Hackers Get iOS Applications Running on Apple TV

Those of you who have been holding out for a good reason to jailbreak your Apple TV, might have just got it. Well-known developer Steven Troughton-Smith has teamed up with other hackers to bring iOS applications to the Apple TV.

But they’re not just trying to make it happen, they’ve done it. Troughton-Smith showed off several photos via his Twitter account tonight of his jailbroken Apple TV running a homegrown version of the iOS springboard, and multiple iOS apps
Even though Apple TV’s software is built on iOS, getting native iOS apps to run on it was no easy task. The developers essentially had to re-write the springboard from the ground up. And while the hack is no where near ready for public release, it looks promising.

This reminds us of a time when the iPhone didn’t have a native app store, so jailbreakers had to drum up an alternative. Apple noticed the attention that native third party apps were getting, and launched the official App Store less than a year later.

Maybe that’ll happen here. Stay tuned.

Update: As you can see, we’ve added a video of the hack in action. We also want to give credit where credit is due — Troughton-Smith says that TheMudKip, another developer, is responsible for most of the legwork in this project. Well done guys.

Rumor: Is This a Photo of an iPad 3 Retina Display?

If there is one thing that is guaranteed every year, it’s that MacRumors will get its hands on some photos of what appear to be parts from a new iPhone or iPad. This year is proving to be no different, with the latest part to show up supposedly being an iPad 3 screen, complete with Retina Display pixel density.

Unfortunately the screen is not attached to anything, and thus not functioning, which is a shame.

While the screen was not powered up, that does not mean there isn’t at least one portion of the photo that should get the pulse racing – the screen pictured possess three, count ‘em, three ribbon cables. Exciting…
All skepticism aside, the ribbon cables could prove telling. See, the iPad 2′s screen sports just the two cables, but the photographed iPad 3 screen has one more. Notice the difference between the supposed iPad 3 screen at the top, and the current iPad 2 part at the bottom.

Given the expected 2048×1536 resolution of the new tablet, an extra cable to help carry all that data is not beyond the realms of our imagination. In fact, the more we think about it, the more it makes sense.

We are still firmly ensconced in rumor territory right now, and this photo will no doubt not be the last. The possibility of a Retina Display is possibly the biggest change Apple could make to the iPad 3, alongside adding improved cameras to bring it up to spec with the current flagship, the iPhone 4S.

Would a Retina Display be enough to get you to upgrade to an iPad 3, or will you be looking for something a little more exciting from the boffins in Cupertino?

RedSn0w iOS 5.0.1 Untether Updated With Fix For MobileSubstrate Error

The Dev Team has released beta 3 of RedSn0w for the Mac and PC to fix an error that caused MobileSubstrate to sometimes crash on jailbroken iOS devices. This specific error only seemed to crash MobileSubstrate when the latest iOS 5.0.1 untether in RedSn0w was run over an existing jailbreak.
From the Dev Team blog:

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).

Another tip: If RedSn0w tells you that no identifying data was found when it auto-detects your IPSW, then you can pre-select your iOS device’s 5.0.1 IPSW in RedSnow’s Extras >Select IPSW menu.

As always, you can download the latest RedSn0w beta from our Downloads page. This latest beta follows an update from yesterday that fixed the “launchctl” error in Cydia. We have a dedicated RedSn0w page with everything you need to know about the jailbreak tool, and we have tutorials for jailbreaking iOS 5.0.1 for both the Mac and Windows.

Griffin HeloTC iOS-Controlled Helicopter Review

The market for iOS-controlled vehicles has become rather crowded over the last 12 months. We’ve seen everything from robots to helicopters and everything in between. But most of these remote control devices are usually too pricey to go mainstream.

Griffin’s Helo TC  breaks that mold by being one of the first iOS RC vehicles under $50. And although it has been available for a few months now, I just recently got my hands on one.
Before we get started, it’s worth noting that my prior experience with RC helicopters is fairly limited. I’ve only owned a handful of low-end models, each of which failed to impress. So without further adieu.

Buffer Lets You Queue Your Tweets on Your iPhone

We’ve been big fans of Buffer for a while now, and we’ve been waiting for the startup’s iPhone app for what feels like forever. The wait is finally over.

Released over the Christmas holiday, the native iPhone app version of Buffer brings a more polished portal into the world of scheduled tweets and Facebook status updates, and it has been well worth the wait.

What’s even better is the app is free, meaning there really is no reason to not give it a try…
We like Buffer for one main reason, and that is the ability it gives us to schedule tweets or Facebook updates for times that suit our audience. We’re big Twitter users here at iDB – you can follow us all via the links here if you don’t already – and with writers stretched out across the globe, taking time differences into consideration can be an important aspect of our online lives.

Buffer allows those of us living outside the US to schedule tweets, be they links to iDB posts or other general tidbits of wisdom, for when our US-based audience are awake. It may be a stretched example, but it is a real one.

You might want to schedule the tweeting or links so they go out when all your friends are out of school, or only send work-related tweets out during business hours. The possibilities are endless, and if you have a use for Buffer then you’ll know it.

The iPhone app brings all of that to the palm of your hand, giving fans a way to schedule new tweets or updates, as well as rearrange them on the fly. If you install the bookmarklet for Mobile Safari, then you also have an easy way to get links out of Safari and into the Buffer app for scheduling.

We suggest you give Buffer for iPhone a go in the App Store if you haven’t already. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Corona iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Updated to Fix “Launchctl” Error

If you own an A4 device, chances are you spent your day jailbreaking. After months of waiting on a proper iOS 5 exploit, both the Chronic and iPhone Dev teams released untethered jailbreaks late last night.

There have been reports, however, of folks having some problems with the new untethers. One issue in particular, a “launchctl” error, has been fairly common. So Saurik has pushed out an update for the untether to fix it…
Saurik recently took to his Twitter account to explain the problems and the updates:
We haven’t noticed any problems with our devices, but those that are having issues may want to check this out (whether you jailbroke with Corona or RedSn0w). To get the update, just open Cydia and select the Changes tab. You should see the new Corona package version 1.0-3 populate at the top.

Are you having any problems with your jailbreak?

Shazam: Not Just for Identifying Music

It’s been a big year for the folks at Shazam. On top of receiving $32 million dollars during a mid-summer investment round, the mobile music lookup service just recently re-launched unlimited track-tagging for iOS users.

And it appears that the company is just getting started. Since January of this year, there has been a lot of talk about Shazam venturing into the TV business. How, might you ask? With interactive commercials of course…
Here’s how it works: You’re watching TV and a commercial break hits. You notice one of the TV ads has a Shazam logo, indicating that it’s compatible with the sound ID app, so you pull out your iPhone and start it up.
Once the ad is identified, Shazam loads up pre-determined content depending on the commercial. For example, the content for a movie trailer might be an extended movie preview, or information such as movie times. A fast food commercial may bring up a menu, and possibly coupons for the items shown in the TV ad. In fact, Shazam has already partnered with retail companies like Old Navy, and TV shows like Royal Pains, so there’s a good chance that you’ve already seen this in action.
We recently noticed the Shazam logo during Disney’s televised Christmas day parade. Launching the iPhone app brought up all kinds of extra content including live photos and music from the event. Pretty cool.

