3G0io ... saved SHSH blobs are not enough to downgrade to 5.0

Yesterday Apple released the promised update of the iOS 5.0. The iOS 5.0.1 should fix battery life issues found on devices upgraded to the iOS 5, as well as on new iPhone 4S. Apple publicly said the battery life bugs affected a small number of users. In addition to addressing battery life issues, the update also brings new multi-touch gestures for the first-generation iPad.

This update contains improvements and other bug fixes including:

• Fixes bugs affecting battery life
• Adds Multitasking Gestures for original iPad
• Resolves bugs with Documents in the Cloud
• Improves voice recognition for Australian users using dictation

The update also includes security improvements, as well as a new way for developers to specify files that should remain on a device even in low storage situations.

iOS 5.0.1 is available for iPhone (4S, 4, and 3GS), iPod touch (third- and fourth-generation), and all iPad models. The update is now available to all users through iTunes, and will be soon available as an over-the-air update.

Direct links for downloads:

• iPhone: 4S, 4 GSM, 4 CDMA, 3GS
• iPad: 2 Wi-Fi, 2 GSM, 2 CDMA, Original
• iPod touch: 4th Generation, 3rd Generation

Nuance has dropped a new Dragon dictation app called Dragon Express in Mac App Store. This is a cheaper (introductory price $49), scaled-back version of Nuance’s Dragon Dictate program. The new version can be accessed from the Lion’s menubar and will not require a network connection. You can open the Dragon Express window with a mouse click or keyboard shortcut and instantly begin dictate into the window via USB headset microphone or internal Mac microphone. The transcribed text will immediately appear in the dictate window and from there you can copy, email the text, start a web search with it or share it with your social networking contacts.

Read the rest of this entry »

iPhone 3GS jailbreak can be either tethered or untethered. Tethered jailbreak means that each time you restart your device you will need to connect it to a computer and run redsn0w. If you have iPhone 3GS with an old bootrom version 359.3, the jailbreak is untethered. If your device has bootrom version 359.3.2 and higher, iOS 5/4.3.5 jailbreak will be tethered.

Here's how you can detect if your iPhone 3GS has new or old bootrom version.

Method 1.

Get your iPhone 3GS serial number. Read it on the box or using Settings - General - About.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Apple confirmed that some users indeed experienced problems with battery life on their devices with the iOS 5. The company said that the issue was caused by some bugs in the operating system and now Apple is working on update that will solve the problem. The iOS 5.0.1 seems to be in developing testing already and Apples intends to expand its testing, asking customers, who have experienced problems with their devices, to participate in testing.

Apple invites you to participate in a software seeding project. We have selected you, based on a referral from AppleCare for participation in our program, to assist us in testing an upcoming iOS 5 Software Update. Please follow the directions below to complete the invitation process.

Apple also asked retail store staff to recommend customers to wait for “a few weeks” until the update will be released, not offering replacement handsets for battery life issues.

A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices. If you are helping one of those customers, follow standard procedure to rule out any hardware issues with the device. If no hardware issues are found, let the customer know that Apple has found a few bugs in iOS 5 affecting battery life and Apple will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.

Appleinsider obtained an email that was reportedly a bug report where the company confirmed that it currently has "no plans" to support its Siri personal assistant feature on older devices and would keep Siri as the iPhone 4S exclusive feature. Some analysts view Siri as the main selling point of the newest iPhone, so it would be quite irrational to provide support for Siri on older devices in first months of iPhone 4S sales.

"Engineering has provided the following feedback regarding this issue: Siri only works with iPhone 4S and we currently have no plans to support older devices," the email read.

But it is not surprisingly, when Apple introduced Siri last month, the company made it clear that the feature was exclusive to the iPhone 4S alone. There were some speculations that Siri might require faster processor implemented in the iPhone 4S, but a hack we reported about denied that fact and show that Siri works on the iPhone 4 also quite well.

iOS hacker Conrad Kramer, better known as Contradev, have discovered a way how to enable the hidden panorama mode within Apple’s Camera application of the iOS 5. But, he noted, the feature seems to be not completed and in ongoing development by Apple. It offers settings for a grid and HDR when creating a panorama photo. A user can capture individual photos from left to right and the software will stitch it together. Kramer has said that the function is easily activated by "EnableFirebreak" key in a preference file within the mobile operating system.

