Nov
23
2010
167
comments
 

Redsn0w 0.9.6b4 Now Available

Posted by at 7:22 am

The Dev-Team has just released the updated version of redsn0w for users who absolutely must jailbreak 4.2.1. According to developers, “very little works” (read: tweaks, hacks, etc), although the jailbreak itself works fine.

In the meantime, please make sure you have your 4.1 SHSH blobs for all your devices. These will be important even for firmware beyond 4.1 (using both comex’s method and our alternative, depending on how each of them turn out.)

Download it from one of the various mirrors here.

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
22
2010
13
comments
 

World of Goo Coming to the iPad

Posted by at 11:27 pm

The award winning multi-platform game World of Goo, which has become an indie favorite for its innovate gameplay and undeniable charm, is finally making its way to the iPad. The nature of the game makes it perfect for multitouch devices, so it will be a very welcome addition to the App Store. If you’ve never played the desktop version of the game, I highly recommend checking it out. (A free demo is available as well.)

The objective of the game is to build elastic-y structures using, you guessed it, goo, to reach a pipe that whisks away your precious goo-balls to safety. The premise is simple enough, but just like most other physics puzzlers, it can get quite challenging, and will require a fair bit of tinkering and trial-and-error to beat.

The iPad version has been submitted to the App Store, and should be available in the next few weeks. Keep on the lookout on the Top Charts, where it will undoubtedly make its way.

World of Goo on iPad! We’re just about finished, and hope to release the game in the App Store as soon as we get approved and make it through the scary gates. In the meantime, here are some answers to some “frequently” asked questions:

(more…)

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
22
2010
5
comments
 

Beyond Guitar Hero: Learning Music Theory on Your iDevice

Posted by at 8:08 pm

I used to tell people that I’ve played guitar since high school. Truth be told, I’ve owned a guitar since high school. The difference being that I haven’t actually played consistently over the years. Despite the decades, I am an admittedly novice player.  Scales, picking out a melody, open and bar chords are fairly easy, but progressing to the next level of intuitive playing and transposing on the fly has eluded me.  So of course, rather than practicing, I turn to technology.

Critics of game consoles have long belabored the detrimental effect of today’s youth playing virtual instruments versus live performance.  Instead of playing Guitar Hero, play the guitar, they cry.  And I wholeheartedly agree.  However, some music theory and concepts do transfer well, and are more easily grasped, when presented in an interactive format, rather than read or studied in a book (at least by novices like me).

(Read on if you’re interested how your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad can help you learn musical theory.)

(more…)

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
22
2010
11
comments
 

Design Your Own iDevice Case Graphic

Posted by at 4:16 pm

Most people like to protect their iDevices with a case.  For some, it’s all about protection, while others prefer something that reflects their personalities.  Ideally, a case does both.  Several manufacturers allow customers to choose from a variety of pre-made designs from sports logos to works by renowned artists, as well as the ability to create their own designs by uploading images or pictures.  Here are some options for preventing scratches and dings with style:

Skinit – Offering minimal protection, skins are adhesive vinyl stickers that are cut to precisely fit on the back of your device.  The advantage Skinit presents is skins for nearly the full spectrum of iDevices including the Classic, Nano, all generations of iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPad.  Prices for skins for the iPad are $29.99 with the option of an additional clear hard shell for $15.  Skins for the iPhones run $14.99.  Hard shells in black or white are $15.

Read on for additional vendors.

(more…)

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
22
2010
13
comments
 

Ultrasn0w Unlock for 3G and 3GS “This Week”

Posted by at 3:22 pm

Along with the great jailbreak news, the Dev-Team has given a reassuring status update regarding the long-awaited ultrasn0w unlock:

ultrasn0w unlock: After redsn0w is officially released with the new Cydia and kernel patches, we’ll be able to assess the unlock situation. It’s already looking very promising though, so expect the unlock for the 3G and 3GS to be coming this week. The i4 unlock is taking more effort though, and no further concrete info is available about that yet.

The iPhone 3G and 3GS are on track to be unlocked within the week, but the iPhone 4 is proving to be a tough nut to crack, and may take quite a bit longer to unlock.

As always, backup everything. And don’t bug the devs.

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
22
2010
32
comments
 

Greenpois0n, Limera1n to Support 4.2.1 Soon

Posted by at 3:04 pm

It looks like users waiting to upgrade to and jailbreak the lastest version of iOS won’t have to wait long, as both major jailbreaking tools will be updated to support 4.2.1 very, very soon.

via @p0sixninja

GreenPois0n should be updated to support 4.2.1 (tethered or semitethered) within a few days.