As you can imagine, the service has enormous potential. The only problem is that not everyone can get to their phone in time to launch the app before a commercial ends. Perhaps Apple’s rumored TV set with third party app support could solve that problem. Interesting.

How to Get the iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Using RedSn0w

By now you’ve probably read our earlier report that there finally is an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1. This is thanks to the amazing work of iOS hacker pod2g, but also thanks to GeoHot who found some of these exploits a while back.

As we mentioned in our previous post, there are two ways to untether iOS 5.0.1. If you’re already jailbroken, you may want to use Corona Untether 5.0.1. If however you’re still running a stock iOS 5.0.1 version, then this RedSn0w tutorial is for you.
Before going forward, I advise you read our post about the specifics of this iOS 5.0.1 untethered jailbreak.

Note that unlockers who need to preserve their baseband while updating to the latest iOS version will have to first create a custom firmware using RedSn0w > Extras > Custom IPSW.

How to Jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 Untether with RedSn0w
Step 1: Download RedSn0w 0.9.10b1 from our downloads section.

Step 2: Plug your iDevice in and put it in DFU mode.

Step 3: Launch RedSn0w and click on “Jailbreak” and select “Install Cydia”.

Let RedSn0w work its magic. In just a few moments, your iDevice should reboot and run an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1.

We should get a video tutorial of the whole process shortly. In the meanwhile, feel free to ask any question below.

Apple’s “iTunes – 12 Days of Christmas” App Now Available in UK and Canada

Apple has released its annual “iTunes – 12 Days of Christmas” app for the iPhone and iPad in the App Store for customers in the UK and Canada. The app serves as part of Apple’s promotion that lasts from December 26th to January 6th.

During Apple’s 12 Days of Christmas promotion the company will give away one free gift each day, whether it be an app, song, movie, or iBook.
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.

Today Apple is kicking off the promotion with a live Coldplay EP from the iTunes Festival in London. The universal application for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad is available as a free download in the App Store.

No word has been given on when the app will be made available in the United States.

Visit to the Steve Jobs Exhibit at the US Patent and Trademark Office

A couple of days ago, I took the opportunity to visit Alexandria, Virginia, home of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I visited there with the intention of getting a glimpse of the Steve Jobs patent exhibit before it was scheduled to be removed in a few weeks.

It’s pretty interesting to look at some of the history of Apple’s patents and the people involved with those patents. The exhibit was uniquely designed to showcase 12 patents per iPhone screen; I guess you could say the patents were the “app icons” of each of the many large-scaled iPhone’s that made up the exhibit.

If you won’t be able to make it to the exhibit before it gets taken down, don’t fret; I’ve captured my visit on video for you to enjoy.
All in all, it was a great visit. I wouldn’t say that it’s a standalone reason to travel to Alexandria, but seeing as its close to DC, it’s worth a visit if you happen to be in the area.

LogMeIn Remote Desktop App for iOS Goes Free

If you are the kind of person that finds yourself needing to access your computers from obscure, remote locations, then you are in for a spot of pre-Christmas luck. Especially if you like to be able to access said computers from your iOS devices.

LogMeIn Ignition, the beloved remote desktop app for the iPhone and iPad, has been released as a free app, now simply called LogMeIn. The app works as expected, and offers remote desktop functionality for those that need it.

But how will LogMeIn generate money, we hear you cry. Well, it’s technically gone freemium …
If you need a little more than the basics, then LogMeIn offers an in-app subscription system for $40/year. Your cash gets you some more advanced features, including HD video, sound streaming, file transferring, and a special cloud offering.

iPad and iPhone owners can take advantage of the remote access capabilities by simply downloading the free app from the Apple App Store and then installing LogMeIn Free on any PC or Mac which they wish to access. Users also have the option of upgrading to an all new version of LogMeIn Pro, LogMeIn’s premium remote access software, and enjoy additional remote access capabilities.

While the basic LogMeIn app will be more than adequate for most people, the subscription model offers a way or more advanced users to get the features they need, while still offering those of us with more meagre needs a way to get in on the remote desktop action, for free.

If you previously forked out the $30 for LogMeIn Ignition, then fear not. You’ll be given the premium, subscription version of the app for free. Get it now in the App Store.

Hot Deals: Free and Discounted Apps for Saturday, Dec 24

You know what we love more than apps at iDB? Apps that are available for a discounted price or even for free in the App Store!

Today, we’ve got a selection of popular applications that are selling for significantly less. Some of them are totally free.

Our advice is to get them while the sales last, because they’re going to be back at their original price soon…
■QRPager Gold (Free, was $4.99)
■SantaRush (Free, was $0.99)
■Two Towers ($1.99, was $2.99)
■Hotel Mogul HD ($0.99, was $4.99)
■Downbound (Free, was $0.99)
■Golden Trails: The New Western Rush ($0.99, was $4.99)
■Elf Rescue (Free, was $0.99)
■Cat Dash (Free, was $0.99)
■Peak Gold (Free, was $0.99)
■Cradle of Rome ($0.99, was $4.99)
■Happy Archer (Free, was $0.99)
■TRUpuzzlE (Free, was $0.99)
■Julius Styles – The International (Free, was $0.99)
■WIFI USB (Free, was $0.99)
■Mega Man® II ($0.99, was $2.99)

Fight Crime While Checking Facebook With This Unique iPhone Dock

iPhone docks are usually pretty straight-forward accessories. Some have attached speakers, some have built-in alarm clocks, and some even have external screens to watch videos.

But the BodyGuard by ArmStar, as you can see in the above picture, is anything but usual. This wearable iPhone dock is made from kevlar armor and contains several crime-fighting gadgets…
Although it may look like a prop from the latest Batman movie, the BodyGuard is actually a real iPhone accessory. On top of holding/charging your iPhone or iPod touch, the armored sleeve also contains a flashlight, camera, and — get this — a stun gun.

Here’s how it works:

“The user can deter a person by pressing the pressure button in the palm of the glove, activating the demonstration electrodes which make a loud sparking sound. If aggressor escalates the situation, the officer has the option of placing the stun electrodes in direct contact with the agressor, in which case the pressure button will now activate the stun electrodes and deliver high voltage to the agressor in attempt to bring them into compliance.”

Although this thing looks awesome, don’t expect to see one at your local Radio Shack anytime soon. The target audience of the BodyGuard appears to be members of the military and other law enforcement.

