Apple Q1 2012 earnings call

Apple held its Q1 2012 fiscal earnings call yesterday, and the company posted a record-breaking revenue of $46.33 billion with a net profit of $13.06 billion, 15.43 million iPads, 37.04 million iPhones, 15.4 million iPods and 5.2 million Macs sold.

here is a roundup of interesting numbers collected by cultofmac from the earnings call to check out.

• There were 140 million App Store downloads on December 25th alone.
• 1.5 million iPads are already in use in education institutions.
• 600,000 copies of iBooks Author have been downloaded since last week’s announcement. 3 million copies of the iTunes U app have been downloaded as well.
• There were more than 62 million total iOS devices sold in the last quarter, totaling a staggering 315 million iOS devices sold to date.
• iCloud has 85 million customers.
• $4 billion has been paid to developers from App Store sales.
• There is an average of 22,000 visitors per Apple store each week.
• Apple has $97 billion in cash, with over $60 billion offshore. Apple said, “We’re not letting it burn a hole in our pockets.”
• Tim Cook noted IDC’s research saying that the tablet (iPad) is expected to overtake PC sales in the US.  Cook said, “We’ll continue to innovate like crazy in the tablet area.” He said, ”People thought it was going to be the year of the tablet. It actually was the year of the iPad.”

Related posts:

1. Apple Sold 18.65 Million iPhones, 4.69 Million iPads, 9.02 Million iPods & Made $24.67 Billion Revenue in Q2 2011
2. Apple Q4 2011 Results: $28.27 B Revenue, 17.07 M iPhones, 11.12 M iPads, 4.89 M Macs Sold
3. Apple’s Q2 2011 Results Conference Call Highlights
4. Apple Smashes Q3 Earnings Estimates with Record Revenues and Sales
5. 1 Million Workers, 90 Million iPhones, 17 Suicides. Should You Care?

This is a tutorial on how to perform an untethered jailbreak of your A5-Powered iPhone 4S or iPad 2 running on iOS 5.0 or iOS 5.0.1 using the newly released Absinthe. For Mac, Linux and Windows

Note: Make sure to do a backup of your device in iTunes because you may lose you Camera Roll during this process.

Do it at your own risk.

Step One
Download the latest version of Absinthe. Links below.

Step Two
Double click to extract/launch the Absinthe application.

Step Three
Connect your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to the computer via USB.

Step Four
Click the Jailbreak button to begin

Step Five
The application will take you through several steps.

Step Six
On your device, locate the Absinthe icon and press it to complete your jailbreak

If the server is down and you get an Error establishing a database connection message then tap the Settings icon on your springboard and turn on VPN.

You will get a configuration error; however, after about a minute your device will reboot with Cydia on the Springboard!

Download Links:

• Download Absinthe for Windows
  

• Download Absinthe for Mac OS X
  

• Download Absinthe for Linux
  

• Download iOS 5.0.1 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad
  

Related posts:

1. Absinthe: The Untethered Jailbreak Solution for A5 iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Released
2. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w Guide
3. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Corona Guide
4. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using PwnageTool 4.3.3.1 Guide
5. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.6rc16 Guide

The jailbreak community just released an untethered jailbreak solution for A5-powered devices, iPhone 4S and iPad 2 running iOS 5.0 or iOS 5.0.1. In a blog post, the French hacker Pod2g revealed the name of the tool as Absinthe.

Absinthe

Now, the hacker p0sixninja tweeted that the tool is ready and the updated greenpois0n tool is now available for download. This means that iPad 2 and iPhone 4S owners can finally jailbreak their device without the need to tether it to a computer after a reboot.

Download the new Chronic Dev Team’s Absinthe tool from here for Mac

Related posts:

1. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak for A5 iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Using Absinthe Guide
2. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using Greenpois0n, iPad 2 Jailbreak Latest Updates
3. Redsn0w 0.9.6 RC 13 Released For Untethered iOS 4.3.2 Jailbreak
4. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Corona Guide
5. Untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak Finally Released

iTunes U

Update: Apple has posted their Education Media Event stream online. The link below

At its education event in New York, Apple has just announced and released the iTunes U App for iPhone and iPad. The new app that lets teachers manage their iTunes U course and gives students access to all the course materials done by their teachers in a single place. Right in the app, they can play video or audio lectures. Read books and view presentations. See a list of all the assignments for the course and check them off as they’re completed. And when the teacher sends a message or create a new assignment, students receive a push notification with the new information.

iBooks Author

Apple has also announced and released iBooks Author, a new Mac app for authoring books. iBooks Author is an amazing new app that allows anyone to create beautiful Multi-Touch textbooks — and just about any other kind of book — for iPad. With galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, and more, these books bring content to life in ways the printed page never could.

Now anyone can create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books, and more for iPad. All you need is an idea and a Mac. Start with one of the Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. Add your own text and images with drag-and-drop ease. Use Multi-Touch widgets to include interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations, 3D objects, and more. Preview your book on your iPad at any time. Then submit your finished work to the iBookstore with a few simple steps. And before you know it, you’re a published author.

iBooks 2

Apple has also announced and released iBooks 2 update . The next evolution of eBooks for the iPad push the limits even further. The app will support textbooks developed by iBooks Author multitouch gestures to move throughout an iBook which can be full of “rich, engaging interactive experiences” — even featuring 3D models so a student can see, for example, inside a cell. In the demo iBook, switching the iPad to portrait re-orientated the content so that the student could focus on reading the text. That way, books can have two completely different experiences, simply by re-orientating the iPad.

Watch Apple Education Media Event stream online

Apple has posted their Education Media Event stream online. Watch the full stream here or get it on iTunes.

