Monday, December 27, 2010

Skype is rumored to be building its own rival to Apple’s FaceTime at CES. And many believe that something like this can easily be a FaceTime killer. According to folks over at Engadget, Skype might well upset Apple by bundling video calling support in its iPhone app. This would mean that iPhone users can video chat with anyone on any system, anywhere in the world without the limitation of Apple’s FaceTime (which currently works only on the Mac & iOS devices).

Video is not a new service though. There have been solutions for long. But the integration of FaceTime in iOS and the fact that Apple announced that they will make this an open standard enabling others to adopt it, makes it clear that Apple has no reason to fear Skype bundling Video calling. Infact they might well want Skype to support FaceTime protocol aswell?
Well its a long journey ahead in the mobile evolution. We would have to wait and watch how it all unfolds.

The iPhone Dev Team has announced the iOS 4.2.1 jailbreak public beta testing program. We know several are letting their steam off in comments. But hey, look at the bright side the tools are being tested publicly instead of being left out without any hope or update about the jailbreak.
This beta testing is limited only to those who:
- Own Mac
- has iOS 4.2 beta 3 SHSH blobs backed up with Cydia
- Completely aware with the iOS jailbreak process steps
- Ready to risk their Carrier Unlock until a final working version is released
- Intended for iPhone 4, iPod touch 4 and iPad
This is not meant for average users, I repeat – this is NOT meant for average users. If you plan to go ahead then you’re on your own. You’ll just end up tearing your hair and turning your device into a paperweight. For performing the beta test, you need to download the USBMUX software from here along with dependent files mentioned on the page.

Here are few pointers for using the “backup method” aka Jailbreak Monte put up by iPhone Dev Team:

- This is a beta tester program. It’s not a general release!  Things can go very wrong, so please don’t even consider testing if you have pictures or other media on your device that you haven’t backed up!
- For the same reason, please don’t participate if you rely on the ultrasn0w carrier unlock.  Wait for the final version!
- Until we fix some sandbox issues with bluetooth, the bluetooth functionality is disabled.
- This very first beta1 is limited to iPhone4, iPad, and iPod touch 4G.
- Cydia must have your 4.2b3 SHSH blobs saved on file.  (As we approach a general release, we’ll provide a way to let you use locally saved hashes too).
- You must already have the usbmuxd software installed and running on your Mac (this requirement will eventually go away too). The correct invocation of the relay is just as that page says: “./tcprelay.py -t 22:2222”.  If the relay isn’t installed or running correctly by the time the redsn0w ramdisk has started, you’ll need to restore to stock FW again to try it again.  Please test it beforehand to save yourself some time!

Bunch of other dev teams are also working on their own version of jailbreak but it’s not about “Me First” any more. It’s about rolling out a jailbreak that works for all devices flawlessly.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Over the Christmas weekend we’ll be releasing a version of redsn0w that implements the “backup plan” to the 4.2.1 untethered jailbreak. We’re seeking your help to test this redsn0w and find any bugs before we do a general release! (If you have an iPhone 3G, or an old-bootrom ipt2g or iPhone 3GS, you already have an untethered jailbreak! Just use the latest public redsn0w.)
To keep things manageable, this will be a Mac-only test program. We also request that any volunteers *NOT* need the ultrasn0w unlock (in case things go very wrong)

Right now, the “backup plan” requires that you have the 4.2b3 IPSW on your Mac, and that Cydia has your 4.2b3 SHSH hashes. Please don’t pirate that 4.2b3 IPSW! (We’re also working on a way that this technique might apply to all those with 4.1 IPSWs, but that’s not the first goal right now.)
If you fit all the above qualifications, please follow @redsn0w_testers on twitter for announcements, and use the comments section here for feedback. Thanks very much for your help, and Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 24, 2010

It looks like everyone seems to have missed this! But if this statement from Comex is anything to go by, the untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.2.1 might be as simple as installing a package from Cydia over your existing Redsn0w tethered jailbreak – Yes, you don’t need to restore or re-jailbreak your device.




Comex: it’s probably going to be a Cydia package. if I can get it to work.

When someone asked Comex “what do you mean by that”, Comex replied:

Comex: @GP34MVP that everyone’s wrong including @MuscleNerd :p

Probably referring to this statement from MuscleNerd of the iPhone Dev-Team.



It is important to note that the iPhone Dev-Team already has a backup plan ready, but that will require iOS 4.2b3 SHSH blobs for untethered jailbreak. Comex is said to have a more efficient untethered jailbreak method for iOS 4.2.1. This untethered solution will almost certainly be applicable to all current iOS 4.2.1 devices, including the new A4-based ones which includes iPhone 4, iPad, Apple TV 2G and iPod touch 4G.

While the actual details about the state of the jailbreak are still unknown, but what we do know is that it is probably not coming by Christmas, as been confirmed yesterday by Comex himself.

More info as it comes, stay tuned !