However, if you’re interested in the BodyGuard for personal use, it looks like you can request a quote from the ArmStar’s website. Although we’re still not quite sure what a civilian would do with something like this.

What do you think of the BodyGuard iPhone dock?

Walmart Hosting Last-Minute iTunes Gift Card Sale

Hopefully you’ve already got most of, if not all of, your Christmas shopping done. Especially since the holiday is now less than 48 hours away.

But if you do happen to still be looking for gifts for the iOS device-toting folks in your life, Walmart has you covered. The retailer is hosting a last-minute iTunes gift card sale…
Several sites have noticed that Walmart has its $50 iTunes gift cards on sale right now for just $40. This means that you essentially get a free $10 to spend in the iTunes Store on apps, iBooks, music, or videos.

The best part about the deal is that the gift card is digital. It’s delivered via email so you don’t have to worry about availability or expensive over-night shipping. We aren’t expecting this sale to go on past Christmas day, so make sure to grab one while you can.

Skitch Image Editor Now Available on the iPad

I used Skitch on my Mac about a year ago when it was really popular, but the image editing tool fell off my radar after I started using more robust apps, like Pixelmator. A lot has happened to Skitch in the past year. The app has actually been bought by Evernote.

Skitch has entered the iOS world today with an official iPad app. The tool lets you edit and annotate images on the iPad with your finger.
Skitch is the amazingly fun and surprisingly powerful way to move your ideas and projects forward using fewer words. With Skitch, annotate and draw on just about anything that you see, whether it’s a new or existing photo, a webpage, screenshot, map, or a blank canvas. Then, share your work with friends, colleagues or save it all to Evernote. It couldn’t be simpler.

The iPad app lets you import photos from your Camera Roll or take a new picture to edit. A neat feature is the app’s ability to recognize the most recent screenshot you took on your iPad and import it automatically into the app’s editor from the Screenshot option. Annotation is super easy on the iPad’s big screen.
The app has a built-in web browser that lets you annotate webpages and share them with others. Another neat feature is the Map option. You can annotate a map on your iPad within Skitch. Finally, the app’s Blank option starts you with a blank canvas — perfect for some creative drawing.

You have plenty of drawing tools in Skitch for iPad, and you can save your creations to your Evernote account within the app. Images can also be shared on Twitter, through email, and over AirPlay to an Apple TV.

Overall, Skitch is a good, free app for editing images on the iPad. It’s not the most full-featured app out there, but it will do the job most of the time.
Evernote notes that an iPhone version of Skitch is on the way, but for now you can download the iPad-only version for free in the App Store.

Hot Deals: Free and Discounted Apps for Thursday, Dec 22

You know what we love more than apps at iDB? Apps that are available for a discounted price or even for free in the App Store!

Today, we’ve got a selection of popular applications that are selling for significantly less. Some of them are totally free.

Our advice is to get them while the sales last, because they’re going to be back at their original price soon…
■Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD ($5.99, was $9.99)
■Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars ($5.99, was $9.99)
■Splinter Cell Conviction™ HD ($0.99, was $4.99)
■DOOM II RPG ($0.99, was $2.99)
■DOOM Resurrection ($0.99, was $4.99)
■RAGE HD ($0.99, was $1.99)
■The Nightworld ($0.99, was $4.99)
■Pocket Academy ($1.99, was $3.99)
■Ben the Bodyguard ($0.99, was $4.99)
■Photo Manager Pro ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Nightstand Central for iPad ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Tank Riders ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Hex Empire ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Grand Prix Story ($1.99, was $3.99)
■AmpKit+ ($9.99, was $19.99)
■Gesundheit! HD ($1.99, was $2.99)
■Gesundheit! ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Space Miner ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Wolfenstein 3D Classic Platinum ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Shadow Guardian HD ($0.99, was $6.99)
■Real Steel ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Inspire Pro – Paint, Draw & Sketch ($0.99, was $7.99)
■Broken Sword – The Smoking Mirror: Remastered (Free, was $0.99)
■AmbiScience™ • Binaural & Isochronic Ambient Mind Utility (Free, was $1.99)
■Subject 7 ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D ($0.99, was $1.99)
■StarFront: Collision HD ($0.99, was $6.99)
And don’t forget EA and Gameloft are having some massive sales too.

Which one are you going to get?

Apple Working on Smart Kiosks for iOS Devices

The innovative minds of Apple’s R&D (Research and Development) team never cease to amaze us. They’ve come up with all kinds of cool stuff — most of which never makes it into consumer products.

And the latest patent application from the folks in Cupertino is proof of that. Judging by the filing, Apple appears to be experimenting with self-serve “smart kiosks” that can interact with iOS devices…
Patently Apple explains the smart kiosk patent application:

 ”Apple’s in-store kiosk may reside in an Apple Store or another retailer like best Buy. The idea is simple. You have a new iOS device and you want to find the right accessories or apps for it. You wander into a store with an Apple Kiosk and connect your device to the kiosk which uses a new determination server that will check out your device and list recommendations. If you’re searching for something specific you’ll be able to narrow down your search for something like speakers or headsets.”

The site goes on to explain how Apple could sneak Siri into these kiosks to help give the digital assistant more exposure, but we were thinking that another iPhone 4S-exclusive feature could come into play here: Bluetooth 4.0. The new wireless tech is extremely energy efficient, and extends further than previous versions of Bluetooth.

But the real trick of the smart kiosk is product discovery. After the machine scans your iOS device and lists compatible accessories, it could actually point you in the direction of the items that interest you. Interesting.

Of all of the crazy ideas we’ve seen come out of Apple’s R&D lab, this one actually seems quite feasible.

What do you think? Good idea/bad idea?

Hot Deals: Free and Discounted Apps for Monday, Dec 19

You know what we love more than apps at iDB? Apps that are available for a discounted price or even for free in the App Store!

Today, we’ve got a selection of popular applications that are selling for significantly less. Some of them are totally free.

Our advice is to get them while the sales last, because they’re going to be back at their original price soon…
■Sonic CD ($1.99, was $4.99)
■iQuarium HD ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Gears ($0.99, was $2.99)
■1-bit Ninja ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Hero of Sparta II (Free, was $4.99)
■FlashLaunch (Free, was $0.99)
■Farm Frenzy 3 HD ($1.99, was $3.99)
■Ninja Fishing (Free, was $0.99)
■SimplyTweet 3 (Free, was $2.99)
■CrazyRemote Pro ($9.99, was $19.99)
■A Royal Christmas ($1.99, was $4.99)
■Sailboat Championship PRO HD ($0.99, was $4.99)
■Rhythm Studio ($0.99, was $3.99)
■Contacts Journal – Personal CRM ($0.99, was $5.99)
■Shoot The Birds (Free, was $0.99)
■Where’s Waldo?™ The Fantastic Journey ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Pocket RPG iPhone Edition ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Sky Force (Free, was $1.99)
■Sky Force Reloaded (Free, was $1.99)
■ArtStudio for iPad ($0.99, was $2.99)
■BillMinder for iPhone ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Strip Designer ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Brain Challenge 2: Think Again! (Free, was $4.99)
Which one are you going to get?

iOS Developers Have Only 24 Hours to Get Their Apps Ready for Christmas

Christmas is always a busy time of year, but if you are the developer of an iOS app, then Christmas can be the busiest time of the year.

