iPhone 4S Launches to Huge Lines in 15 More Countries Around the World

People in fifteen new countries can now walk into a store and pick up an iPhone 4S, as long as they can find one, that is!

Hong Kong and South Korea are the headline-makers amongst the group of new countries getting their sticky little fingers on Apple’s latest and greatest, along with Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, and Romania.

That list, in addition with the countries already selling the iPhone 4S, makes this the fastest Apple product rollout yet…
The release day was met with huge queues, particularly in Hong Kong, where the country’s new flagship Apple store found itself mobbed by 3,000 potential customers. MacRumors reports that there were so many people that the Apple Store staff had to limit the number that were allowed to queue to 1,250. Given that the iPhone 4S was supposedly a “let down” following rumors of a completely revamped iPhone 5, plenty of people still seem to want one!

It’s not all been good news for Apple with its new iPhone, though. The release of iOS 5 alongside the new iPhone has seen numerous problems, with a mysterious battery-drain issue causing Apple to release a software update already. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to have made things any better for those suffering.

Did the iPhone 4S recently debut in your country? What’s the public’s reception of the handset been like?

WeeSearch Pro: Search Google and Create Custom Search Queries Right From Notification Center

WeeSearch Pro may look a lot like the original WeeSearch at first glance, but a quick trip to the Widget’s settings quickly clears up that misconception.

There are lots of options contained in WeeSearch Pro, and the nice thing about it is that you never have to leave Notification Center. Yes, even the settings are configured directly from Notification Center. This is a definition of a well designed and self contained jailbreak widget.

WeeSearch Pro contains 10 built in search engines, but in reality there is no finite number thanks to the ability to edit and create your own custom search queries.

My favorite thing about WeeSearch Pro is the “mini browser” mode, which eliminates the need to open search queries in a separate Safari browser. This allows the Notification Center to retain focus, and for searches to be performed in a more efficient manner.

If you’re convinced and your iOS 5 installation is jailbroken, you can purchase WeeSearch Pro from Cydia’s BigBoss repo for $1.49.

What are your thoughts?

Sn0wBreeze Gets Updated With iOS 5.0.1 Support

Yesterday afternoon, after a week of testing, Apple finally seeded iOS 5.0.1 to the public. The update brings fixes for Siri, the Smart Cover security flaw, and the highly-publicized battery issue.

As you may recall, we’ve recommended that jailbreakers stay away from updating. It could ruin your chances of a proper iOS 5 jailbreak. But for those of you who couldn’t wait, Sn0wBreeze was just updated to support the new software…
iDevice hacker iH8Sn0w updated his jailbreak utility last night to support iOS 5.0.1. Here’s the full change long:

* Supports iOS 5.0 (9A334)/5.0.1 (9A405)

* Fixed iBooks sandbox crashing issues (as of 2.8b9).

* Fixed location services issues with iPhone 3GS users running the iPad baseband (as of 2.8b9).

* Re-added iPad baseband install option to iPhone 3GS.

* Tethered devices are booted via iBooty which is extracted to the Desktop after running sn0wbreeze.

If you’re looking for a way to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1, you can grab Sn0wBreeze v2.8 Beta 11 from our downloads page. And for those of you who may need a refresher in using the utility, feel free to check out our tutorial page.

Apple’s Employee Donation Program Fetches $2.6 Million for Charity

While he contributed seemingly incalculable amounts to technology, Steve Jobs was never known for his philanthropic efforts. There are rumors that the ex-CEO donated money anonymously, but he never used Apple or his celebrity status as a platform for giving.

This is yet another example of the differences between Jobs and his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook. In less than three months as Apple’s CEO, Cook has already implemented an employee donation matching program. And it seems to be yielding impressive results…
According to AppleInsider, employees have given a combined $1.3 million dollars during the few months that the program has been in effect. And considering that Apple matches the donations (up to $10,000), that brings the total to $2.6 million dollars. Wow.

Here’s an excerpt from an internal email sent by Tim Cook to Apple employees regarding the program:

“We are really inspired by the generosity of our co-workers who give back to the community and this program is going to help that individual giving go even farther. Thank you all for working so hard to make a difference, both here and in the lives of others. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team.”