Another hacker Grant Paul, also known as Chpwn, posted a screenshot (see above) of the panorama mode and has already submitted an application, called Firebreak, to Cydia to enable the panorama mode for Jailbroken iPhones.

It is obvious that Apple has been testing the Panorama mode that could appear in the iOS 5, but it is unclear why Apple did not include the feature in the final release.

UPDATE: With the release of iOS 5.0.1, you might get troubles restoring to iOS 5.0. Don't worry, new sn0wbreeze is already available. Our tutorial for iOS 5.0.1 is available here.

Using this tutorial you will be able to create a custom firmware, jailbreak and unlock iOS 5 running on iPhone 3GS. This tutorial uses Sn0wBreeze 2.8b10 for Windows.

If you have iPhone 3GS with an old bootrom version 359.3, the jailbreak is untethered. If your device has bootrom version 359.3.2 and higher, jailbreak will be tethered. You can detect your bootrom version using this tutorial.

Sn0wBreeze will also preserve baseband version if you need carrier unlock. It can also update your modem version to 06.15 if you need unlock and stuck with 05.14 or higher baseband.

Read the rest of this entry »

In July Adobe for the first time entered the Mac App Store, releasing Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 Editor, scaled-down version of its image editing software. When the company pushed out boxed version of Photoshop Elements 10 in September, Adobe noted that the development of the version for Mac App Store is under way but under a different timeline as it is a separate application.

Read the rest of this entry »

Famous hacker Pod2g has recently announced that he discovered a bug that can untether the iOS 5 jailbreak! He posted via twitter:

Hey jailbreaking friends, I've found a bug that can untether iOS 5. Don't expect a release soon, but I'm gonna work hard in it.

Pod2g has found many vulnerabilities in the past including famous SHAtter.

iH8Sn0w has released Sn0wBreeze 2.8b10. Here is a changelog:

• Supports iOS 5.0 (9A334)/5.0.1-b2 (9A404)
• Fixed iBooks sandbox crashing issues.
• Fixed location services issues with iPhone 3GS users running the iPad baseband (06.15).
• Re-added iPad baseband (06.15) install option to iPhone 3GS.
• Removes UDID requirement/Beta timer in 5.0.1.
• Tethered devices are booted via iBooty which is extracted to the Desktop after running sn0wbreeze.

As usual the jailbreak is semi-tethered for iPhone 4, iPad, iPhone 3GS with new bootrom, iPad Touch 3G, iPod Touch 4G and untethered for iPhone 3GS with old bootrom.

You can download Sn0wBreeze 2.8b10 here.

UPDATE: Sn0wBreeze 2.8b10 step-by-step jailbreak and unlock tutorials:

• iPhone 4 - Sn0wBreeze (Windows)
• iPhone 3GS - Sn0wBreeze (Windows)

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chairman, admitted to the U.S. Senate antitrust subcommittee that Siri, voice assistant, could threaten his business and could supplant Google's search engine. Schmidt even went so far as to call Siri a "Google killer" and Apple's "entry point" into the search engine business.

On the contrary, Android chief Andy Rubin doesn’t believe that phones should be assistants and doubted whether people should communicate with their phones. But Schmidt denied his opinion, citing a recent study that shows that "Android operates on only 34.1 percent while Apple’s iOS runs on 43.1 percent."

Schmidt also downplayed Google's role in the search engine market, instead attributing it to hard work and luck.

"I would disagree that Google is dominant," he said after senators asserted that Google is approaching a monopoly. "By investing smartly, hiring extremely talented engineers, and working very, very hard (and with some good luck), Google has been blessed with a great deal of success."

A new survey of 1,000 people working in the gaming industry that was conducted ahead of the London Games Conference 2011, has found that 26 percent of respondents consider  Steve Jobs as the most influential person in the industry, and 46 percent included him in their top five.

Steve Jobs, the iPhone’s driving force, was the ultimate independent developer -- uncompromising in his vision, with unquestionable influence, and hugely artistic and commercial results.

However, Apple’s influence on gaming industry extends beyond Jobs. 17 percent of respondents said that the iPhone is shaping the future of videogames.  53 percent of respondents included the iPhone in their list of top five most influential devices in the gaming industry.

"In just over three years the iPhone and the App Store have transformed what consumers expect of games, and how the industry makes and sells them - today, download games have come to the fore," said Michael French, editor in chief of gaming magazine MCV.