As everyone knows, Apple is very strict about testing out each app before it is given the green light to enter the App Store. Add into the equation all the new iOS device owners that are added each Christmas, and the holidays can either make or break a company’s yearly profits.

To make the season even more stressful on developers, Apple is getting ready to stop taking app submissions, with tomorrow being the cut-off date for the holidays. Submit a new app after Tuesday, and it will not be accepted in time to hit the App Store before the lucrative Christmas timeframe.
If a developer merely wishes to update an existing app, be it to add functionality or to squash bugs, they have until Thursday to submit their app for Apple’s perusal, leading some developers to have their app out early and then get any bugs fixed on the fly due to the extended timescale.

Developers for rival platforms such as Google’s Android need not jump through the same hoops, meaning they can release apps and update others without the need to go through the Android Market’s overseers.

The reason for developers wanting to get their apps out in time for the Christmas gift opening is obvious, and app developer Bryan Duke explained to The New York Times what a difference timing can make.

“One of his apps is an air hockey game that costs 99 cents and usually averages about 300 downloads a day. But on Christmas Day last year there were 1,834. Apple keeps 30 percent of the revenue.”

If you’e an independent developer, that is a potential cash cow you won’t want to miss!

Hacker pod2g Updates iPhone 4S Untethered Jailbreak Status

For those of you waiting for an iPhone 4S untethered jailbreak, we’ve got good news, and bad news.

The good news is that the skilled iPhone hacker is working hard and making definite progress on an iPhone 4S untether.

The bad news is that he’s hit a stumbling block on his way to finding a solution…
Per pod2g’s blog:

The untether fails right now because I’m having processor cache issues.

I’m close, but I can’t figure out what happens. It certainly has something to do with the multicore cache management.

pod2g says he will have an updated status tomorrow, so there’s no doubt that he’s working mighty dilegently to make the 4S untether happen as soon as possible.

As of now, there is no jailbreak — untethered or otherwise — for the iPhone 4S, but we presume it’s only a matter of time before it happens. If you can remember, it took a similar period of months before we had an iPad 2 jailbreak, and this appears to be a similar situation from a time perspective.

Are you optimistic that we could see the iPhone 4S jailbreak before the end of the year?

Apple Ranked Top US Smartphone Manufacturer

Before the iPhone came along, the US smartphone market was dominated by a couple of major players. RIM, Palm, and the few third-party manufacturers that made Windows Mobile handsets kind of ran the show.

But everything has changed over the last few years. Not only has Apple entered the market and overtaken the aforementioned companies, but so have handset-makers sporting Google’s popular Android OS. So who’s the top dog in the US now?
According to a recent report from Nielsen, a highly regarded marketing research firm, Apple is the top smartphone manufacturer in the US.   Its research shows that the iPhone-makers currently have about 28.6% of the smartphone market.
Believe it or not, RIM’s BlackBerry line is still popular enough here in The States to put the Canadian company in second place with 17% marketshare. HTC comes in third place with 15.8% of the smartphone market, and then Motorola and Samsung with just 10%.

Obviously, when it comes to mobile OS marketshare, Android wins hands down. But there are three major (and several minor) Android handset-makers, and Apple is the only company producing iOS hardware, so the above-mentioned statistic is pretty relevant.

Keep in mind, however, that Samsung, Motorola, and Apple have all just released flagship handsets, so these numbers could be completely different in 6 months. If you want to read the rest of Nielson’s report, RedmondPie has a great breakdown.

Hot Deals: Today’s Free and Discounted Apps in the App Store

You know what we love more than apps at iDB? Apps that are available for a discounted price or even for free in the App Store!

Today, we’ve got a selection of popular applications that are selling for significantly less. Some of them are totally free.

Our advice is to get them while the sales last, because they’re going to be back at their original price soon…
■Convert ~ the unit calculator ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Scorekeeper XL (Free, was $0.99)
■iYip (Free, was $0.99)
■PixelMe – Pixel Avatar Creator HD (Free, was $1.99)
■PixelMe – Pixel Avatar Creator (Free, was $0.99)
■8mm Vintage Camera ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Splashtop Remote Desktop for iPad ($0.99, was $2.99)
■Hired Gun 3D (Free, was $1.99)
■Sygic Europe: GPS Navigation ($37.99, was $64.99)
■Quick™ Light (Free, was $0.99)
■PhotoForge2 ($0.99, was $1.99)
■Dead Space ($0.99, was $6.99)
■FX Photo Studio ($0.99, was $1.99)
■LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 ($2.99, was $4.99)
Which one are you going to get?

Download Bejeweled for Free, Compliments of Apple

After giving away free copies of the popular game Where’s My Water, Apple is feeling generous again as it is offering promo codes for the puzzle game Bejeweled to its loyal Facebook fans.

In order to redeem your free copy of Bejeweled, head over to Apple’s Facebook page, “Like” it if you haven’t yet, and click on “Get Your App Free.”
Bejeweled usually sells for $0.99 in the App Store. It looks like Apple is giving away apps on a regular basis these days, so keep your eyes peeled for more.

Popular Racing Game Asphalt 6 Free for a Limited Time

While we haven’t seen too many app sales yet this month, we have seen quite a few apps go free for short periods of time. There was Where’s My Water, High Caliber Hunting, and EA’s Flight Control to name a few.

Now we can add another one to the list. Gameloft has just made its popular iOS racing title, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, free for a limited time.
For those who aren’t familiar with the game, Asphalt 6 is the — you guessed it — 6th generation of Gameloft’s hit racing series. The title has been a huge success for its developers, garnering 5 stars in the App Store from nearly 5000 votes.

Here are some of the game’s features:

- Build your dream collection of high end cars and bikes

- Race against your friends online or locally

- Race on real world tracks in cities like L.A. and Tokyo

- Compete in 11 different leagues and 55 events

- Customize your vehicle down to its decals to give it your own style

Between its gorgeous graphics and fluid gameplay, you’re not going to find a better game out there for free. But you better act fast, we’re not sure what Gameloft means by a “limited time.” Download Asphalt 6 from the App Store today

How to See Facebook Timelines on Your iPhone

Back in September of this year, Facebook held its F8 developer conference. Like Apple’s WWDC event, Facebook uses F8 to announce new features and services. The big hit of this year’s conference was the company’s new Timeline feature.