The charitable matching project began back in September, and sees that every dollar donated by a full-time Apple employee (in the US) gets matched up to $10,000 per year. The money is then given to a non-profit organization of the contributing employee’s choice.

Not bad Cook, not bad.

How to Jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 Final With RedSn0w

Apple released iOS 5.0.1 to the public today, and with it comes the need to jailbreak. Fortunately, we’ve got that need covered using the latest version of RedSn0w 0.9.9b8.

Keep in mind that many are warning those wishing to jailbreak to stay away from iOS 5.0.1 — especially iPhone 4S owners and those who have no way to downgrade firmware back to a prior version.

This is a tethered jailbreak, so those wanting untethered only need not apply. But if you’re happy to use tethered to hold you over until then and if you’ve read all of the warning labels, check out our video tutorial that shows your how to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 inside
How to Jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 Final
Note: You will need iOS 5.0 firmware (download here) to jailbreak with RedSn0w 0.9.9b8. This should be remedied with the next RedSn0w update (presumably RedSn0w 0.9.9b9)

Step 1: Install 5.0.1 Final.

Step 2: Open RedSn0w 0.9.9b8 (download here) and select Extras > Specify Firmware > then point it to the iOS 5.0 firmware IPSW.

Step 3: Go back to the main screen of RedSn0w and place your device into DFU mode. Click Jailbreak, and then select Install Cydia.

Step 4: Your device should then jailbreak, but note that your Cydia icon will be white because it is a tethered jailbreak. To boot tethered you will need to place your device into DFU mode again.

Step 5: From the main RedSn0w page, select Extras > Specify Firmware > and point it to the iOS 5.0 IPSW.

Step 6: Choose “Just Boot” from RedSn0w’s Extras menu, and it will perform a tethered boot.

iOS 5.0.1 Final should now be fully jailbroken. If you’re in need of a more in-depth RedSn0w guide, venture over to our RedSn0w page.

Are you planning on jailbreaking your iOS 5.0.1 installation? Tell us why below.

Patent Suggests More Touch Gestures Coming to iOS

Patent applications are published every day by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but perhaps none of them are more interesting than those from Apple. The filings give us a glimpse inside the company’s notoriously-private research and development labs.

PatentlyApple reports today that another batch of applications has just surfaced on the USTPO site bearing Apple’s name. While most of the inventions look intriguing, there’s one in particular that stands out above the others. And it involves powerful new touch gestures
The document describes a series of new touch input methods that, among other things, make it easier for users to explore content in greater detail. The methods seem to be directed at device’s with smaller screen sizes, where multi-touch gestures might not work.

“In one example, a user may perform a “swipe then hold” touch input gesture, leaving a finger on the display screen of the electronic device. The electronic device then may pan and zoom onto any objects along a direction vector of the user’s swipe gesture or, more generally, along a directional path associated with the user’s swipe gesture. The user may vary the speed and/or direction of such cycling by moving the finger to the left or to the right and/or by tilting the orientation of the display screen.”

There are even mentions in the filing of using the hold and swipe gestures to perform iPhoto-like image searches:

“When a user selects a particular person’s face in an image and performs the touch input gesture, the electronic device may begin to automatically cycle through other images that also contain the face of the identified person.”

PatentlyApple also suggests that these modified gestures could have something to do with Apple’s recent C3 purchase. The 3D mapping company is known for its highly-detailed imagery, and pinch-to-zoom may not be a practical method for users to explore them in detail.

We’ve seen several Apple patents regarding different input methods over the years, but it doesn’t mean that any of them are going to turn up in consumer products. These hold and swipe gestures, however, seem practical enough to make their way into future iDevices.

How to Download Deb Files From Cydia

It’s easy to venture into Cydia and download your favorite apps and tweaks, but what if you want to save the files that you download for backup or later use?

There are tools like PKGBackup that save the links to the apps and tweaks that you have on your device, but it’s not as straightforward to backup and save the actual .deb files responsible for installing the packages that we use.