Related posts:

1. Apple Added New iPad 2 Garageband, iMovie, and iBooks Video Tours
2. iTunes 10.5 Released Prior to iOS 5.0
3. Apple 12 Days of Christmas Celebration Starts Today
4. iOS 5 Beta 2 For iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV + iTunes 10.5 Beta 2 For Mac, Windows Direct Download Links
5. iBooks Crashes On Jailbroken iOS Device Fixed [Updated]

Liquipel waterproof

At this year CES, companies like Liquipel and HzO have introduced a revolutionary waterproof coating to your electronic device to protect them in the event of accidental exposure to liquids. It is not visible to the human eye, virtually undetectable and will not compromise the look, feel, and performance of your electronics.

Liquipel solved the issue with a coating material that repels water and it’s barely visible to the naked eye. You can’t buy this thing but instead, you need to send your device to Liquipel to apply the coating for you at a $59 value.

Liquipel supports the Apple iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S, HTC EVO 4G, EVO Shift 4G, MyTouch 4G, Thunderbolt, Motorola Droid X/X2 and the Samsung Charge.

On the other side, HzO employs a proprietary chemical dubbed, WaterBlock that protects your device from the inside on the molecular level. Watch the clips below:

Related posts:

1. Spire: First Legal Siri Port for All Jailbroken iOS 5 Devices Available Now
2. Samsung Demands Apple To Get Access to iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 3 Devices
3. Send/Receive Files Between iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, PC, Mac & Other Devices Over Bluetooth With Celeste
4. New Samsung Ad Bashes iPhone Fans
5. Adobe Releases Flash-to-HTML5 Conversion Tool to reach iOS Safari & Other Devices

Call Of Duty Elite App

The new service and progress tracking accompanying the launch of the hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, has now mad its way into the App Store. Dubbed, Call of Duty Elite, the app allows gamers to monitor their stats, view reports, get social and much more.

Call Of Duty Elite App

As promised by Activision, the official Call of Duty Elite app is now available on the App Store.

Download Call of Duty Elite app from the App Store

Related posts:

1. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Becomes the Highest Selling Game of All Time
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Review Round-up
3. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Incredible Gameplay Trailer
4. New Badass Trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Details Leaked

iPhone iOS 5 Outperforms Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone in Browser Benchmark Tests

Here is a cool comparison test which shows the power of iPhone 4S along with iOS 5. The guys at 359gsm recently ran a test including iPhone 4 running iOS 4.3, iPhone 4S running iOS 5 against Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone running Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. iPhone 4S significantly outperform Nokia in all benchmark tests.

The results are shown below courtesy of 359gsm, you can watch the test video above as well:

Browsermark Test: Higher is better

• iPhone 4 (iOS 4.3) – 37 503
• Nokia Lumia 800 (WP7.5 aka Mango) – 30 452
• iPhone 4S (iOS 5) – 86 702

Speed Reading Test:

• iPhone 4 (iOS 4.3) – 2 fps (iPhone 4 with iOS 5.0 – around 37 fps)
• Nokia Lumia 800 (WP7.5 aka Mango) – 40 fps
• iPhone 4S (iOS 5) – 60 fps

Sunspider Test: Lower is better

• iPhone 4 (iOS 4.3) – 4018.2 ms
• Nokia Lumia 800 (WP7.5 aka Mango) – 7188.7 ms
• iPhone 4S (iOS 5) – 2266 ms

Acid3 Test:

• iPhone 4 (iOS 4.3) – 100/100
• Nokia Lumia 800 (WP7.5 aka Mango) – 100/100
• iPhone 4S (iOS 5) – 100/100

HTML5 Test:

• iPhone 4 (iOS 4.3) – 210
• Nokia Lumia 800 (WP7.5 aka Mango) – 141
• iPhone 4S (iOS 5) – 296

Related posts:

1. Apple’s iOS 5 Tops Windows Phone ‘Mango’ in HTML5 Performance
2. Try Out Windows Phone on Your iPhone or Android Right Now
3. Over 500 New Features in the Upcoming Windows Phone 7 Mango
4. Microsoft Releases iPhone to Windows Phone 7 App Porting Tool
5. Apple Did Not Infringe Five Nokia Patents

sdfdsf

If you are currently operating an A4 device which has a tethered jailbreak you can use this menthod to update to full untethered jailbreak for iOS version 5.0.1 and for all supported A4 (& lower) devices!

You can quickly access, download & install Corona 5.0.1 Untether via Cydia store for your iPhone 4, iPhone 4 (CDMA), iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, iPod Touch 4G & iPod Touch 3G provided that iOS 5.0.1 being installed already by following the steps below:

• Open the Cydia app on your tethered jailbroken device
• Search for “Corona”
• Hit the “Install” button.

This package will allow your 5.0.1 device to install the untethered exploits and reboot without requiring an external tool like redsn0w, and without having to restore your device, so you get to keep all your apps, contacts, etc.

if you do not currently have access to the Cydia store on your 5.0.1 device, you can use the redsn0w 0.9.10 tool developed by the iPhone Dev team. It is exactly the same set of files as our Cydia package, but bundled with redsn0w for new jailbreak users and/or those who are not already running a tethered jailbreak.

If you have one of the A4 devices listed above and are not using iOS 5.0.1 yet, you can update your iOS version now (though you should not update to 5.0.2 when it is released, or you will lose your jailbreak) or you can wait a few days max for our Corona 5.0 Untether package, which will be available in the Cydia store upon release.

Related posts:

1. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w Guide
2. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak for A5 iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Using Absinthe Guide
3. Untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak Finally Released
4. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using PwnageTool 4.3.3.1 Guide
5. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.6rc16 Guide

Redsn0w

This is a tutorial on how to perform an untethered jailbreak of your iPhone 4 on 5.0.1 using RedSn0w for Windows. The same steps for Mac version.

