Corona Exploit Reportedly Patched in iOS 5.1

After months of waiting, an untethered jailbreak compatible with iOS 5 was finally released in late December. Although it doesn’t work with A5 devices, the exploit is effective on a number of products, including both the iPad and the iPhone 4.

But it doesn’t look like it will be that way for much longer. Multiple jailbreak developers are reporting that Apple has patched the Corona exploit, used in the untethered jailbreak, in the latest version of its mobile operating system iOS 5.1…

Nadeem Ateyeh
@Nadeem97 So yeah, iOS 5.1 Beta 3 is NOT vulnerable to Corona. Update to 5.0.1 before it's too late.
13 Jan 12 ReplyRetweetFavoriteThe software is still in developer beta. But considering that there’s been three versions released, it can’t be long until iOS 5.1 goes public. And although this hasn’t been confirmed by MuscleNerd or any other prominent Dev Team member, if you have any intentions of keeping your jailbreak, you should probably stay away from it.

It’s also important for folks who are planning on jailbreaking their iPhone 4S or iPad 2 when the time comes to make sure that their device is on iOS 5.0.1 while Apple is still signing it. Once iOS 5.1 is released, you won’t have access to it.

Stay tuned to iDB for more on this and the status of the A5 jailbreak.


Verizon’s LTE Requirement Still a Ways Off

Yesterday, we passed on a report from CNET that claimed that Verizon would soon be enforcing a “hard requirement” that all future smartphones be LTE-compatible. The news made some sense considering the carrier has been leading the LTE movement.

But today, the Mac Observer is reporting that they’ve heard a different story. While Verizon might eventually start requiring manufacturers to incorporate LTE chips into their products, it doesn’t look like it’ll be happening anytime soon…
TMO has apparently talked to a number of Verizon employees who, according to them, have debunked the rumor:

“TMO spoke to several Verizon wireless representatives at CES and asked them the question [on hard LTE requirement]. The response was, first, they haven’t seen any corporate information to that effect. Or any imposed deadlines. Secondly, they said that while the goal is to have all of its customers on LTE, “that’s a long way off.”

Given that CNET’s report on Verizon’s commitment to LTE-only products started with the phrase “from now on,” you can see how folks would have mistakenly assumed that the requirement was effective immediately. But we have to agree with the Mac Observer here. Although LTE chip prices are coming down and coverage is expanding, we’re probably still a good two years away from seeing carriers with LTE-only product lineups (Verizon plans to have its LTE network completed by late 2013).

Regardless, as we mentioned yesterday, Verizon’s purposed LTE requirement has zero effect on Apple’s plans to incorporate the next-generation wireless technology into its products. Coincidentally, we’ve heard rumors today that both the company’s upcoming tablet and its next smartphone will both be compatible with LTE networks.


Rumor: LG and Samsung Tapped as iPad 3 Panel Suppliers

All eyes are on Apple and its supply chain this month as rumors regarding its upcoming iPad begin to ramp up. The company is expected to unveil its new tablet sometime between now and early March of this year.

The latest chatter to come out of overseas component manufacturers is that Apple is looking to order in upwards of 65 million iPad 3 displays in 2012. And a recent report suggests that LG and Samsung are going to be splitting the bounty…
Korea’s Electronic Times is reporting that LG and Samsung will be manufacturing the display panels for Apple’s upcoming iPad. The news directly contradicts an earlier report from Macotakara claiming that Sharp was set to be the tablet’s panel supplier.

Here’s an excerpt from the report:

“Sharp has competed with Samsung electronics and LGD Display over the development of display panels for the iPad 3, but reportedly failed to pass Apple’s approval process for mass production. Sharp has worked on developing high resolution panels on the basis of oxide semiconductor TFTs.”

For what it’s worth, Electronic Times maintains the rumor that the panels in question are of the XQGA variety with a hefty resolution of 2048 x 1546. It also echoes other chatter we’ve heard that the tablet is in production and set for a Q1 debut.

We’re obviously far more concerned with the tablet itself than who makes it, but you gotta feel for Sharp. If there’s any truth to this story, the Tokyo-based company just lost out on one of the biggest part orders of the year because it couldn’t get its act together. Ouch.

iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Jailbreak One Step Closer to Completion

We know, we know, the wait is killing us, but all we have to relieve the tension is a few tweets from the “Dream Team” of iOS hackers working on the jailbreak for A5 devices, namely the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2.

