Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1445

December 21, 2011

Untethered iOS 5 Jailbreak Is "Near Prime Time" [Video]

We've been hearing a lot about pod2g's upcoming untethered jailbreak for all iOS 5 devices, but the latest blog post on the hacker's site makes clear just how close to completion the jailbreak is for distribution. In fact, according to pod2g, it's "near ready for prime time," and to prove it he's showing the jailbreak running on a stock iPhone 4.

In pod2g's latest post, he explains how his untethered jailbreak is coming along:

Here is a new video demo of the current status of the iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak running on an iPhone 4. This is meant to reassure people that were thinking it only works on older iPods. The jailbreak is near ready for prime time (excluding 4S and iPad 2). Patches are the same as redsn0w's. Expect the same level of stability. Some more days to wait. Be patient, we're doing our best.

That "excluding iPhone 4S and iPad 2″ might worry you, but as other updates have made clear, this same technique for untethered jailbreak currently works on A5-toting iDevices running iOS 5 or above, it's just taking a little more finessing to get working reliably enough for mass distribution. So while we might not get a universal jailbreak by Christmas,

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Published on December 21, 2011 11:44

Microsoft: Apple Was Right About Tradeshows, We're Pulling Out Of CES

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As Apple once did at Macworld, Microsoft has headlned the CES keynote for years now, but when Steve Ballmer takes the stage in 2012, it'll be for the last time… and the reasons sound very familiar.

Today, Microsoft announced:

We have decided that this coming January will be our last keynote presentation and booth at CES. We'll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won't have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don't align with the show's January timing.

As we look at all of the new ways we tell our consumer stories – from product momentum disclosures, to exciting events like our Big Windows Phone, to a range of consumer connection points like Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft.com and our retail stores – it feels like the right time to make this transition.

Sound familiar? It should: Apple said something pretty much identical when it announced it was pulling out of Macworld back in 2008.

Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.

Poor Microsoft, always four years behind Apple in everything.

[via iClarified]

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Published on December 21, 2011 10:46

App Store Generating 4 Times More Cash Than Android Marketplace, Much Of It From China

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Remember the recent story about the App Store being worth more than all of RIM? Here's another astounding factoid: Just the top 200 most-grossing App Store entries generate four times the revenue than everything offered by the Android Marketplace. A new report also pegs China as a major App Store user, accounting for 30 percent of overall downloads and nearly half of iPad apps.

According to ">researcher Distimo, after Apple announced it would accept Chinese Yuan, downloads from the Asian country almost doubled, rising to 30 percent – up from 18 percent in January. The numbers are even more staggering for iPad apps. China accounts for 44 percent of all App Store tablet downloads.

This shouldn't be too surprising, given CEO Tim Cook's fourth quarter remarks describing Apple's progress in China as "amazing" and calling the country an "enormous opportunity" for the Cupertino, Calif. firm. China represents 16 percent of Apple's overall revenue, or $4.52 billion, the tech giant reported during the September quarter.

Another interesting tidbit: 50 percent of App Store cash come from freemium and in-app purchases via the top 200 most-grossing apps, Distimo said. The App Store is still miles ahead of the Android Market. The iPhone alone has 79,077 App Store games, versus 46,045 Android Market game apps. When you toss in nearly 29,000 iPad games, Apple's lead is even more clear.

With the end of 2011 almost upon us, Distimo added to the collection of Best of the Year compilations, this time naming Rovio's Angry Birds as the year's best app. The No. 2 slot went to Facebook's app, while Skype, Angry Birds Rio and Google Maps rounded out the top-five. Not surprisingly, Google Maps was the only app not available in Apple's App Store. The Apple-only iBooks App placed in the No. 6 position.

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Published on December 21, 2011 10:12

2012 Looks Set To Be The Year Of The Retina Display Mac

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We've been seeing references to HiDPI display modes in OS X Lion for a while now, which has helped cement rumors that Apple will release a Retina Display MacBook Pro, at least, in 2012.

As such, today's report that Apple left a big reference to HiDPI mode intact in developer builds of OS X 10.7.3 isn't a big surprise. The functionality can be seen in Finder's "Get Info" window, and allows you to open a file or app in HiDPI mode, which (while non-functional right now) would presumably user higher-definition fonts, graphics and other UI elements. Retina Display Macs seem like a shoe-in in 2012 at this point, don't you think?