Facebook Timelines allows you to see all of a user’s content on the social networking site in one convenient stream. We’ve already shown you how to access the feature on the iPad, and now we’re going to tell you how to see it on the iPhone…
Facebook recently rolled out some updates to its website that enabled the viewing of the new feature on mobile devices via the web app. This means that if you visit m.facebook.com from your iPhone, you should be able to see everyone’s Timelines.

To make sure yours is activated, visit www.facebook.com/about/timeline and click ‘Get Timeline.’ It’s not showing up in the native iPhone app yet, but since the app is just a frontend to the mobile website, it shouldn’t be too long before it’s available.

Amazing iPhone-Controlled Coffee Maker is From the Future

There’s something special about an iPhone-controlled coffee machine. Think about it: you wake up early in the morning, launch an app on your iPhone, shuffle into the kitchen a few minutes later, and a nice, hot cup of coffee is waiting for you.

The Scanomat Top Brewer sits out of sight under your counter and features a metal pipe that pours delicious coffee into your cup. The machine’s dedicated iPhone and iPad app lets you make your favorite drinks from the comfort of anywhere in your house.
The Top Brewer makes an incredible 4 coffee cups per minute. It also cleans up after itself. The machine claims to have the smallest milk foamer on the market, and the tip of the metal dispenser heats and foams to match the necessary texture of whatever drink you’re making.
You can dispense hot and cold water, milk, fruit juices, and even steam with the Top Brewer. The iPhone app lets you connect to the machine and select from the available drinks, or have your own favorite coffee pre-programmed and dispensed.

Scanomat hasn’t announced a price tag for the Top Brewer, but expect it to cost way more than your typical Bunn coffee maker.

iOS Concept Designer Jan-Michael Cart Announces Apple Internship

If the name Jan-Michael Cart sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve likely seen his work here on iDB. The 20-something mass media arts student from Georgia has practically become an overnight sensation thanks to his popular concept videos.

Cart has re-imagined several components of iOS such as application switching, notifications, and voice recognition. A lot of folks have commented that his work is good enough to earn him a spot at Apple. And apparently Apple thinks so too…
Jan-Michael recently added a blog section to his personal website and posted this message:

“Welcome to the new blog section of my website. Soon I will be embarking to California, where I will be interning at a fruit company for seven months. I will be updating this to chronicle my adventures and misadventures in the Bay Area for my family, friends, and followers online. Stay tuned, I leave in less than a month!”

Of course, it’s no surprise that Apple picked up the talented designer. Just look at his concept video of what he calls “Dynamic Icons.”
Even though it’s only an internship, Cart’s announcement is certainly exciting. iOS is going on 5 years without any major cosmetic changes, and Apple’s recent interests in people like Peter Hajas and Jan-Michael Cart could be a sign that it’s looking to give the OS a facelift.

Angry Birds Updated to Version 2.0 with 15 New Levels

The ever popular Angry Birds has reached yet another milestone, with the bird-flinging game now two years-old. How the time flies (awful pun intended.)

To celebrate the occasion, Angry Birds’ developer Rovio has updated the team’s runaway success to version number 2.0. This 2.0 release of the original game has a few new tricks up its sleeve.

One of the first things you will notice is all-new artwork. But that’s not all…
Fans of the game will now be able to play all Angry Birds episodes, with Rovio unlocking them all from the start. Gamers will also be able to play 15 new “Birdday” levels as part of the birthday celebrations.

In-game, players will now also be able to use a new “expandable” orange bird, which as our screenshot below shows, helps do a lot of damage with just the one throw. Perfect if your aim is as off as ours!
Angry Birds has been a huge hit with gamers since its release two years ago, with various game spin-offs and merchandise turning the game into one of the biggest franchises on the App Store. If you know someone with an iOS device, then chances are they have played Angry Birds at least once.

Those who do not already own Angry Birds – and there cannot be that many of you left – can download the iPhone/iPod touch version here for $0.99 and the HD iPad release here for $4.99.

Time to fling some birds!

Apple Announces 500,000 Apps in the App Store

Apple has announced over 500,000 apps in the App Store. In a press release this morning the Cupertino company also reported that the Mac App Store has seen 100,000 million downloads since its launch in January.

After three years the App Store has become the most successful mobile marketplace to date, and Apple has served over 18 billion downloads to customers.
Full press release:

CUPERTINO, California—December 12, 2011—Apple® today announced that over 100 million apps have been downloaded from the Mac® App Store™ in less than one year. With thousands of free and paid apps, the Mac App Store brings the App Store experience to the Mac so you can find great new apps, buy them using your iTunes® account, and download and install them in just one step. Apple revolutionized the app industry with the App Store, which now has more than 500,000 apps and where customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps and continue to download more than 1 billion apps per month.

“In just three years the App Store changed how people get mobile apps, and now the Mac App Store is changing the traditional PC software industry,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With more than 100 million downloads in less than a year, the Mac App Store is the largest and fastest growing PC software store in the world.”

“With Autodesk products in both the App Store and Mac App Store, we can reach hundreds of millions of Apple users around the world,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of Platform Solutions and Emerging Business at Autodesk. “With our free AutoCAD WS and the more powerful professional drafting tools of AutoCAD LT, we’re using the Mac App Store to deliver new products and reach a growing base of new Mac customers.”

“The Mac App Store has unparalleled reach and has completely transformed our distribution and development cycle,” said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team. “Offering Pixelmator 2.0 exclusively on the Mac App Store allows us to streamline updates to our image editing software and stay ahead of the competition.”

“In less than one year we’ve shifted the distribution of djay for Mac exclusively to the Mac App Store,” said Karim Morsy, CEO of algoriddim. “With just a few clicks, djay for Mac is available to customers in 123 countries worldwide. We could never have that reach through traditional channels.”

The Mac App Store offers thousands of apps in Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and other categories. Users can browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, see staff favorites, search categories and look up top charts for paid and free apps, as well as user ratings and reviews. The Mac App Store is included with Mac OS® X Lion and is available as a software update for any Mac running Mac OS X Snow Leopard®. For more information visit, www.apple.com/mac/app-store.

Mac developers set the prices for their apps, keep 70 percent of the sales revenue, are not charged for free apps and do not have to pay hosting, marketing or credit card fees. To find out more about developing for the Mac App Store visit, developer.apple.com/programs/mac.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Radio Shack Offering $30 Off AT&T iPhone 4 and 4S

Folks that missed out on all of the Black Friday festivities will be happy to hear that retailers aren’t quite done discounting Apple products yet. Yesterday, we told you about some major iPad deals going on over at Apple.com, and now we’ve come across some other specials.