This procedure will cause you to upgrade your baseband. For those how rely on an Unlock must stay away from this and update using a custom ipsw.

Update #2: Redsn0w 0.9.10b4 released to address the iBooks issue for jailbroken devices.

Update #1: The b3 version of redsn0w fixes a problem where re-running redsn0w over an existing jailbreak would cause MobileSubstrate-based apps to stop running until MS was installed again. Now you can re-run the redsn0w jailbreak step without worrying about that (but still remember to de-select the “Install Cydia” option if it’s already installed).

iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w Step-by-step Guide:

Step 1: Download the latest version of RedSn0w and 5.0.1 firmware from links below. No need to download the 5.0.1 firmware if you are already on iOS 5.0.1

Extract the Redsn0w zip file by double clicking it.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes.

• Select your iPhone from the list of devices on the left.
• Hold down Shift and click the Restore button. Navigate to the 5.0.1 firmware ipsw.
• Click the Choose button to continue.
• iTunes will now update your iPhone to the new firmware.

Step 3: Launch the redsn0w application (As administrator)

Step 4: Once RedSn0w opens click the Jailbreak button

Step 5: Plug your iPhone into the computer and make sure its OFF then click the Next button.

Step 6: RedSn0w will now guide you through the steps to get into DFU mode.

Step 7: Your iPhone will now reboot

Step 8: RedSn0w will now prepare the jailbreak data.

Step 9: Select Cydia from the list of options and click Next.

Step 10: Your iPhone will now be rebooted again and RedSn0w will begin uploading the new RAM Disk and Kernel.

Step 11: Your mobile is now jailbroken with Cydia on the SpringBoard.

Download Links:

• Download Redsn0w 0.9.10b4 for Windows

• Download Redsn0w 0.9.10b4 for Mac OS X
  

• Download iOS 5.0.1 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad
  

Related posts:

1. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.6rc16 Guide
2. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Corona Guide
3. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using PwnageTool 4.3.3.1 Guide
4. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using Sn0wbreeze 2.7.1 Guide
5. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak for A5 iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Using Absinthe Guide

fsdfsd

Untethered 5.0.1 jailbreak for non-A5 devices is now up. I’ll be putting a How to tutorial soon.

Many of you have already been following @pod2g’s blog where he’s been keeping everyone up to date on his progress.  A few days ago, @pod2g gave the untether to both the iPhone devteam and the chronic devteam.  The teams put it into redsn0w 0.9.10 and PwnageTool, and the chronic devteam put it into a Cydia package (the same set of exploits is in all three).

Here are the basic steps for how to get it:

• The untether is for iOS 5.0.1 on iPhone3GS, iPhone4, iPhone4-CDMA, iPad1, iPod touch 3G, iPod touch 4G
• If you have one of those devices and are not on 5.0.1 yet, update now!  The SHSH window is still open for 5.0.1  If you unlock via ultrasn0w or gevey, make sure you only get to 5.0.1 via a custom IPSW!  Once you’re at 5.0.1, use the latest redsn0w 0.9.10 to both jailbreak and untether.
• If you’re already at 5.0.1 with a tethered jailbreak, you have two choices: either run redsn0w 0.9.10 over your current jailbreak (deselect “Install Cydia” if you do that), or install the Cydia package prepared by the chronic devteam.  The patches are the same regardless of which you choose.
• Some of you are using a hybrid 5.0/5.0.1 configuration.  If so, do not attempt to install this untether over that setup!  You will most likely get into a reboot cycle.  Do a sync and fresh restore to 5.0.1 then install the jailbreak + untether.

@pod2g is now looking for a way to extend this to A5 devices.  Because those devices cannot use geohot’s limera1n exploit to inject the untether, they require exploits above and beyond those used for this release.  Keep following pod2g on twitter or his blog for any progress reports!

Follow our guides:

• iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w Guide
• iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Corona Guide

Download Links:

• redsn0w 0.9.10b1 for OS X
• redsn0w 0.9.10b1 for Windows (be sure to run in Administrator mode)

[via Dev-Team]

Related posts:

1. iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Corona Guide
2. iOS 4.3.1 Untethered Jailbreak Released [Password Protected]
3. GreenPois0n Untethered Jailbreak for iOS 4.2.1 Finally Released
4. Absinthe: The Untethered Jailbreak Solution for A5 iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Released
5. Redsn0w 0.9.6 RC 13 Released For Untethered iOS 4.3.2 Jailbreak

Siri

Grant Paul a.k.a chpwn and Ryan Petrich have released a legal working Siri port for older jailbroken iOS devices. The tool known as “Spire” and can be installed freely via Cydia. Its not the first and not prefect but all you need is to get access to an iPhone 4S and your own proxy to get the port working. Is been a month since the first Siri protocol cracked and put in the public.

Grant Paul said on his blog:

Spire is my (along with Ryan Petrich) new tool for installing Siri on previously unsupported, but jailbroken, devices. Spire is a small download, but while installing it will download Siri itself (directly from Apple). Spire is available in Cydia right now — go get it! This will use about 100 MB of data, so please connect to Wi-Fi before installing.

Spire legal and free but you still need an iPhone 4S authentication key to enter into Spire’s proxy server address. Using SiriProxy, Siri will function in full capacity on all non-4S hardware. A tutorial on how to install your own SiriProxy can be found here.

However, Spire is not a complete solution. Apple still requires authorization to use Siri, so information from an iPhone 4S is still required. To insert this information, Spire allows you to enter your own proxy server address. By using this (ancient) SiriProxy fork, you can setup a proxy using your own iPhone 4S to insert the needed information reasonably easily. Other solutions for proxying Siri will be listed here as they are developed — perhaps that sort of proxy might be included in the main SiriProxy repository.