What to do? In the following video tutorial, I’ll show you how to easily download deb files using OpenSSH and a handy FTP client
How to Download Deb Files From Cydia
Note: You must have a jailbroken device to use this tutorial.

Step 1: Connect to iPhone via FTP or another iPhone file utility

Step 2: Navigate to /private/var/cache/apt/archives

Step 3: Download an app or tweak from Cydia, but don’t reboot or restart springboard

Step 4: Refresh the /private/var/cache/apt/archives directory, and you should see your .deb file ready for download

This only take a few seconds to do, and is a great way to backup your Cydia apps and tweaks to your computer.

Was the tutorial helpful for you? Let me know in the comments section below.

T-Mobile Forecasts Low 4th Quarter Due to Lack of iPhone

In the months leading up to Apple’s iPhone 4S announcement, the rumor mill had T-Mobile pegged as getting the handset. And with the country’s number three carrier slated to receive the device, it made sense that number 4 would as well.

But on October 4, when Apple unveiled its latest smartphone, there was no mention of the operator. It isn’t that T-Mobile isn’t interested in carrying the smartphone, it’s that Apple has yet to extend the offer. And the carrier will bleed customers because of it…
According to AllThingsD, T-Mobile said that it would likely see an increase in customer churn in Q4 of this year. The forecast came during the company’s quarterly earnings call yesterday afternoon, and was attributed to the fact that it still doesn’t offer the iPhone.

Although its number of new subscribers in Q3 was only down 10,000 year over year, that total is expected to increase over the holiday quarter. It makes sense, considering the number of T-Mobile customers that likely stuck around based on rumors of it getting the iPhone.

Not carrying Apple’s handset isn’t its only problem. Customers are also leery of the current AT&T buyout situation, and what that could mean for pricing plans and service. There’s something unappealing about a carrier in a “transitional” stage.

But with Sprint now an iPhone partner, T-Mobile is the only company out of the top 4 US carriers that doesn’t offer the popular device. T-Mobile is in for a bumpy fourth quarter.

Component Shortages in Asia Causing Decreased iPhone 4S Shipments?

A new report from Taiwan-based publication DigiTimes poses a troubling claim that Apple is facing supply shortages overseas. This means that iPhone 4S shipments will be allegedly slowed for the fourth holiday quarter of 2011.

The iPhone 4S has been called the most successful product launch ever for many carriers, with lines continuing to form around the world for the new handset. Will Apple be able to meet demand?
DigiTimes reports:

Apple has informed upstream suppliers of parts and components for iPhone 4S to delay part of their shipments for the fourth quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012 as sales of the iPhone 4S have not been as strong as those concluded in the pre-sales period and also due to shortages in the supply of some key components, according to sources at the iPhone 4 supply chain.

According to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report, Apple is likely to adjust downward its shipments of iPhones and iPads from related suppliers by 10-15% in the fourth quarter.

The part of the report that says “sales of the iPhone 4S have not been as strong as those concluded in the pre-sales period” seems to fly in the face of every other report that Apple is seeing incredible sales of the smartphone. Apple announced a record-breaking 4 million units sold over launch weekend.

Component shortages seem like a much more likely reason for delayed shipments in the coming weeks. Apple may literally not be able to make handsets fast enough, and a report from yesterday already pointed out that Apple is prioritizing its own retail stores with iPhone 4S supply. Retailers everywhere seem to be running low on stock.

Hopefully Apple won’t miss out on holiday sales due to supply shortages overseas.

Introducing the iHome iP4 iPhone Boombox, For Those That Missed the 80s

Every so often something comes across our radar that requires a double-take. Rarely, it requires even further attentions because, well, we just can’t quite believe our eyes.