It appears that Radio Shack, one of America’s largest electronics retailers, is discounting most of its AT&T-branded smartphones this month. The sale covers Android handsets by top manufacturers like HTC and Sony, and also includes the iPhone 4 and 4S…
Electronista is reporting that starting today, Radio Shack is offering $30 off both the iPhone 4 and the new iPhone 4S via instant discounts. This makes the 16GB model iPhone 4S just $169.99 with a two year contract, and knocks the 8GB iPhone 4 down to $69.
The sale ends December 17th, and is obviously limited to stock on hand. As most of you know, retailers have had a hard time keeping the iPhone 4S in stock. But if your local store has them, this will likely be the best deal you’ll see this year on Apple’s two most popular handsets.

Apple Gets Final Go-Ahead For iPhone 4S Release in China, Release Imminent

It’s all systems go for Apple in China, after the country’s regulators gave the iPhone 4S the last level approval required before going on sale.

According to reports, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the required network access permit this week, removing the final stumbling block which had prevented the latest iPhone from going on sale in the country. Apple had recently confirmed that the iPhone 4S was indeed ready to be released, and that the company was simply awaiting the go-ahead from the authorities.

The move means that Apple and its wireless partners now have all they need to bring the iPhone 4S to the largest smartphone market on the planet…
Chinese Apple fans won’t have long to wait before they can get their hands on a shiny new iPhone 4S, either, with China Unicom claiming they expect to begin selling the handset as early as this month. The carrier believes a 16GB iPhone 4S will set buyers back 4,999 yuan ($786) unsubsidised.

The iPhone 4S is expected to sell as well in China as it has across the globe, with queues and sell-outs almost a given at this point. When the handset went on sale in Hong Kong last month it was met by hordes of iPhone fans. China, with its considerable Apple fan-base should, easily see a similar turnout for the 4S.

If you’re living in China, we’d love to hear whether you will be picking up an iPhone 4S when it goes on sale.

Tweetbot for iPhone On Sale For a Limited Time

Tweetbot, the popular Twitter client for the iPhone, is available for a limited time discount at only $0.99 (down from $2.99). In my original review of Tweetbot I gave it a glowing recommendation, and I still use the app every day on my personal iPhone.

For the first time ever, Tweetbot is on sale in the App Store. The price drop follows the release of the poorly-received Twitter for iPhone 4.0 update.
If you’re on the fence about Tweetbot, make sure to read my review of the app. There’s a very good chance that it will be your new favorite. In the short time that the app has seen a price drop today it’s already started climbing to the top of multiple charts in the App Store.

Has the recent Twitter update turned you off to the official app? Who’s with me in the Tweetbot camp?

Motorola Wins Injunction Against Apple in Germany

Motorola Mobility has just announced that it has scored a major victory in its ongoing patent war with Apple. Just as the iPhone-makers have done to Samsung, Motorola has just won an injunction that bans the import of 3G iPads and iPhones into Germany.

This will be the company’s second German court victory in as many months, but the ramifications for Apple are a lot more serious this time around. Unless Apple wins an appeal, it will be forced to stop shipping some of its biggest products into the country…
According to FOSSPatents, a Mannheim Regional Court just granted Motorola Mobility an injunction, banning the import of iPhones and 3G-capable iPads into Germany. The patent-in-suit is a European Patent regarding mobile-originated wireless packet transfers (data).

The court’s ruling today not only blocks iPhone and iPad shipments, but it also contains an order for Apple to pay a yet-to-be determined amount to Motorola in damages. That amount will be defined by the German-based sales of Apple’s infringing products from past years.

Here’s what Apple told AllThingsD about the ruling:

“We’re going to appeal the court’s ruling right away. Holiday shoppers in Germany should have no problem finding the iPad or iPhone they want.”

Even if Apple doesn’t win an appeal against the injunction, the ban only applies to the importing of products. The company will be able to continue to sell current inventory in Germany as usual, and word on the street is it’s got plenty of it.

But make no mistake about it, this was a huge win for Motorola that will likely help it in future patent lawsuits against Apple. Also keep in mind that Google put up over $12 billion dollars to buy the company for this very reason — patent leverage.

Scribblenauts App Store Game Introduces Gameplay Integration with Siri

Popular handheld puzzler Scribblenauts has seen an update to its iOS version that brings an iPhone 4S-only feature to the game.

For those not familiar with the concept, Scribblenauts’ challenge comes from the requirement to achieve specific goals by manoeuvring Maxwell around the level by using adjectives and nouns to create in-world objects. Tell the game you want a flamethrower or ladder, for example, and you’ll be given one. It’s an interesting approach to the puzzle genre.

This new update goes one step further by allowing you to speak your conjuring requests using the power of Siri on the iPhone 4S.
Scribblenauts developer 5th Cell has decided to call the new feature “Scribblespeak” which we find suitably descriptive, and although it might not greatly change the actual gameplay of Scribblenauts, it is a welcomed addition to an already solid game. As the video above shows, players can simply tell the game which objects they wish to use and the app then spawns them. What could be more simple?

Scribblenauts is available in the App Store now for just $2.99.

Upcoming OnLive App Brings High-End Console Gaming to the App Store

OnLive has announced its new iOS app that will allow gamers to play games over the OnLive service right on their mobile iOS devices.

The app will effectively bring console-style blockbuster games, like L.A. Noire and the Batman titles, to the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Until now, OnLive account holders were only able to view the service from their iPads without actually playing. That all changed today with the announcement that OnLive’s new app is awaiting approval in the Apple App Store. Soon, we’ll be playing ‘real’ games on our iOS devices…
OnLive has been around in some shape or form for awhile now, and we’re big fans of it here at iDB if only for the shear technological genius that it must have taken to make the system work. OnLive, for the uninitiated, allows the playing of games over the internet, with the heavy lifting done on remote servers and video sent to whatever device you are playing on. Your keyboard and mouse commands are sent the other way through servers, and the whole thing works just as if you are playing a local game.
OnLive’s new app will not only act as a standalone portal into the OnLive service, offering on-screen controls for those games which support them. Gamers will be able to connect OnLive’s Xbox 360-like Bluetooth controller to an iPad or iPhone and use that to control the games. If you were looking for truly portable gaming, then you just found it.

We are imagining the scenario: you’re playing a hot, new game using OnLive’s MicroConsole, but you need to go to work. You take your iPad and a wireless controller with you, and you’re good to continue where you left off on your lunch break. “Awesome” just does not do that prospect justice.

Just to add an extra kick, OnLive has also confirmed that their app will support AT&T and Verizon’s 4G networks, meaning users will be able to play games even when a Wi-Fi network is not available. Obviously, that does not affect the iPhone at this point, but the fact that it is possible is still really cool, and we all know a 4G iPhone will come at some point, don’t we?

The new OnLive app should go live in the App Store at some point this week, and we can’t wait!

Are you an OnLive user? If not, will this development push you over the edge and make you give it a try?

AT&T Set to Smash Quarterly Sales Record This Holiday Thanks to iPhone 4S

US wireless provider AT&T is set to smash its own quarterly sales record after announcing that it has sold roughly 6 million smartphones in the first two months of the fourth quarter.