Spire uses a new method to obtain the files necessary for Siri, so it doesn’t have the copyright issues encountered by previous attempts. Similarly, rather than directing all traffic through a specific proxy server (and the associated privacy issues), Spire allows you to specify your own proxy server.

Download Spire via this link if you are on a jailbroken iOS 5 devices.

Related posts:

1. Siri Protocol Cracked
2. Install Siri Dictation on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 4G
3. Siri Successfully Ported to Run on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch
4. iOS 5 is Jailbroken Already
5. Siri Virtual Intelligence to Play Major Part in iOS 5?

12 Days of Christmas

Apple is celebrating this holiday season with its annual 12 Days of Christmas event in which they will be giving away loads of great apps, songs, movies, music and TV shows.

The campaign starts off on December 26th and ends on January 6th. Each item will be available for 24 hours

You and your friends can download a fantastic selection of songs, music videos, apps and books for free. Each download will only be available for 24 hours. Get our special 12 Days of Christmas app to make it even easier to access your gifts while you’re on the go.

 For those who don’t have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch yet, don’t panic, Just log in to the App Store from iTunes directly.

Download 12 Days of Christmas for iPhone and iPad

Related posts:

1. iOS 5 Beta 2 For iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV + iTunes 10.5 Beta 2 For Mac, Windows Direct Download Links
2. iTunes 10.5 Released Prior to iOS 5.0
3. All Apple iOS 4.3 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, Direct Download Repository
4. All Apple iOS 4.3.1 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, Direct Download Repository
5. iOS 5 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV Direct Download Links Repository

Home Button

Unfortunately, your iOS device Home button can become a little sluggish over time. It works smoothly when you first buy an iPhone or iPad but eventually the Home button can become less responsive.

Fortunately, there is a simple trick that you can perform to recalibrate your Home button. iDownloadBlog provides that helpful tip and you should get the Home button considerably more responsive after preforming that trick.

How to recalibrate the Home button:

Step 1: Launch one of the stock applications on your device. The preinstalled apps like weather, YouTube, stocks, etc.

Step 2: When the app is launched, press and hold the Power button located at the top of the device until the ‘Slide to power off’ appears.

Step 3: Press and hold the iPhone home button. Keep the button depressed until the Slide to power off slider disappears and the application quits back to Springboard.

Step 4: Your iPhone’s Home button should now be just as responsive as ever.

Related posts:

1. Apple to remove home button on next iPad and iPhone
2. iPhone 5 to Feature 3.7-inch Screen, Larger Capacitive Home Button, Tapered Design?
3. iOS 4.3.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using PwnageTool 4.3 for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
4. How To Jailbreak iOS 5 On Your iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad or iPod Touch Using Redsn0w
5. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using PwnageTool 4.3.3.1 Guide

French hacker pod2g released a video showing off the Untethered jailbreak solution for iOS 5 and 5.0.1. , which appears to be almost complete and ready for prime time.

The highly sought after Untethered jailbreak does not require that the device be connected to a computer each time it needs to be booted. The hacker tweeted:

iOS 5.0 untethered jailbreak demo : http://youtu.be/kp_Mz6rs9fc

And whether the new jailbreak will work on iOS 5.0.1, he tweeted

Tons of questions from my nice followers. Too early to answer. Will work on iOS 5.0.1, will try iPad 2 and 4S after others are ready.

First indication of a possible untethered iOS jailbreak came in pod2g’s tweet last month:

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.

Related posts:

1. Untethered iPad 2 Jailbreak On iOS 4.3.2 Is Imminent
2. iPad 2 iOS 4.3.1 Untethered Jailbreak Imminent
3. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using Greenpois0n, iPad 2 Jailbreak Latest Updates
4. iOS 4.3.1 Untethered Jailbreak Released [Password Protected]
5. JailbreakMe 3.0 For iPad 2 Jailbreak is Imminent?

Google Currents

Google has unwrapped a brand new social publishing platform dubbed “Currents” for both iOS and Android Markets

Google Currents is a new application for Android devices, iPads and iPhones that lets you explore online magazines and other content with the swipe of a finger. It brings together this content in a beautiful and simple way so you can easily navigate between words, pictures and video on your smartphone or tablet.

Currents is surely comes on the success of popular social reading apps such as Flipboard, which recently launched on the iPhone following the July 2010 release on the iPad.

• Download Google Currents via Android Market
• Download Google Currents via Apple App Store

Related posts:

1. Flipboard for iPhone is Now Available on the App Store
2. Google Launches New Search App for iPhone
3. Google Launches Photovine Social Sharing iOS App
4. LinkedIn Launches Updated iPhone & Android Apps, New HTML 5 Mobile Site
5. Google+ Official iPhone App Is Awaiting Apple’s Approval

Flipboard for iPhone

With the popularity of Flipboard on iPad, the need for a variant version on iPhone was highly needed. Today the company behind the app is launching the iPhone version. It looks similar to the iPad one but more suited for the iPhone smaller display.

With Flipboard for iPhone we’re introducing Cover Stories. Think of Cover Stories as the feed to check when you’re in line at the coffee shop, commuting on the train or just hanging out at home. It contains a constantly updated selection of interesting articles and photos being shared with you right now.

Cover Stories come from all your Flipboard tiles, including social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. As you add more sources to your Flipboard, their posts will begin to appear in your Cover Stories.

Get the app free on the App store

Related posts:

1. Google Launches Currents to Rival Flipboard
2. Facebook iPhone App Update Now Live in the App Store
3. Gradly.net iPhone App is now available on the App Store
4. Djay For iPhone is Now Available on the App Store
5. Gradly iPhone App is now available on the App Store

Android logo

Security researchers have discovered that iPhone running iOS 4 were storing a cache of data on which GPS locations that handset had visited in an unencrypted file, it was dubbed LocationGate and later the whole debacle was just a bug but Apple has to testify in front of the Senate about the matter

Following the incident, one user sent an email to Apple asking for answers. If he didn’t get them soon, he said, he’d switch to Droid; they don’t track him. An email from Steve Jobs, which dropped something of a bombshell: he said Apple doesn’t track anyone’s location, but that Android tracked everyone.