The latest update is a tweet from planetbeing revealing that the A5 jailbreak is out of the sandbox, which means we should see the jailbreak released very soon…

planetbeing
@planetbeing And we're out of the sandbox with @saurik's invaluable help! (well, at least there's a PoC) :D Turning out more complex than X-Gold 618.
11 Jan 12 ReplyRetweetFavoriteThe “X-Gold 618″ mention is a reference to the iPhone 4 baseband chip that planetbeing helped crack with MuscleNerd.

Separately, Joshua Hill (or p0sixninja) of the Chronic Dev Team has informed iDB that “All blocking issues have been solved. We just need to integrate things now.” He noted that this is a “very complicated jailbreak with lots of interworking parts.”

While older devices like the iPhone 4 and original iPad already have an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1, the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2 have proven more difficult to hack. It’s just a matter of time now.

Call of Duty Elite For iOS Now Available for Download

If you’re a Call of Duty Elite subscriber and happen to have an iPhone, then today is a big day for you, because Activision’s accompanying iPhone app has now made its way to the App Store.

Call of Duty fans will be able to check their career stats, formulate strategies, and change weapon loudouts on the fly, all from the comfort of their iPhone.

The free Call of Duty Elite app allows gamers to make alterations that can be pushed straight into the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game, meaning players are always ready for action.
“Immerse yourself in Call of Duty® wherever you go with the Call of Duty® ELITE mobile app. Evaluate your multiplayer progress with in-depth stat analysis. Formulate new strategies based on your recent performance and remotely incorporate edits to your loadouts.”

On early impressions the app appears to be more of a starting point than a finished article, with plenty of scope for improvement as development continues.

Call of Duty Elite is a service that Activision launched to give hardcore gamers a little more control over their online experience, as well as access to exclusive content. This new iPhone app is part of that initiative, and offers gamers a little something extra to what has gone before it.

We’re looking forward to seeing where Activision takes this as the Elite service continues to improve. You can download the free iPhone app in the App Store now.

Amidst Bankruptcy Rumors, Kodak Files Lawsuit Against Apple

Although it might be hard to believe, Apple gets sued just as much as (if not more than) it files lawsuits. Being one of the world’s top companies with over $70 billion in cash laying around puts a pretty big target on your back.

Who’s the latest company to put Apple in its sights? None other than Kodak. The 131-year-old photography company has previously attempted to sue the iPhone-makers, and now it appears that it’s going after them again…
Bloomberg is reporting that Kodak has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple today in a federal court located in Rochester New York. The company believes that Apple is infringing on four of its patents.

The news is interesting as it comes amidst rumors that Kodak is looking to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and that it’s been frantically looking to auction off some of its 1,100 digital imaging patents. The Wall Street Journal reports:

“The photography company is still making last-ditch efforts to sell off some of its patent portfolio and could avoid Chapter 11 if it succeeds, one of the people said. But the company has started making preparations for a filing in case those efforts fail, including talking to banks about some $1 billion in financing to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings, the people said.”

Although there’s no specific details on the patents yet, we can only assume that they pertain to the cameras and photo processing methods found inside Apple’s popular iPhone and iPad products.

At any rate, it looks like Kodak’s lawsuit is a part of some hail mary-effort by the company to avoid bankruptcy by forcing Apple into obtaining patent licenses. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out, as it could help determine the future of one of America’s longest-running businesses.

Hacker “Dream Team” Makes Significant Progress on iPhone 4S Jailbreak

The dream team of p0sixninja, MuscleNerd, planetbeing, and pod2g have made more progress on the iPhone 4S untether according to a tweet from pod2g this morning.

pod2g also extended out significant thanks to Saurik for his major contributions to the long awaited project.

It looks like the team has overcome one of the last major hurdles in preparing the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 untethered jailbreak for public consumption…
The latest stumbling block involved difficulties with sandboxing, but those issues are no more as pod2g tweeted this morning.

