Alex Heath - page 70

SAN FRANCISCO, JailbreakCon 2012 — Joshua Tucker, a leading interaction and interface designer for iOS, just unveiled several new Cydia projects at JailbreakCon. After explaining his approach to design and past jailbreak tweaks, Tucker announced the release of Emblem, a complete rethinking of iOS push notifications. Emblem is available now in Cydia $1.99.

Emblem can best be described as the way Apple should have done notifications on the iPad. Instead of iPhone-like banners, Emblem introduces OS X-like banners with intuitive gestures and message handling.

SAN FRANCISCO, JailbreakCon 2012 –The world’s first global jailbreak convention is today at the South San Francisco Center, and I’ll be on the show floor all day reporting for Cult of Mac. The greatest jailbreak hackers and developers in the world are gathered together, and there’s going to be plenty of announcements regarding the future of jailbreaking, iOS 6, and possibly even the iPhone 5.

The convention kicks off September 29th at 9 A.M. PST. Make sure to tune in for breaking coverage on Cult of Mac and the video livestream below!

For the past two years, Camera+ has been one of the most popular photography apps in the App Store, and now it’s finally coming to the iPad. The developers at Tap Tap Tap have also added support for the iPhone 5’s larger display and iCloud sync between the two apps. 

Since it’s release, Camera+ has been downloaded 9 million times. The app has remained popular for its Instagram-like filters, sharing features, and in-depth editing options. To celebrate the new release, Tap Tap Tap has put both the iPhone and iPad versions of Camera+ on sale for only $1!

Like Apple itself, jailbreak innovation is constantly evolving. Hackers and developers are continually pushing the boundaries of iOS. When Apple releases a major new version of iOS each year, jailbreakers immediately start finding new ways to enhance and improve upon the experience.

After iOS 5 was announced last summer, many believed that jailbreaking was starting to lose its appeal. The same questions are being asked this year with the release of iOS 6, mainly due to the fact that Apple continues to add and implement features that were previously exclusive to jailbreaking.

JailbreakCon, the only convention solely dedicated the jailbreak community, is happening this weekend in San Francisco, and Cult of Mac will be there. Jailbreaking iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 will be hot topics at the convention, and a huge underlying thread of conversation will be the future of jailbreaking itself.

Verizon sells the iPhone 5 unlocked out of the box, but what about AT&T? If you buy into a two-year contract for the subsidized starting price of $200, you’re usually not able to get an unlock until you’ve fulfilled your contract.

Buying off-contract for the full starting price of $649 is another story, however. AT&T customers in good standing should be able to get a fully priced iPhone 5 unlocked for free, but the process requires filling out a web form, sending a fax, and possibly waiting more than a week.

As it turns out, unlocking an unsubsidized iPhone 5 is as simple as restoring the device in iTunes.

Apple’s new Maps application in iOS 6 has come under quite a lot of fire since its public release last week. Directions are wrong. Locations are incorrect. Apple has begged its customers to give the new Maps app time, but complaints still run rampant. The mapping data has definitely changed, and that’s because Apple abandoned Google Maps.

Besides the obvious Android vs. iPhone rivalry, why exactly did Apple and Google part ways in iOS 6? According to a new report today, Apple wanted Google’s turn-by-turn navigation service in Maps.

There’s a common misconception about jailbreaking. Many believe that people jailbreak just to pirate apps. While many do undoubtedly jailbreak for the sole purchase of stealing, the reason jailbreaking exists is definitely not piracy.

At its heart, jailbreaking is about staying ahead of the curve. In this case, the curve is Apple itself. Innovation is key. Jailbreak developers create hacks, tweaks, and extensions for iOS that go beyond the boundaries of what Apple allows. Jailbreaking exists for the same reason Apple exists: to challenge the status quo.

The world’s first jailbreak convention, JailbreakCon, is happening this weekend in San Francisco, and Cult of Mac will be there reporting from the show floor. We sat down with a couple jailbreak designers who will be attending JailbreakCon to get their thoughts on jailbreak innovation, good design, and why iOS is the best mobile platform on earth.

Back in 2007, Steve Jobs used a famous quote from ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky to summarize Apple’s commitment to innovation: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” That’s long been true for Apple and products like the iPhone and iPad. But for more than four years, jailbeaking has pushed the boundaries of iOS even farther.

If Apple skates to where the puck is going to be, then jailbreakers have usually already been there and left. The hackers and tinkerers that find security loopholes in Apple’s software are some of the most brilliant, innovative minds in the tech world.

We’ll be covering JailbreakCon 2012 this weekend in San Francisco, the world’s first convention dedicated solely to the jailbreak community. What better way to get ready for the future of jailbreaking than to examine the past? Let’s start from the beginning:

Good news for Instagram addicts: the app has finally been updated for iOS 6 and the iPhone 5’s larger display.