Now time has proven Steve Jobs right. Android phones do track you. In fact, software that comes pre-installed on millions of Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones log everything you do with your device, and sends them off secretly to its own servers. Trevor Eckhart, the developer who discovered the software, released a video of his findings, watch it below.

Carrier IQ will log and save each key dialed. When receiving a text message, Carrier IQ will process and log the text message, before the user even sees it. Web searches are stored by the service as well, logged in plain text. No encryption. That’s incredible. One privately held company that almost no one has ever heard of has the complete logs of every email, phone call, web search and text message ever sent or received by millions of Android, Blackberry and Nokia users.

In a phone interview to Wired.com, a marketing manager for Carrier IQ defended what the product does:

We’re not looking at texts. We’re counting things. How many texts did you send and how many failed. That’s the level of metrics that are being gathered.

[via CultOfMac]

Related posts:

1. Google Android Ousts Nokia Symbian From Smartphones Top Spot
2. Android 3.0 Honeycomb Apps List is Only 17
3. Apple’s iOS Is More Secure Than Google’s Android!
4. 800 out of 10,000 Android Apps Leak Private Information
5. LinkedIn Launches Updated iPhone & Android Apps, New HTML 5 Mobile Site

Windows Phone on Your iPhone

if you are eager to see how Windows Phone feels? Microsoft has just made it easy for you. They released a new HTML 5 website that allows iPhone and Android users to get a taste of the Windows Phone 7, Mango 7.5 operating system.

Browse to the webpage http://aka.ms/wpdemo on your mobile device to try it out right away. To enjoy full screen experience, you can save the page to your home screen by clicking on the bookmark button.

The demo gives a comprehensive look at some features you find in Windows Phone with a blue dot to guide you around the operating system.

Ironically, the demo doesn’t work in Windows Phone’s own browser. I guess it doesn’t really have to, but funny none the less.

[via Gizmodo]

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Releases iPhone to Windows Phone 7 App Porting Tool
2. iPhone iOS 5 Outperforms Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone in Browser Benchmark Tests
3. Apple’s iOS 5 Tops Windows Phone ‘Mango’ in HTML5 Performance
4. Over 500 New Features in the Upcoming Windows Phone 7 Mango
5. Run Android Apps on Windows PC With BlueStacks

Apple has released iOS 5.1 first beta for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. This is a beta version intended for for developers only. Apple has also released Xcode 4.3 which you can download from iOS Dev Center.

iOS 5.1 Beta 1 for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch Available for Download

Introduction

iOS SDK 5.1 provides support for developing iOS applications and includes the complete set of Xcode tools, compilers, and frameworks for creating applications for iOS and Mac OS X. These tools include the Xcode IDE and the Instruments analysis tool among many others.

With this software you can develop applications that run on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 5.1. You can also test your applications using the included iOS Simulator, which supports iOS 5.1. There are two Xcode iOS SDK 5.1 images, one for installing on a Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.6.7 (Snow Leopard) or later, the other for installing on a Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion).

This version of iOS is intended only for installation on devices registered with Apple’s developer program. Attempting to install this version of iOS in an unauthorized manner could put your device in an unusable state.

For more information and additional support resources, visit:

http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/

Bug Reporting

Please report any bugs not mentioned in the “Introduction” section using the Apple Bug Reporter on the Apple Developer website (http://developer.apple.com/bugreporter/). Additionally, you may discuss these issues and iOS SDK 5 in the Apple Developer Forums: http://devforums.apple.com. You can also access more information about iCloud for Developers at: http://developer.apple.com/icloud

Notes and Known Issues

The following issues relate to using the 5.1 SDK to develop code.

Accounts
When creating an iCloud account, you can use any Apple ID as long as it is a full email address and not a MobileMe account. If you have a MobileMe account, you can move that account to iCloud. You can find more information at: http://me.com/move

APIs
The NSNetService class and CFNetService APIs do not include P2P interfaces by default. To browse, register, or resolve services over P2P interfaces, an application needs to use the Bonjour DNSService*() APIs noted below.
Setting the interfaceIndex parameter to kDNSServiceInterfaceIndexAny in the following API’s will not include P2P interfaces by default. To include P2P interfaces, you must now set the kDNSServiceFlagsIncludeP2P flag when using kDNSServiceInterfaceIndexAny or set the interfaceIndex to kDNSServiceInterfaceIndexP2P. The affected APIs are:
DNSServiceBrowse
DNSServiceRegister
DNSServiceResolve
DNSServiceRegisterRecord
DNSServiceQueryRecord
GameKit
App Icons and Profile Photos are not loading in apps using Game Center.

iCloud Storage
Provisioning profiles must be enabled for iCloud in the iOS Provisioning Portal. You can enable a provisioning profile for iCloud by navigating to the App ID section of the iOS Provisioning Portal and configuring your App ID for iCloud. After enabling the App ID for iCloud, regenerate your provisioning profiles to enable them for iCloud.
The setSortDescriptors: method of NSMetadataQuery is not supported.
In iOS 5, files that are protected via Data Protection cannot be used with iCloud Storage APIs.
File names are case-insensitive in Mac OS X but case-sensitive in iOS. This can lead to problems when sharing files between the two using iCloud. You should take steps on iOS to avoid creating files whose names differ only by case.
Movie Player
Starting in iOS 5.0, in order to facilitate finer-grained playback control, a movie player is not automatically prepared to play upon creation. Call the prepareToPlay method to prepare the movie player. For more information, see MPMoviePlayerController Class Reference

Music Player
Using shake-to-shuffle causes Music app to freeze and playback to stop.