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Published on December 21, 2011 10:10

Batman Arkham City Lockdown Update Brings Two New Batman Skins & iCloud Support

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Warner Bros. has updated the critically acclaimed Batman Arkham City Lockdown for iOS to add two new Batman skins, iCloud support, and to fix a number of minor bugs. While the new skins are certainly a treat, iCloud support is undoubtedly the most welcome feature for iOS gamers, who can now sync there game between their devices.

That means you can now begin playing the title on your iPad at home and continue it on your iPhone while you ride the train to work, and you no longer have to make the same progress on two devices as you currently do with most iOS games.

Version 1.1 of the game also brings "70s Batman" and "Earth One Batman" skins, in addition to bug fixes, according to the release notes:

PLAY ON MULTIPLE DEVICES
Use iCloud to seamlessly switch between the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Pick up on one device where you left off on another.

TWO NEW BATMAN SKINS
Two new skins, with all new stats, extend your game and provide new challenges. Get 70's Batman and Earth One Batman skins with the current update. 70's Batman is included as a free download.

GAMEPLAY UPDATES
· Minor gameplay and AI tweaks to enhance your experience.

· Minor bug fixes to address variable device performance.

Batman Arkham City Lockdown made a surprise App Store debut earlier this month, and has since received very positive review from both the media and iOS gamers who have left their comments on iTunes. The title currently has a four-star rating and sells for $5.99.

[via AppAdvice]

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Published on December 21, 2011 05:13

Gameloft Launches $0.99 Holiday Game Sale

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Gameloft loves nothing more than throwing a huge $0.99 iOS game sale, so after EA began slashing the price of its own games yesterday, you could almost guarantee that Gameloft wouldn't be far behind. And it has some treats in store for you this Christmas, including best-sellers like N.O.V.A. 2, Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles, and Spider-Man: Total Mayhem; in addition to some of its latest releases such as BackStab, 9mm, and Gangstar Rio: City of Saints.

Here's the complete list of Gameloft titles on sale for just $0.99 right now!

9mm Assassin's Creed – Altair's Chronicles Assassin's Creed – Altair's Chronicles for iPad BackStab Driver Fast Five the Movie: Official Game Fast Five the Movie: Official Game for iPad Gameloft Action Pack Gameloft Sports Pack Gangstar Rio: City of Saints Iron Man 2 Iron Man 2 for iPad James Cameron's Avatar James Cameron's Avatar for iPad N.O.V.A. 2 N.O.V.A. 2 for iPad Rayman 2: The Great Escape The Settlers Silent Ops Spider-Man: Total Mayhem Spider-Man: Total Mayhem for iPad Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard for iPad

[via TouchArcade]

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Published on December 21, 2011 04:46

Apple Fixes App Store Bug And Allows iOS 3.1.3 Users To Download New Apps Again

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Following a report published yesterday that detailed the problems users were having when attempting to download apps from the App Store under iOS 3.1.3, Apple has quietly issued another App Store update today to rectify the issue. Those who are still running this firmware on their iPhone or iPod touch should now be able to download new apps directly to their devices again.

After an update to the App Store on December 16, users who are still running iOS 3.1.3 — either through choice or because their device is not upgradable past this release — reported that they were unable to download new apps to their device directly from the App Store. While they could update existing apps, the only way to install new ones was to download them through iTunes and then sync their device.

While some reports had speculated that Apple may have blocked the old iOS software in a bid to encourage users to upgrade, it seems that this was indeed just a bug, which has now been fixed according to new posts on the Apple Support Communities forum:

Yes, it is true, after near one week after, the AppStore works again in our "old" iOS3 devices.

As with the previous App Store update, this will happen in the background, so you do not need to do anything with your device manually.

Are you able to download apps again under the iOS 3.1.3 firmware?

[via SlashGear]

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Published on December 21, 2011 03:43

December 20, 2011

Audyssey Lower East Side Media Speakers: Class, With a Little 'Tude [Review]

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After the critical success of Audyssey's South of Market dock last year, Audyssey eventually released their next product, the Lower East Side Media Speakers ($250), in October of this year.