The iHome iP4 fits that bill rather nicely, while offering the world’s most ugliest iPhone speaker dock in the process. The kicker? The iP4 will set you back a whopping $199.99, should you desire to purchase a boombox for your iPhone…
Unfortunately, iHome has only provided renders of the two available colors, Muted Grey and Neon Pink. Those old enough to remember the ghetto beat-blasters of the late 80s will immediately recognize the form factor of the iHome iP4, and may even like it! The monster weighs in at 7.5lbs and 17.81″ wide, and 9.06″ high.

iPad Set to Take More Than 75% of the Tablet Market During the Holidays

Steve Jobs wasn’t exaggerating when he said that 2011 would be the year of the iPad 2.

With 11.1 million iPads sold in the most recent September quarter alone, Apple’s champion tablet is set to eat up over two-thirds of the market before the end of the year.
According to AllThingsD, Canaccord Genuity’s T. Michael Walkley says:

“We anticipate very strong sales of the iPad 2 for the holiday quarter, and we are modeling iPad units ramping from 11.1 million units in the September quarter to 14.0 million units in the December quarter.”

“While new entrants such as Amazon could disrupt the completive dynamics into holiday sales, we view low-priced 7-inch models as a threat to other Android OEMs rather than to the iPad,” he says. “As such, given our updated iPad estimates, we anticipate Apple will command roughly 65 percent of the tablet units sold into the channel during C2011. However, we believe Apple’s sell-through share of the tablet market will exceed 75 percent during C2011.”

How to Quickly Launch Apps With Siri

One of the glaring features that Apple left out of Siri is the ability to integrate with and launch apps. You can do all sorts of things with your voice and Siri, but you can’t use third-party apps (short of a few exceptions and the services Apple officially partnered with for launch) or open apps with a voice command.

Thanks to the widely undocumented world of iOS URL schemes, you can actually trigger app shortcuts with Siri on your iPhone 4S. While it’s not the cleanest method, there are tons of possibilities for quickly launching apps with Siri. Let’s take a closer look…
iOS URL schemes allow apps to be directly launched from Mobile Safari. Instead of tapping the Maps app from the iPhone’s springboard, you can enter maps:// in the address bar of Mobile Safari to directly trigger the app. While some third-party apps sandbox themselves from the ability to interact with URL schemes, most apps have essentially “bound” themselves in the iOS SDK to a list of URL schemes that trigger in-app actions.


iOS 5 Untethered Jailbreak Possible Thanks to Discovery of New Bug

Some encouraging news was revealed this morning via Twitter for all of you dying to have an iOS 5 untethered jailbreak. It appears that Chronic Dev Team member pod2g has found a bug in iOS 5 that will make it possible for an untethered jailbreak.

The team of hackers already confirmed to have found multiple exploits in iOS 5, but this is the first news that we’ve had in a while regarding the progress of an untethered jailbreak
As you can see from the tweet, pod2g isn’t giving any ETA’s for a successfully packaged untethered jailbreak, so we’re all just going to have to be patient. Finding an exploit is one thing, packaging it into a useful jailbreaking utility that end users can use is a whole different story.

As of now, iOS 5 can be jailbroken, but it’s a tethered jailbreak which requires you to use a computer to successfully boot your device should it reboot. It’s not as horrible as some make it out to be, but it’s certainly an inconvenience should you encounter a reboot while out and about.

To learn more about tethered and untethered jailbreaks, check out our detailed synopsis of the different types of jailbreaks.

Oink: Could This be the Next Hit iOS App?

Oink is the first app from Kevin Rose’s startup, Milk. You might recognize Rose from his previous success story, Digg. The young entrepreneur made a fortune off of his sharing service. Now he’s hoping he has another hit on his hands.

Oink certainly has all of the makings of a hit title: the ability to follow and share photos of things with other users, image filters, and Twitter/Facebook integration. But the photo-sharing software space is already pretty crowded…
So what exactly is Oink? And how does it differ from the competition?

“Oink is an easy way to rate and rank the things around you. Instead of just rating places, you rate the items inside. You could easily find the most popular items on a menu and see if a friend has tried anything there. Then if there’s something you like, it’s just a single press to rate it and share it with friends.”

Although the app is available to everyone, the ability to create an Oink profile is by invite-only. You can still search and browse through photos without a profile, you just can’t share or rank them. It’s a temporary restriction while Rose and team iron out all the bugs.