Newsstand
FIXED: Deleting an issue that was marked as the currently reading issue could cause a crash.

Security
In iOS 5, the signing of certificates with MD5 signatures is not supported. Please ensure that certificates use signature algorithms based on SHA1 or SHA2.

Xcode/Developer Tools
A bug in the documentation organizer causes an exception when you type in any field in the content area. To prevent the need to log in to the developer website from Xcode, download documentation sets locally using Xcode’s documentation preference pane and enable the ‘Check for and install updates automatically’ checkbox as a workaround.
“uninstall-devtools” script mistakenly removes files and packages even if Xcode is still running. Be sure to quit any running copy of Xcode before starting the “uninstall-devtools” script.
The Network Link Conditioner daemon cannot be launched after installing the Networking Link Conditioner without a reboot. You can manually workaround the issue with a restart or by the following command: sudo launchctl load /system/library/launchdaemons/com.apple.networklinkconditioner.plist.]
In the iOS 5 development tools, it is possible to extract APIs used by an application and have them checked for use of private APIs. This option is offered when you validate your application for app submission.

Related posts:

1. iOS 5 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV Direct Download Links Repository
2. iOS 5 Golden Master GM iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Download Links Repository
3. Apple Releases iOS 4.3.2 For iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Direct Download Links
4. Apple iOS 4.3.3 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Direct Download Repository
5. iOS 4.3.5 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV Direct Download Links Repository

Siri Dictation

Since the debut of Siri virtual assistance alongside the iPhone 4S, hackers have been trying hardly to port the feature to older iDevices. There are no hardware limitations but the only concern still that the service needs to connect to Apple servers to get it working.

Siri’s dictation feature has now been made publicly available in Cydia for the iPhone 4, 3GS, Touch 4G and it actually works. Developer Eric Day has released a jailbreak tweak called Siri0us.

“Siri dictation for your iOS 5 devices. No iPhone 4S keys/files required.”

The tweak actually works but sadly with some Ads around.

Add the source http://apt.if0rce.com on Cydia to get the tweak

Related posts:

1. Siri Successfully Ported to Run on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch
2. Stream YouTube Videos Faster on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad with TCP Optimizer Cydia Hack
3. Spire: First Legal Siri Port for All Jailbroken iOS 5 Devices Available Now
4. Siri Protocol Cracked
5. Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 on iPad 2, iPhone, and iPod Touch Using JailbreakMe 3.0 Guide

Microsoft's Tellme vs Apple's Siri

Microsoft’s chief strategy and research officer Craig Mundie talked to Forbes about the company’s kinect and when asked about Siri, he said that Siri was nothing special, and Microsoft’s own voice capabilities have been around for over a year. Siri is all about good marketing nothing else:

People are infatuated with Apple announcing it. It’s good marketing, but at least as the technological capability you could argue that Microsoft has had a similar capability in Windows Phones for more than a year, since Windows Phone 7 was introduced.

This is what Microsoft execs usually say when challenged with a tech by their competitors:

you can pick ‘em up and say ‘text Eric’ and say what you wanna say and it transcribes it. You can query anything through Bing by just saying the words. I mean, all that’s already there. Fully functional, been there for a year.

This is not the first time, we all know when Steve Ballmer slammed the original iPhone back in 2007 and touted it as being overpriced and not appealing to business for the lack of a keyboard.

Jason from techau ran a test and put a video comparison between Microsoftt’s Tellme and Apple’s Siri. Watch the video below. The results speak for themselves:

Related posts:

1. Siri Successfully Ported to Run on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch
2. Siri Protocol Cracked
3. Siri Virtual Intelligence to Play Major Part in iOS 5?
4. Spire: First Legal Siri Port for All Jailbroken iOS 5 Devices Available Now
5. iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy Tab: Which smartphone is the best listener?

New Samsung Ad Bashes iPhone Fans

Samsung has dropped a new ad for their Galaxy SII touting the device larger screen and 4G speeds and bashing Apple fans who stand in line for the latest iPhone for days without knowing there is something better. So this is Samsung’s way to counter the incredible popularity of the iPhone. Watch the ad below:

Related posts:

1. Samsung Demands Apple To Get Access to iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 3 Devices
2. It’s Just Getting Ridiculous, Samsung?!
3. iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy Tab: Which smartphone is the best listener?
4. Apple May Partner with TSMC ditching Samsung For A5 Production
5. Samsung Teases Nexus Prime, Promises to be BIG

Siri

It seems the guys over at Applidium have managed to get Siri’s protocol cracked, this actually opens the door to all sorts of possibilities letting Siri to, potentially, be ported to various apps and devices including iPad, Android devices or other third-party apps.

Apple has already gone into some detail of how Siri works. Basically it works by communicating with Apple’s remote servers, the speech you feed you iPhone 4S is sent, deciphered by the servers and then bounces it back to your handset.

Today, we managed to crack open Siri’s protocol. As a result, we are able to use Siri’s recognition engine from any device. Yes, that means anyone could now write an Android app that uses the real Siri! Or use Siri on an iPad! And we’re going to share this know-how with you.

But there is one little snag to this in that the Apple servers need an identifier key called a UDID associated to an iPhone 4S model only to get Siri work.

Related posts:

1. Spire: First Legal Siri Port for All Jailbroken iOS 5 Devices Available Now
2. Install Siri Dictation on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 4G
3. Siri Successfully Ported to Run on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch
4. Microsoft’s Tellme vs Apple’s Siri Video Comparison
5. Siri Virtual Intelligence to Play Major Part in iOS 5?