Vimeo For iPad Coming Later This Month

Vimeo has an iPad app in the works that’s expected to drop before the month is over, according to The Verge. The popular video service launched an official iPhone app several months back with on-the-go uploading and basic video editing.

The preview images show a totally new interface for managing and creating videos on the iPad. Not only will you be able to shoot and edit videos on the iPad in Vimeo’s upcoming app, but you can view your friends’ content and browse Vimeo for more videos in-app.
Updates are also coming to iOS “later this month,” with a full iPhone redesign and a new iPad-optimized app. The iPhone app also adapts the new grid start screen, and is much the same as the Android phone app. Also similar to the Android tablet app, the iPad version takes advantage of the larger screen for simultaneous browsing and video watching.

While you’re waiting for the new iPad app, Vimeo for iPhone can be downloaded for free in the App Store.

Apple Releases iOS 5.1 Beta 3 to Developers

Finally, after nearly a month of silence, Apple has seeded the 3rd beta of iOS 5.1 to developers. As you may recall, the company pushed out beta 2 all the way back on December 12th of last year.

As several other sites are noting, the update only seems to be available via OTA (Over The Air) for previous iOS 5.1 users, but it should be available from Apple’s regular developer portal shortly…
Judging by the screen grabs we’ve seen, beta 3 doesn’t seem to be too exciting. Its brief changelog states that the update just “contains bug fixes and improvements.” But we’re not writing it off just yet.

Folks digging through iOS 5.1′s source code have already uncovered a number of interesting things, including evidence that Apple may be close to releasing devices with quad-core processors. So stay tuned.

Be sure to let us know if you discover anything cool in Beta 3, and we’ll do the same.

New iCade Models Shown Off at CES 2012

We’re big fans of the Ion Audio iCade here at iDB, so when we heard that the company had announced three new models, we took notice!

Building on the huge popularity of the original iPad-supporting iCade, these three new models build on what has already been done, while bringing the magic of iCade to the iPhone and iPod touch at the same time.

If you’re a fan of arcade games and own an iOS device, then Ion Audio has you covered with an arcade stick solution…
The first new model is the iCade Core, which is a stripped down version of the original iCade, and can be used with any iOS device. Communication between the device and the iCade is via Bluetooth, though you will need to use a 30-pin dock connector if you want to keep everything powered.

Gametel Gamepad Now Compatible With iOS Devices

Considering how popular iOS has become as a mobile gaming platform, you would think that the market for iOS gaming accessories would be huge, but it’s really not. The iOS gaming peripheral space is actually quite small.

But it is slowly growing thanks to notable accessories like the iCade, the iControlPad, and now the Gametel Gamepad. The once Android-only wireless controller is all set to make its iOS debut at the Consumer Electronics Show next week…
Fructel has just announced that its popular Android wireless game controller now supports iOS devices. The peripheral clamps on to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and connects wirelessly to the device using bluetooth.

The Gamepad is compatible with hundreds of arcade titles in the iCade suite, as well as other select iOS games. The controller sports the ever-familiar d-pad layout with four action buttons and two side triggers. And perhaps most interesting, the folks at Fructel are claiming that the accessory has a battery life in upwards of 9 hours. Wow.

Anyone interested in the Gametel Gamepad can visit its website for more information. It looks like the accessory is available in the UK for £49.99 (about $77.00) and other parts of Europe, but there isn’t any mention of US availability.

Wake us up when we can use this thing to play Grand Theft Auto III.

What do you think of the Gametel Gamepad? Interested?

Best Buy Offering 20% Off Digital iTunes Gift Cards

Those of you who scored new iOS devices during the holidays will be happy to hear this. Continuing the trend that we saw from several retailers last month, Best Buy is hosting a sale on all of its iTunes Gift Cards.

The electronics giant is knocking 20% off of the gift cards, so long as you’re ok with digital delivery. The cards come in flavors ranging from $15 to $100, and can be used to purchase a wide array of iTunes content…
20% may not seem like much, but it can make a big difference in price on the larger gift cards. For example, it gives you $10 off the $50 gift card, and $20 off the $100 card.

If you’re interested in a discounted iTunes card, just visit Best Buy’s website. Once purchased, the cards will be sent to the recipient via their email address.