TomTom Western Europe
Version: 1.6 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Category: Navigation
Seller: TomTom International BV
Price: $74.99
Size: 1.86 GB

Description:

On Sale! Get to your holiday destination faster and smarter this season. Download the TomTom App now! Also makes a great gift.

The same world-class turn-by-turn navigation that is enjoyed by 45 million people every day has now been tailored specifically to the iPhone.

TomTom's patented mapping and routing intelligence is at the core of the TomTom App. TomTom is known the world over for the accuracy and extensive coverage of its maps. TomTom maps have been rated highest in terms of quality and reliability. No mobile signal or data plan is required to browse your map and navigate to your destination. And, only TomTom offers IQ Routes, which evaluates routes based on actual traffic speeds rather than posted speed limits, and recommends the fastest route based on the time of the day.

The TomTom App takes advantage of iPhone features and functionality to make navigation even easier. You can see maps and routes easier with iPhone 4 Retina Display support, navigate to your destination easier by selecting contacts straight from your address book or photos from your photo gallery, and take hands-free calls easier while navigating with the App's multitasking capabilities.

*** KEY FEATURES ***

GET THERE FASTER AND SMARTER
- TOMTOM MAPS: Your TomTom App comes with the latest and most up-to-date map, ready to navigate.
- MAP SHARE™: Make on-the-fly changes to your own map and benefit from free, verified updates made by TomTom users every day--delivered automatically on a weekly basis and on-demand anytime you want.
- IQ ROUTES™: Only TomTom uses actual speed data collected from millions of users to accurately calculate the travel time of your route. It takes into account rush hour, traffic lights-even shopping crowds.
- HD TRAFFIC™: It's officially the quickest way through the traffic. With more accurate traffic info, wider coverage - and at least seven times more updates than anyone else - independent tests prove HD Traffic is the best way to beat the jams. Available via in-App purchase.(1)

FIND SHOPS AND BUSINESSES
- Local search powered by Google™
- Millions of pre-installed POIs

STAY SAFE
- Lane guidance for complicated interchanges
- Clear voice instructions
- Announces street names(2)
- Help me! emergency menu
- Speed Cameras(3)
- Automatic music fading

MAKE THE MOST OF IPHONE
- iOS multitasking support(4):
- Seamless navigation while calling (iPhone 3GS/4 only)
- Background navigation instructions (iPhone 3GS/4 & iPod touch 3rd gen. only)
- Navigate-to-photo(5)
- Navigate-to-contacts
- Route sharing
- Departure reminder
- Calling destination (iPhone only)

CUSTOMIZE YOUR APP
- Celebrity voices (Available via in-app purchase)
- Car symbols
- Map colors

*** MAPS COVERAGE ***
- Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, San Marino, the Vatican City, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Canary Islands.

*** MORE INFORMATION ***
iPhone original & iPod touch require the TomTom car kit with its built-in GPS receiver. Buy the TomTom car kit: www.tomtom.com/car-kit
(1)Traffic information is available the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway. Compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4.
(2)Announces street names in the following languages: English UK, Dutch, Flemish, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian.
(3)Check http://iphone.tomtom.com for availability per country
(4)Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
(5)Photos can only be used for navigation if you have enabled Location Services in the Camera application.

DOWNLOAD

ON SALE TO CELEBRATE CAMERA+ 2 LAUNCH!

BUY NOW BEFORE THE PRICE GOES UP!

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★



“improves on almost every aspect of the built-in camera app”

— Charlie Sorrel, Wired



“the new version of Camera+ has a feature that’s just too cool not to mention”

— Dave Freeman, MobileCrunch



“tap tap tap definitely has a winner on their hands with Camera+”
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— Steven Sande, The Unofficial Apple Weblog



“Among the virtual sea of iPhone photography apps, tap tap tap’s Camera+ is by far my favorite”

— David Chartier, Macworld



★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★



It’s all about one thing… GREAT PHOTOS!



Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or someone who’s barely touched a camera, Camera+ will make you love taking photos.



Everybody has a creative side… Camera+ will help bring that creativity out in you, all with a fun, innovative, and beautiful design.



★ EXCLUSIVE Touch Exposure & Focus for the ultimate control…

Set exposure separately from focus for the ultimate control of your shots… simply touch with a 2nd finger while focusing to adjust exposure until your shot is perfect. [available on iPhone 4 and 3GS on iOS4 only]



★ EXCLUSIVE Photo Flashlight to brighten up your photos…

Use the iPhone 4 LED flash as a continuous fill light to improve photo quality, especially for portrait and macro shots.



★ No more blurry shots…

Use the stabilizer to steady your camera and get the sharpest pics you can.



★ Put an end to crooked pics…

Use the grid to line up your shots and eliminate unsightly angled photos.



★ Highest quality zoom…

Camera+ has a 5× digital zoom that simply blows away the competition in terms of quality.