Apple has just released iOS 5.0.1. The update brings battery life fixes for all devices running iOS 5, as well as security improvements and multitasking gestures on the original iPad. Battery life issues are said to be fixed as well.

iOS 5.0.1 update

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

Related posts:

1. iOS 5 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV Direct Download Links Repository
2. iOS 4.3.5 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV Direct Download Links Repository
3. iOS 4.3.4 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV Direct Download Links Repository
4. All Apple iOS 4.3.1 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, Direct Download Repository
5. Apple Releases iOS 4.3.2 For iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Direct Download Links

Panorama functionality in iOS 5

After the first beta of iOS 5 was seeded to developers in June, a series of code strings suggested the company could implement a panoramic photo-taking feature in the OS, allowing users to shoot wider photos with a Panorama functionality allegedly similar to what third-party apps like 360 Panorama and Pano are already offering. As Apple kept seeding more betas and eventually released iOS 5 to the public, Panorama was nowhere to be found in iOS, suggesting Apple wasn’t ready to debut the feature yet.

One Developer did a little digging around inside the camera app and discovered that editing a particular .plist file made the missing panorama mode to appear, however, a new Cydia tweak made available now, called Firebreak. to simply enable camera’s panorama mode:

Firebreak via Cydia

Requires iOS 5 or higher

Requires Gyroscope capable device, iPhone 4, or newer, or iPad 2.

Enable built-in panoramas on iOS 5 Camera app.

No icons added to the homescreen. The panorama button is added to the Options menu in the Camera app.

Once downloaded and installed you will have the panorama mode enabled.

Related posts:

1. Cydia Tweak Brings Lock Screen Camera Button to iOS 4
2. Install Siri Dictation on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 4G
3. How To Jailbreak iOS 5 On Your iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad or iPod Touch Using Redsn0w
4. How To Downgrade From iOS 5 To iOS 4.X Guide
5. How to Enable Multi-Touch Gestures in iOS 4.3.1 for iPhone 4 Using Cydia Hack

Siri has finally made its way to the iPhone 4

Developer Steven Troughton-Smith had successfully ported the Siri onto the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch. The video provided below not only shows the Siri functionality on an iPhone 4, but is in depth and shows a side-to-side comparison against the iPhone 4S. In addition, the video shows the Siri Dictation in action.

iPhone 4S jailbreak was the key to make the port working successfully on iPhone 4. 9to5mac’s Mark Gurman has brought this story and an got exclusive interview about the port with the developer:

Mark: Where do you go from here with the port?

Steven: At this point it’s all about confirming this works across devices, making it reproducible (we got it working on two devices today), and documenting everything. It does require files from an iPhone 4S which aren’t ours to distribute, and it also requires a validation token from the iPhone 4S that has to be pulled live from a jailbroken iPhone 4S, and it’s about a 20-step process right now.

Mark: In its current state, is the port 100% functional, is there anything you would like to see work better?

Steven: Yes, it seems to be 100% functional. I’m working on the rough edges, but everything that works on the iPhone 4S seems to work here.

Mark: Do you ever see Siri showing up in Cydia (or another jailbreak store) for non natively supported devices?

Steven: No, I could not be a part of that. I have no doubts that others will package this up and distribute it quasi-illegally, or try and sell it to people. I am only interested in the technology and making it work; proving that it works and works well on the iPhone 4 and other devices.

Mark: So, you also got Siri working on the fourth-generation iPod touch, how is that working out?

Steven: We got chpwn’s iPod touch up and running with Siri after proving it works on my iPhone 4. Unfortunately the microphone on the iPod is nowhere near as good as the iPhone – you will notice that the Siri level meter hardly moves when you talk to it. While it does work, you have to speak loudly and clearly to the iPod.

Mark: How long did porting take you, what was the “I got it” moment?

Steven: Basically, I already had everything I needed to make it work. I had spent a lot of time mapping out in my head exactly how Siri works on the iPhone. All I needed was access to a jailbroken iPhone 4S to put my hunch to the test. It literally took no longer than 10 minutes to put all the pieces in place and perform our first test on my iPhone 4, and it was an instant success.

Related posts:

1. Install Siri Dictation on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 4G
2. Siri Protocol Cracked
3. Spire: First Legal Siri Port for All Jailbroken iOS 5 Devices Available Now
4. How To Jailbreak iOS 5 On Your iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad or iPod Touch Using Redsn0w
5. iOS 5 Golden Master GM iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Download Links Repository

While waiting for full untethered jailbreak for iOS 5, here is a very good deal for a half solution to that.

BigBoss has released Semitethered Jailbreak, a new Cydia package that lets you reboot your iOS 5 jailbroken iPhone at will while away from your computer!

semitether

It’s not without it’s cons, but it’s a whole lot better than a normal tethered jailbreak.

How to get use Semitethered Jailbreak

Step 1: Tether Jailbreak your iOS 5 device with RedSn0w

Step 2: Add http://thebigboss.org/semitether to your Cydia sources.

Step 3: Install SemiTether and reboot!

That’s it. Now you can reboot your iPhone, even away from your computer!

As mentioned, there are a few cons though.

• Phone will reboot to Home screen
• Can use every stock app on iPhone except Mail and Safari until boot tether
• Can’t use Cydia, or any jailbreak apps and tweaks until boot tether
• Phone can take longer to boot

That’s a pretty good compromise, whenever you want to reboot while away from the computer.