That mammoth result means that the carrier needs to sell just 100,000 smartphones during the last month of this quarter in order to match its current record, which was set during the third quarter of last year.

The reason for AT&T having such a great quarter? The iPhone 4S, of course…
“AT&T’s strong smartphone sales in part reflect a higher number of handset upgrades from customers who were waiting for the launch of a new iPhone. AT&T previously announced that it activated more than 1 million iPhone 4S’ in the first five days the device was available. AT&T said iPhone 4S sales remain strong.”

The belief that AT&T customers were holding off upgrading until a new iPhone was announced is quite possibly true. If our Twitter feeds were anything to go by during the weeks and months without an iPhone announcement from Apple, then there was plenty of pent up demand for a new handset.

The fact that existing iPhone owners wanted to stick with the brand should come as no surprise, after a recent study suggested that 84% of current iPhone owners would buy another one in the next 12 months. As the saying goes, “once you go iPhone, you don’t go back,” or something like that anyway.

Offering a cheap iPhone 4 and an almost free iPhone 3GS probably won’t hurt AT&T’s figures, either.

FireCore Releases Major Update for aTV Flash

Even though jailbreaking hasn’t done for the Apple TV what it has for the other iDevices, it still has made quite an impact. FireCore’s aTV Flash (Black) application is a perfect example of that, adding several features to the popular media hub.

For those not familiar with the software, aTV Flash is a jailbreak application for the Apple TV 2 that includes a web browser and support for streaming dozens of file formats. It is the app for Apple TV jailbreakers, and it just received a major update…
Among the improvements found in the new update are a revamped Couch Surfer feature (aTV’s web browser), and several bug fixes. Here’s the full change log:

■Added support for .IMG files
■Added option to mark specific folders as grid or list view
■Added subtitle position setting
■Added support for larger thumbnail images
■Added support for UTF-8 paths in DVD files
■Added web page auto-loading feature
■Added screen position setting in Couch Surfer
■Added show/hide menus option
■Improved audio synchronization in DVD and AVI files
■Improved metadata fetching logic
■Improved filenames parsing logic
■Improved playlist logic that marks files as watched
■Improved buffering performance
■Improved ISO files handling (resolved network error warning)
■Improved error handling for DVD files
■Improved growl notifications display logic for audio files
■Improved warning messages for unplayable files
■Improved grid view stability
■Improved fanart loading
■Improved memory management
■Improved installation routin
■Improved installer device detection
■Resolved issues with long DNS names
■Resolved issue with extra period appearing at the end of some DNS names
■Resolved crash observed when audio subsystem could not be initialized
■Resolved issues with chapter handliing logic
■Minor UI improvements
■Many other miscellaneous fixes
As you can see, the update includes a lot of improvements, and it’s free for current aTV Flash Black owners. If you don’t own the software yet, you can pick it up for $29.95 from FireCore’s website.

Of course, you’ll need a jailbroken Apple TV 2 to run the application. If you haven’t jailbroken yours yet, or need a refresher, be sure to check out our step-by-step guide. It’s just as simple as it is with other devices.

Introducing Our Dedicated iFaith Page

Over the next few months we will be rolling out more dedicated pages for some of the most useful tools our jailbreaking toolbelts. First up for bid is iFaith — the SHSH blob, custom firmware creating, downgrade tool for Windows users.

If you missed yesterday’s post about iFaith, you can find it here. Otherwise, step inside for a look at our dedicated page to iH8Sn0w’s iFaith…
You can visit our new page by visiting http://www.iDownloadBlog.com/ifaith/. There you will find explanations, walkthroughs, history, and video tutorials all surrounding this great jailbreak assistant.

You can also find a quick link in the menu bar above. Simply hover over Jailbreak and select iFaith.
Let us know what you think of our new page, and any suggestions you may have as well!


Springtomize 2 Winners Announced

A special thanks to everyone who entered our Springtomize 2 giveaway. An extra special thanks to Filippo Bigarella for creating Springtomize and being generous enough to give a few copies away free of charge.

Inside are the five fortunate winners of our Springtomize 2 giveaway. Are you one of them? There’s only one way to find out…
And the Winners Are…
■AkramDurdi
■Steven Holy
■Aaron Penick
■Leyay Farah
■Garofano
We are in the process of contacting each one of you and/or adding your Cydia ID’s. Please give Filippo at least a day to get the ID’s successfully added once we’ve received them.

If you didn’t win, you can still pick up Springtomize 2 for a very reasonable price. If you haven’t seen all that Springtomize 2 has to offer, watch our video below.
Again, thanks to everyone who entered, and stay tuned, more exciting giveaways are right around the corner.

Ac1dSn0w Beta 2 Jailbreak Tool Released, Fixes Copyright Infringement Issues

The Pwn Dev Team has released a major update to their jailbreak tool, Ac1dSn0w. The tool was made available to the world a couple of weeks ago as an alternative to other apps for jailbreaking, like RedSn0w and PwnageTool.

Ac1dSn0w Beta 2 supposedly fixes the copyright infringement issues that the original beta possessed. The download file size has also been significantly reduced from over 100MB to about 11MB.
From the Pwn Dev Team blog:

CHANGELOG:

Beta 2:

■Fixed legal issue
■Fixed problems with ramdisk (black screen)
■Removed boot logo
Supported Devices (iOS5/iOS5.0.1):

■iPhone 3Gs
■iPhone 4
■iPod Touch 4 G
■iPad 1
Ac1dSn0w still offers a tethered jailbreak. Because we have been led to believe by other jailbreak developers that this release of Ac1dSn0w is indeed legal, we have added the Beta 2 download link to our Downloads page. You can also see our dedicated Ac1dSn0w tutorial for Beta 1 to learn how to jailbreak with the tool — the steps have remained exactly the same. Ac1dSn0w is only available on the Mac.

You may be asking why you should use Ac1dSn0w, and, honestly, we can’t give you a good reason at the moment. Currently, the tool offers nothing more than (actually, it technically offers less features) other prominent jailbreak tools like, RedSn0w.

The developers of Ac1dSn0w have promised that big things are coming for Ac1dSn0w users, like the ability to remotely jailbreak an iDevice, but the current Beta 2 offers nothing to make you jump ship from what you’re already using to jailbreak.

ESRA: A Siri-Like Assistant For Older iOS 5 Devices

Let me preface this by saying that ESRA will be a disappointment to those who are expecting it to compete with Siri.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s talk more about this jailbreak app. ESRA stands for Experimental Speech Response Application, and as you can see from the video, it more than lives up to the “experimental” portion of the ESRA acronym.
ESRA is still in development, and as its name states, it’s still very experimental. The speech recognition is probably the one area that needs the most improvement, as it pales in comparison to Siri.