This time, Audyssey has dropped the radical approach to design it used for the SOMA dock — with its unusual, back-to-back speaker configuration — in favor of a much more conventional, yet still attractive, form. Audyssey left three things unchanged though: Like the SOMA, the LES speakers exhibit a good deal of quality, and incorporate what Audyssey calls their "Smart Speaker" technology. And like the SOMA, these speakers are a bit pricier than their contemporaries. So the question is: Do they deliver?

The Good:

Audyssey have done an admirable job of making such a conventionally shaped pair of speakers look thrilling. They're just simple, understated raised rectangular blocks, but the twin scarlet stripes add exactly the right amount of danger. Everything is finished superbly — media speakers can sometimes look or feel cheap, but I never had the impression that Audyssey cut corners or used shoddy materials with the LES set.

The pair connect via standard speaker cables, and there's a 3.5 mm stereo jack for input; but the LES is also equipped with an optical audio input — unusual for media speakers, and a plus for those of you with Apple TVs. There aren't any other surprises or gimmicks, but what's there has been executed very well; the power input, for instance, has a collar around it to make connecting the power cable easier, and the left speaker's volume/power knob (the only control input on the pair) provides satisfying feedback when turned or pressed.

What about that Smart Speaker tech? Audyssey says their technology produces deeper bass, lower distortion and better sound at low volume than rival sets. Well, yes on the first: The LES speakers do seem to produce sonorous bass, especially for a set of media speakers with no sub. And the highs and mids are impressively clear and detailed.

In fact, apart from a few idiosyncrasies (see below), the pair made for a satisfying desk set; separation is good, sound is generally clear and well-defined, and bass is good — the last attribute, as I said, especially welcome in small speakers.

Finally, the set has a power-saving auto power-off feature: Leave the speakers on with no input and they'll eventually shut themselves off. A welcome feature that I wish more gadgets were equipped with, even if the tradeoff is the small inconvenience od having to push the power back on when ready to rock out.

The Bad:

While the highs were clear, they also sounded a little harsh at times, a trait especially noticeable during tracks where highs and mids took center stage. Also distortion, though slight, sometimes crept in sooner than I would have liked as volume inched upward.

Then there's also the puzzling overall lack of volume. In order to get any sort of uproar from the speakers, I had to twist the volume knob all the way up, and push both the volume of my MBP and the iTunes volume near the limit. Which is ironic; because aside from the minor issue with distortion, the set sounded better as volume went up, with bass especially benefitting from raised volume — not what I'd expected from small speakers. All this had the effect of creating a small sweet spot where the volume was usually necessarily in the upper half of the range for enjoyable listening.

Verdict:

A refined set of speakers, with good sound and polished looks, that generally sticks to the classic gameplan but execute well; great-sounding media speakers can be had for considerably less though, and the set's sonic quirks tarnish that external polish somewhat.

Rating: ★★★½☆

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Published on December 20, 2011 22:00

Apple Seeds New OS X 10.7.3 Beta To Developers

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Apple has seeded a new built of the OS X Lion 10.7.3 beta to developers in the iOS Dev Center. Build 11D36 of 10.7.3 can be downloaded now by registered developers.

While there are no known issues in this latest beta, Apple does request developers to focus on areas like iCloud Document Storage, Address Book, iCal, Mail, Spotlight, and Safari.

The delta version weighs in at 986.68 MB while the combo update for previous Lion beta users sits at 1.2 GB. The last version of Lion to be released to the public was 10.7.2 in October.

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Published on December 20, 2011 19:46

$1.7M Shipment Of Worthless RIM Playbooks Hijacked

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Thieves aren't interested in Blackberries, but that doesn't mean they don't want RIM's PlayBooks tablets.

$1.7 million in Playbooks was recently stolen off a truck on its way from Plainfield, Indianapolis to Ontario, Canada. While the driver took a short pit-stop in Madison County, thieves stole 22 pallets of PlayBooks, totaling 5,200 devices.

The best part is that the stolen goods weren't geotagged by RIM's supplier, Brightpoint, meaning that thousands of GPS-equipped tablets are basically untraceable. The local police and FBI are on the hunt.

Given RIM's less-than-impressive earnings report last quarter, a hit like this is the last thing the company needs. RIM has been offering the PlayBook for $200, but some apparently think it's better priced at free.

(via Intomobile)