Not only has compatibility been added for Apple’s latest smartphone and mobile OS, but Instagram has also added an improved registration flow and password recovery tool.

It was recently revealed that Verizon sells the iPhone 5 factory unlocked out of the box. Not only can you use the Verizon iPhone 5 on another CDMA carrier, but the device will also work on non-LTE GSM networks, like AT&T. U.S. carriers will typically unlock off-contract iPhones for free, but Verizon is selling the iPhone 5 unlocked with a two-year contract as well.

Buying an iPhone 5 at the full, unsubsidized price on AT&T doesn’t guarantee that it will be unlocked, but AT&T will typically grant unlock requests for customers in good standing. The same goes for AT&T iPhone owners who have fulfilled the life of their two-year contract.

There’s been multiple theories suggested to explain why Verizon is behaving this way, but the real reason is much simpler than you would think.

With every major release of iOS and a new iPhone, Apple typically offers its official user guide online for free. What’s odd is that Apple doesn’t promote this resource at all, yet it’s still available. Each iOS device purchase comes with a little booklet to help familiarize a new customer with the basics of the device and iOS itself, but the full user guide is much more thorough and extensive.

Apple has an official user guide out for the iPhone 5 and iOS 6. The 365 page guide is available for anyone to view on the web, and Apple has also made it available for free in the iBookstore.

Companies like Google and Samsung aren’t exactly known for making the best anti-Apple propaganda, but the latest attack ad from Motorola has a particularly painful amount of truth to it. Everyone knows that Apple’s Maps app in iOS 6 sucks right now, and competitors are obviously going to latch onto any negative Apple press they can. That’s why Motorola’s ad says that the “DROID RAZRM M” (serious name) promises to not get you “iLost.”

While most of these Android ads have been pathetic attempts at calling out the iPhone’s flaws, I can’t really fault Motorola (who is owned by Google) for going with the Maps angle. It’s no surprise that none of the recent iPhone 5 ads mention Maps at all. If Apple doesn’t fix the negative inertia its generated with Maps in iOS 6, it could have a serious PR problem on its hands.

To Apple’s credit, iOS 6 Maps is being compared to Google Maps, a decade-old, matured platform that Google has invested thousands upon thousands of man hours into. Apple’s Maps will get there, it’s just going to take a little time.

Source: Android Central

JailbreakCon kicks off this weekend, and Cult of Mac will be there!

Scores of hackers are expected to gather for JailbreakCon in South San Francisco Conference Center on September 29th.

Jailbreaking, the process of circumventing Apple’s restrictions in iOS, has become a cultural phenomenon in recent years. In response to the mainstream interest in jailbreaking and everything it has to offer, JailbreakCon gathers the greatest hackers, developers, and users together in one place to learn and share new ideas.

Whether you’re a diehard jailbreaker or an interested onlooker, there’s going to be a lot of interesting stuff going on at JailbreakCon this year. The iPhone 5 and iOS 6 will be hot topics, and there’s a good chance we’ll hear news regarding a jailbreak for Apple’s newest smartphone.

Cult of Mac will be at JailbreakCon as an official media partner, so stay tuned for breaking coverage from the convention floor! Here’s what to expect:

If you installed iOS 6 last week, you probably expected to be able to use your Starbucks rewards card in Passbook. For some unknown reason, Starbucks has not yet updated its iOS app with Passbook integration, but the company has confirmed that the update is coming “at the end of this month.”

Passbook, Apple’s approach to a virtual wallet in iOS 6, allows merchants to store coupons, tickets, passes and rewards cards in barcode form on an iOS device. Starbucks cardholders will be able to pay for their drinks and earn rewards with Passbook when the update comes out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Rc4MDmr8o

Apple has released four new TV spots, and three of them tout the brand new iPhone 5. One ad is specifically devoted to EarPods, highlighting the design process Apple went through to create its new earphones.

Unlike the failed Genius ads from the Olympics, these 4 new ads feel much more like classic Apple. Each iPhone 5 spot is 30 seconds and focuses on a particular aspect of the device.

We’ve embedded the other two iPhone 5 ads and the EarPods ad below:

Today I did something I swore I’d never do: I bought a white iPhone. Like my fellow Cult of Mac colleagues and many of you readers, I too bought a brand spanking new iPhone 5. Deciding not to brave the crazy lines, I took my chances and waited till later in the day before I picked one up.

Black has always been my color of choice when it comes to iOS devices. I’ve always owned black iPhones, iPads and iPods. But for some reason I decided to go with white this time around, and I’m happy I did. The white iPhone 5 is absolutely gorgeous.