In my opinion, the best thing ESRA has going for it is the robot voice. The voice sounds a lot more human than Siri, but that’s probably because it’s just a bunch of canned responses, and not a truly dynamic assistant that’s flexible in responses like Apple’s innovative assistant.

Still, ESRA is a good conversation piece for older device owners if you can happen to get it working. If you’re interested and you have a jailbroken iOS 5 device, you can download ESRA for free from Cydia’s BigBoss repo.

What do you think about ESRA? Is it worth it?

Simple Concept Gesture For Multitasking on the iPhone is Brilliant

Sometimes we see a concept video and think, “Wow, why hasn’t Apple done this?” Such is the case with a simple multitasking gesture concept by UI designer Max Rudberg.

While the iPad offers multiple enhanced gestures for navigating through iOS, including 4-finger swipes and pinch moves, the iPhone still lacks basic gesture support that would make navigating so much easier. Rudberg’s concept takes a very simple approach to reinventing the way we access the multitasking bar in iOS 5 on our iPhones.
On the iPad, you can swipe up with 4 fingers to access the multitasking bar at any time. You can also swipe to the side to move between open apps. It seems impractical to swipe up with 4 fingers on the iPhone, but there needs to be a similar gesture available.
Rudberg’s concept is so simple that it makes us headdesk. The user could simply swipe up with one finger from the bottom of the iPhone’s screen to access the multitasking bar anywhere in iOS 5. This method of access is way more intuitive than the current double tap of the home button.

Apple, why have you not implemented this gesture yet? Sometimes it’s the simple things that really make a difference.

10% of US Mobile Subscribers Own iPhones

A new survey carried about by comScore claims that only 1 out of 10 American mobile subscribers own an iPhone, with Apple’s handset reaching the 10.8% mark as of October 2011.

The survey also suggests that Samsung is currently the top OEM in the country, with their phones currently in the hands of a quarter of all cellphone owners.

In fact, of the top five OEMs in comScore’s chart, Apple sits fourth, behind Samsung (25.5%), LG (20.6%) and Motorola (13.6%). Canadian firm Research In Motion takes fifth place with an ever-decreasing share of the market. Not great times for BlackBerry fans at all.
The situation on the platform side of things is rather predictable with Google’s Android sitting atop the pile, well on its way to making up half of the smartphones used in the United States with 46.3%. Having the top three manufacturers offer phones using your mobile operating system helps with Android’s market share dominance.

Apple’s iOS sits second with 28.1%, which is not to be sniffed at considering the number of handsets it’s running on. With just three models on sale; the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPhone 3GS, Apple offers significantly fewer models than the device’s that run Android currently. With that in mind, these figures should not be surprising to anyone not living in a cave for the last three years.
Both Android and iOS are gaining in share, while the competition from RIM, Microsoft, and Symbian are all slipping. Microsoft will no doubt be hoping to arrest that slide with an increased marketing push for Windows Phone 7 alongside the launch of Nokia’s first handsets using the WP7 platform.

Is anyone really surprised by any of these figures, or do they agree with what we all thought was happening in the market anyway?

‘Change Package Settings’ — An Overlooked Feature in Cydia

Have you ever uninstalled a tweak from Cydia, but still found yourself interested in any updates it might receive in the future? Perhaps it’s a tweak that has potential, but it’s just not finished baking yet.

By default Cydia does not announce changes for a package that isn’t installed on your device. That’s a good thing, because it prevents you from being harassed by tweaks and apps that you have no interest in.

If you’ve found yourself in that scenario, the best thing you can do is to enable a little talked about option that announces updates to a package, regardless of whether or not you have it installed.
To enable this option, select your package of choice, and at the top you will see a “Change Package Settings” panel. Open that panel, and you will see a “Show All Changes” toggle.

I like this option because it only applies to a specific tweak or app of your choosing. That means that if there’s one tweak in particular that you have your eye on, you can monitor its updates closely without being spammed by the rest of the package updates in Cydia.

Have you ever used this option before? Let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

Apple Fifth Most-Visited Store on Black Friday

Apple has found itself in the top 5 most-visited online stores in the United States for the first time, according to data compiled by comScore for Black Friday. Sitting pretty in fifth place, Apple is the highest ranking product brand in the list, almost overtaking Target in the fourth spot.

The impressive results come as Apple is also experiencing fantastic sales in its brick and mortar stores, with the Black Friday sales apparently breaking forecasts left and right…
The top five online and physical stores for Black Friday:

1.Amazon
2.Walmart
3.Best Buy
4.Target
5.Apple
Online shopping as a whole saw huge sales, with $816 million in products being bought, up 26% from the previous year. Not bad results at all, considering nobody seems to have any money these days.

“Fifty million Americans visited online retail sites on Black Friday, representing an increase of 35 percent versus year ago. Each of the top five retail sites achieved double-digit gains in visitors vs. last year, led by Amazon. Walmart ranked second, followed by Best Buy, Target and Apple.”

It may be worth noting that comScore’s figures also take into account Apple’s digital store, meaning apps, music, and video bought through iTunes.

The news comes as Apple is expected to have a record quarter, with strong sales throughout its range of products seeing customers easily parting with their hard earned cash.

Apple is clearly in a win-win situation here, with its products being sold in all of the four stores ranked above it.

The iOS Hacker’s Handbook Reveals How Jailbreaking and Exploit Research Works

Some of the greatest minds in the security research and hacking community, including a couple of prominent jailbreak developers, have put together a new book called The iOS Hacker’s Handbook.

The book is a collaboration between infamous security guru Charlie Miller, Dion Blazakis, Dino DaiZovi, Vincenzo Iozzo, and Ralf-Phillip Weinmann. Stefan Esser (better known as “i0n1c” in the jailbreak community) is also listed as an author. The Dev Team’s MuscleNerd served as the book’s Tech Editor.
MuscleNerd himself announced the book yesterday, noting that it “should jumpstart lots of Apple hackers.”

The book description:

Discover all the security risks and exploits that can threaten iOS-based mobile devices

iOS is Apple’s mobile operating system for the iPhone and iPad. With the introduction of iOS5, many security issues have come to light. This book explains and discusses them all. The award-winning author team, experts in Mac and iOS security, examines the vulnerabilities and the internals of iOS to show how attacks can be mitigated. The book explains how the operating system works, its overall security architecture, and the security risks associated with it, as well as exploits, rootkits, and other payloads developed for it.

■Covers iOS security architecture, vulnerability hunting, exploit writing, and how iOS jailbreaks work
■Explores iOS enterprise and encryption, code signing and memory protection, sandboxing, iPhone fuzzing, exploitation, ROP payloads, and baseband attacks
■Also examines kernel debugging and exploitation
The iOS Hacker’s Handbook is available for pre-order on Amazon. If you pre-order, you can get it for $29.24, which is 35% off the full price.

Whether you’re an aspiring hacker or an enthusiastic admirer of the security research/jailbreak community, this definitely looks to be interesting read.