Remember to get the full functionality back you have to boot the device back into a tethered jailbroken state using Redsn0w. To do this, start Redsn0w, go into “Extras”, select “Just Boot” option and enter DFU mode. Redsn0w should now boot your device as tethered

Related posts:

1. How To Jailbreak iOS 5 On Your iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad or iPod Touch Using Redsn0w
2. iOS 4.3.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
3. Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 on iPad 2, iPhone, and iPod Touch Using JailbreakMe 3.0 Guide
4. iOS 4.3.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using PwnageTool 4.3 for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
5. Untether a Tethered Verizon iPhone with iOS 4.2.7 Jailbreak Tool

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The new Samsung Galaxy Nexus sports a 720p HD display, its 4.65-inch screen is said to be held back by cheaper technology that gives it a lower pixel density and poorer color accuracy than Apple’s Retina Display found on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4.

According to FlatPanelsHD, the Galaxy Nexus features a display branded “Super AMOLED” by Samsung, which is less than the “Super AMOLED Plus” screen featured on the already-available Galaxy S II smartphone. The removal of “Plus” from the name references that the screen uses a cheaper PenTile OLED, despite the fact that it has more pixels per inch, .

The less expensive panel on the Galaxy Nexus means that individual pixels must share subpixels on the screen, which undercuts the 315 pixel-per-inch density of the Galaxy Nexus display.

“A PenTile OLED panel was recently introduced with the Samsung Galaxy Note, and we were not impressed. In real world PenTile means loss of details and sharpness, as well as a bluish/greenish tint around letters (depending on the background color)”

By calculating the “real” pixel density of the display with the PenTile subpixel sharing, the Galaxy Nexus is said to have a pixel-per-inch number of about 200, which is just slightly higher than the Super AMOLED Plus screen on the Galaxy S II.

“So, the HD Super AMOLED display in the new Galaxy Nexus is not as awesome as it sounds — unfortunately,” author Rasmus Larsen wrote. “And the reason that people do not call it a Retina display should seem much more obvious to you now that you know the underlying technical architecture.”

The pixel density numbers of the Galaxy Nexus are also affected by the fact that the new flagship Android device has a large 4.65-inch screen to fill. For comparison, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 feature a display more than an inch smaller diagonally, at 3.5 inches.

Samsung/Google states that Galaxy Nexus has a slightly curved screen but the same was said for the Nexus S where it was later revealed that only the front glass was curved

Apple made the term “Retina Display” part of its marketing with the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010. The name was chosen because Apple says the individual pixels are so small and densely packed that they cannot be seen by the human eye. The iPhone 4 and its follow-up, the newly released iPhone 4S, feature a pixel-per-inch density of 326.

Related posts:

1. Samsung Teases Nexus Prime, Promises to be BIG
2. Apple Sues Samsung Over Galaxy Look & Feel
3. Google and Samsung Delay Nexus Prime Launch Due to Steve Jobs Mourning
4. iPhone 5 Will Have A Metal Back, And A Larger Screen
5. Apple’s iPhone 5 to Pack 4-inches Screen, A5 Processor?

Dev-Team pushed another update to Redsn0w jailbreak for iOS 5. The news came from @MuscleNerd as always via Twitter explaining that Redsn0w 0.9.9b7 for Windows and Mac is the fastest jailbreak solution for iOS 5. Total jailbreak time has been reduced to 80 seconds which was previously around 210 seconds. However, this will stretch the first time loading of Cydia after jailbreak, during which the stashing of applications will occur. An option in Redsn0w 0.9.9b7 preferences allows you  to choose whether you want redsn0w or Cydia to stash applications.

Via the official Dev-Team blog:

After some feedback on reddit, we’ve decided to make the initial jailbreak as quick as possible by no longer “stashing” the applications by default during the redsn0w run.  This reduces the time to actually perform the jailbreak from 210 seconds to 80 seconds (60 percent!).  However, you make up for much of that the first time you launch Cydia, which will then want to stash the applications.  You can choose whether you want redsn0w or Cydia to stash in the Preferences pane.

Here are the official download links:

• Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b7 for Mac
• Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b7 for Windows

Here is a detailed tutorial on: How to Jailbreak iOS 5 On Your iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad or iPod Touch Using Redsn0w

Related posts:

1. How To Jailbreak iOS 5 On Your iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad or iPod Touch Using Redsn0w
2. iOS 5 Beta 2 Jailbreak Using Redsn0w Guide
3. iOS 5 Tethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.8 Guide
4. Redsn0w 0.9.6 RC 13 Released For Untethered iOS 4.3.2 Jailbreak
5. iOS 4.3.3 Untethered Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.6rc16 Guide

Samsung caught again copying Apple

Official Samsung website for Galaxy Player 50 has a slightly modified version of the Apple iOS Maps app, directly taken from a 2008 screenshot of iPhone Maps app. Apparently, Samsung doesn’t know (or care) that although the Apple’s Maps app uses Google maps data, the user interface is designed and copyrighted by Apple since 2007.

• Check out Samsung’s 2011 knockoff at: http://www.samsung.com/galaxyplayer50/ (removed)
• Direct image URL: http://www.samsung.com/galaxyplayer50/img/img_gms.gif

No wonder Apple wins injunction in Australia and Germany. Fandroid drones, what excuses do you have now? Still think Samsung using Apple’s App Store and Safari icons is an “accident”?

Samsung using Apple’s App Store and Safari icons in their stores

This isn’t the first time a rival to Apple has used their artwork. Recently we’ve had Samsung using icons from Apple’s App Store in the backdrop of their in-store displays, a move which once again led to much embarrassment for the firm fighting a legal battle claiming they’re copying Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

Note: Samsung took the page down.

[Discovered by @raruler]

Related posts:

1. New Samsung Ad Bashes iPhone Fans
2. Samsung Demands Apple To Get Access to iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 3 Devices
3. Samsung Teases Nexus Prime, Promises to be BIG
4. Apple Gets Early Access to Unreleased Samsung Prototypes Over Copy Infringement
5. Apple Sues Samsung Over Galaxy Look & Feel