★ Scene modes and flash…

Most modern digital cameras all have scene modes to help you get the best photos for your particular situation. And why shouldn’t your iPhone have this great feature? Well, with Camera+, you get to choose from several scene modes including Backlit, Sunset, Night, Portrait, Beach, and many more. If you just want great looking shots with the least amount of fuss, just tap Auto and watch your lifeless pics come alive. And for the times when your photos came out too dark, we have a high quality digital flash to make them look great.



★ Crops let you frame your pics perfectly…

If you didn’t line up your shot perfectly when you took it, you can easily fix that with Camera+. And when you want to get a bit creative, we setup a bunch of popular crop sizes for you. With a single tap, you can make your pics square, 4×6, 8×10, etc. We’ve even included a “golden ratio” crop to get the most aesthetically pleasing results.



★ Dozens of amazing effects…

We partnered with professional photographer, Lisa Bettany, to bring you a slew of stunningly beautiful effects. With a single tap, you can transform a soulless pic into a work of art. Make your photos shimmer with “HDR”… get down and dirty with “Grunge”… fill your pics with emotion and despair with “So Emo”. And this is just the tip of the iceberg… there are dozens of 1-touch effects for you to experiment with so that you can get the perfect result every time.



★ Wrap it all up with stylish borders…

With Camera+, you get several great border designs so that you can put the finishing touch on your photos.



★ Share your creations…

Whether you want to show your results to your friends and family or the whole world, Camera+ has got you covered. Share your pics on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. Or go the simple route and email them from right within the app.



What are you waiting for? Try Camera+ now and discover that you can truly love taking pics on your iPhone.


New in this version

What’s new 1. removed “SLR” screen for a simpler user interface 2. reworked much of the user interface so that it’s more unified and much more intuitive 3. improved the usability of zoomed photos in the Lightbox 4. improved usability of Touch Focus/Touch Exposure 5. significantly sped-up startup time 6. increased menu size and included it on both camera screen and Lightbox 7. added shooting preferences panel 8. improved operation of stabilizer 9. added timer shooting mode 10. added burst shooting mode 11. added white balance lock 12. Touch Exposure now works on iPhone 4 and 4th generation iPod touch front facing camera 13. improved most effects 14. improved most borders 15. improved most scene modes 16. added Cyanotype effect 17. added Tailfins effect 18. added Depth of Field effect 19. added in-app purchasing of effects, with the first being the “I ♥ Analog” effects pack 20. added Diana effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 21. added Silver Gelatin effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 22. added Helios effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 23. added Contessa effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 24. added Nostalgia effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 25. added Expired effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 26. added XPRO C-41 effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 27. added Pinhole effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 28. added Chromogenic effect (in I ♥ Analog pack) 29. grouped borders into Simple and Styled sets 30. added Light Mat and Dark Mat borders 31. added Round White and Round Black borders 32. added Offset border 33. renamed Grit border to Light Grit and added Dark Grid border 34. added Viewfinder border 35. added Old-Timey border 36. added Film border 37. added Sprockets border 38. added Darken scene mode 39. added Cloudy scene mode 40. added Shade scene mode 41. added Fluorescent scene mode 42. added 3×2 crop 43. added rotation of photos 44. added flipping of photos 45. added sliders to effects for adjusting effect amount 46. added exporting geolocation and metadata when saving to the Camera Roll 47. added a function to save and l

Languages

LANGUAGES: English

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

So in yet another effort to help keep this place clean as well as help keep the file system and database lightweight, I am going to be deleting all the SIGNATURE PICS that have been uploaded to the forum. I am also going to be doing some removing of old attachments as well. I have explained more in detail below as this does NOT affect all members.

This is not to punish members in any way, I am just trying to help shift resources around to better improve the performance of the site!

~SIGNATURE PICS~
This ONLY applies for those members who have UPLOADED a signature pic to the forum itself. This doesn't apply to people who have their signature pics hosted somewhere else. You are still allowed to have pictures in your signatures however from now on you will be unable to upload them here directly to the forum. You will need to use a 3rd party hosting site as suggested below.

If you have uploaded a signature pic to the forum then it is going to be deleted within the next 48-72 hours. I am giving you guys a heads up so that you can SAVE your current signature pics from the forum just in case you don't have a backup. This way you can upload them to a 3rd party hosting site and then link your picture from there to your signature here on the forum. See the links below for a few suggestions.

~ATTACHMENTS~
Attachments are becoming a bit of a nuisance especially now with the iPhone 4 being that the screenshots are TWICE THE SIZE they used to be. Currently each member is allowed up to 5MB worth of attachments. However I want to make members aware that you can easily upload your picture attachments to one of the suggested 3rd party sites below. This will help keep the database and file system resources down.

~3rd Party Hosting Sites~
Here are a few good sites that you can easily upload your picture attachments as well as signature pics or any other image that you want to post for that matter.
ImageShack - Online Photo and Video Hosting
TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing Video Hosting
Free Image Hosting at FreeImageHosting.net - Upload Images for MySpace, Blogs, and Galleries
Image hosting, free photo sharing video sharing at Photobucket

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