What’s more, the Dev-Team has just posted a summary of what today’s iOS release means for users, and it looks like limera1n is a-go for 4.2.1, and an updated version should be available later today (“barring any unforeseen problems”).

The best news of all is for owners of iPhone3G, older iPhone3GS, and non-MC iPod touch 2G. Due to a combination of our original pwnage2 exploit, the arm7_go exploit, 24kpwn, and limera1n, your device is “just as jailbreakable as ever.” You reap the full benefit of an untethered 4.2.1 jailbreak.

Next are the owners of all the more recent devices. The good news there is that due to geohot’s limera1n exploit, all recent devices can be jailbroken (this will be true until Apple released new hardware that fixes geohot’s limerain exploit in the bootrom).

So when does all this 4.2.1 jailbreak action happen? Well if you’re a JB developer or tinkerer, you’ve already probably used the redsn0w mentioned in our last post to jailbreak 4.2.1 and at least get SSH working. But beyond that, there are still some last minute issues with MobileSubstrate and comex’s kernel patches that are being fixed. We’ll tweet and post a blog update when it’s all available (we hate to give ETAs, but barring any unforeseen problems, probably later today).

Remember, backup your SHSH blobs using TinyUmbrella (which will be updated tonight).

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
22
2010
14
comments
 

4.2 for Apple TV Now Available

Posted by at 11:36 am

Released in conjunction with iOS 4.2.1 for Apple’s line of mobile devices, an update for the Apple TV 2 has been made available, with support for AirPlay and VoiceOver. AirPlay allows you to stream media from a 4.2.1-equipped device (as well as directly from iTunes on the desktop) to the Apple TV. VoiceOver, like the OS X counterpart, allows the Apple TV to speak aloud selected items, and can be found under the ‘Accessibility’ menu. We’re not sure how this update affects jailbreak-ability.

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
22
2010
197
comments
 

iOS 4.2.1 Available Today, iPad Users Sing in Harmony

Posted by at 5:42 am

Here’s a little something that’ll make the Monday so much better: iOS 4.2.1 has been released to the public!

Seriously though: how many tablets do you know that get even more magical as time goes on?

Regardless your answer, go fire up iTunes, and get your update on!

Update: Not working for you? Update iTunes, and wait; it’s rolling out as we speak.

Update 2: The ‘Find My iPhone’ app will also be free after you update, i.e. no ridiculous MobileMe subscription needed. You can log in using that interesting log in screen we reported on earlier this month.

Just for kicks, I’ve included the press release after the break!

(more…)

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
21
2010
18
comments
 

Playboy Interview with Steve Jobs, Circa 1985

Posted by at 7:17 pm

Playboy has republished their 1985 interview with Steve Jobs, which was done shortly before he was canned from Apple. If you can handle yet another interview, definitely give this one a once-over. It’s interesting to read it from the perspective of the era, since most people in 1985 had never even used a computer, let alone know how one worked. Granted, user’s technical adeptness isn’t much different today, but Jobs makes the point that the beauty of computers is that you don’t have to know how one works in order to use it.

PLAYBOY: Obviously, you believe that computers are going to change our personal lives, but how would you persuade a skeptic? A holdout?

JOBS: A computer is the most incredible tool we’ve ever seen. It can be a writing tool, a communications center, a supercalculator, a planner, a filer and an artistic instrument all in one, just by being given new instructions, or software, to work from. There are no other tools that have the power and versatility of a computer. We have no idea how far it’s going to go. Right now, computers make our lives easier. They do work for us in fractions of a second that would take us hours. They increase the quality of life, some of that by simply automating drudgery and some of that by broadening our possibilities. As things progress, they’ll be doing more and more for us.

The full interview is quite lengthy, but incredibly interesting.

(Safe for work) [Playboy]

Post a response / What do you think?
Nov
21
2010
55
comments
 

Just How Geeky Are You, Really?

Posted by at 3:50 pm

InfoWorld, a news website dedicated to the decidely geeky-side of infomation technology, has posted it’s 2010 InfoWorld Geek IQ test. 

The quiz posits 20 multiple choice questions designed to cull the average users from the decidely hard-core tech gurus.  Hint: if you were once a fan of The Big Bang Theory, but stopped watching because you found their computer jokes too rudimentary, you may score well.  But watch out, as some of the questions may serve as a history lesson to anyone born after 1990.  It’s a fun quiz, as most geeks have a sense of humor:

[InfoWorld Quiz]

Post a response / What do you think?