While we don’t expect a public iOS 6 jailbreak — much less a jailbreak for the newly-released iPhone 5 — for quite some time, it appears as though things could be moving along quicker than originally expected. Noted jailbreak developer Grant Paul just tweeted a screenshot of Cydia on the iPhone 5’s taller display. He’s saying that he didn’t fake the Cydia icon, which would lead us to believe that the iPhone 5 has already been jailbroken.

A4 devices like the iPhone 4 and fourth-gen iPod touch can be jailbroken on iOS 6 already, but A5X devices like the iPhone 4S and third-gen iPad cannot be. Cydia running on the iPhone 5 is an even more impressive feat given the fact that Apple’s newest iPhone sports an entirely new, proprietary A6 processor.

It’s been confirmed that Verizon is actually selling the iPhone 5 factory unlocked out of the box, and you can pop in another SIM card to use the device on even a GSM network like AT&T. Jeff Benjamin of iDownloadBlog has already tried inserting an AT&T SIM card into his CDMA Verizon iPhone 5, and it worked!

The iPhone 5 is almost upon us, and Apple has mandated that all third-party developers start submitting iPhone 5 screenshots in the App Store. Devs with new updates must include screenshots optimized for the iPhone 5’s 4-inch, 1136×640 display.

Many popular App Store apps have already been updated for the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, including the official Facebook app today. There were original concerns that developers wouldn’t have time to get their apps up to date for the iPhone 5, but it looks like updates are rolling out at a fairly rapid pace.

We’ve been getting a bunch of tips saying that WiFi connectivity in iOS 6 is not working. Many of you have been tweeting us about the issue, and “WiFi” is currently a trending topic on Twitter. There’s also a lively Apple Support forum discussion on the topic.

Yes, there appears to be a problem in iOS 6 with the way Safari handles URL redirection on Apple’s end, but the good news is that the problem is being fixed. In fact, many are saying that Apple has already fixed it.

This was a server-side glitch that couldn’t be fixed apart from Apple’s intervention. According to developer Steve Streza, it’s Apple’s “captive network detection page 404ing” in iOS 6 that was the issue. If WiFi in iOS 6 still isn’t working for you, try toggling WiFi off and back on. Select your network, tap the little blue arrow, scroll down, and tap “Renew Lease.” You should be good to go.

Apple unleashed iOS 6 on the world today, and as with any new iOS release, the update temporarily kills jailbreaking. A public jailbreak for iOS 6 will be released eventually, but it will likely take months. Until then, the latest jailbreak-friendly version of iOS is 5.1.1.

If you’re jailbroken on iOS 5.1.1, should you bother with updating to iOS 6 before the new jailbreak comes out? Here’s why you should, and here’s why you shouldn’t.

Following the public release of iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 earlier today, Apple has pushed a host of notable updates for many of its additional iOS apps in the App Store. Apps like Podcasts got iCloud sync and iOS 6 support, while smaller updates have been seeded to bring simple iOS 6 compatibility. Other popular apps from the iLife and iWork iOS suites received updates today too.

Here’s a list of all the iOS app updates Apple released today:

In the slew of software updates Apple released today, one EFI update has been pushed out for the 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display. EFI 1.0 is recommended for all MacBook Pro with Retina owners, and you can download it now alongside OS X 10.8.2. Here’s what it fixes, according to Apple:

This update is recommended to MacBook Pro with Retina display (mid 2012) models. This update resolves an issue which can cause the system to hang during heavy processor loads, and resolves an issue where NetBoot does not function properly when using an Ethernet adapter.

If you’ve been noticing any inconsistencies or random CPU hangups on the new MacBook Pro, then this update should do the trick. Grab EFI 1.0 now in the Mac App Store.

It’s been less than a week since the iPhone 5 was made available for pre-order, and shipping estimates from the Apple Store have now slipped to 3-4 weeks. It took a couple hours for shipping estimates to slip to 1-2 weeks last Friday morning, and then they slipped even father to 2-3 weeks shortly after.

Considering the fact that the iPhone 5 sold 2 million pre-orders in 24 hours, it looks like demand for Apple’s newest handset won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

At this point, your best bet for getting your hands on the iPhone 5 before October is waiting in line Friday morning.

Source: Apple

Thanks: Matthew

Everyone published their iPhone 5 reviews moments ago, and unsurprisingly, the initial batch of reviews are mostly glowing. The iPhone 5 is lighter, faster and slimmer than the iPhone 4S, and there seems to be very few qualms with Apple’s latest handset.

We’ve collected most of the early iPhone 5 reviews from around the internet to give you a general sense of what reviewers are saying.