VoiceUtils: Execute Custom Siri Commands on a Jailbroken iPhone 4S

Folks, the madness has started. One of the first jailbreak tweaks featuring custom Siri commands has officially made its way to the Cydia store, and it’s called VoiceUtils.

VoiceUtils allows you to respring, reboot, power off, and enter safe mode — all via Siri. You’re definitely going to want to check out our video of it in action
Folks, the madness has started. One of the first jailbreak tweaks featuring custom Siri commands has officially made its way to the Cydia store, and it’s called VoiceUtils.

VoiceUtils allows you to respring, reboot, power off, and enter safe mode — all via Siri. You’re definitely going to want to check out our video of it in action…

Dev Team Releases CLI Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2

As promised, the infamous Dev Team has just released its CLI jailbreak which is compatible with both the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2. It’s still for Mac users only, but it does provide an alternative to the Absinthe app.

We must warn you though that this isn’t your typical jailbreak software. CLI stands for Command Line Interface, meaning using it isn’t as easy as clicking the “jailbreak” button. It’s definitely not for the feint of heart…
Here’s how the Dev Team describes its CLI app:

“The OS X version of the CLI mentioned in the post can be downloaded here. It’s primarily to help us debug specific issues, but tinkerers might like to play around with some of its advanced options!”

So essentially, the majority of users should stay with Absinthe or wait for the Dev Team to release a new version of RedSn0w. If you’re really interested in trying CLI, stay tuned for our step-by-step guide on how to use it.

How to Fix “Error Establishing a Database Connection” when Using Absinthe

The Absinthe jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 was released a few minutes ago. Of course, we were right on it and we already posted a tutorial on how to jailbreak the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 using Absinthe.

While I haven’t had any problem running the jailbreak – well, I had it a few minutes before everybody else – it appears that some users are having a problem when launching the Absinthe app installed on their device, which returns an “error establishing a database connection“.

We have a fix for that…
iOS hacker PlanetBeing who helped develop the jailbreak tweeted a simple fix for the “error establishing a database connection”. Apparently, all you need to do is go to Settings > Network > VPN > ON.

The VPN connection will most likely give an error and your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 should reboot shortly after. Once it’s rebooted, try launching the Absinthe webclip again.

Let us know if that works for you.


How to Jailbreak the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Untethered With Absinthe

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. The moment you’ve all been patiently waiting for. This iPhone 4S untethered jailbreak and iPad 2 untethered jailbreak have been released.

Indeed, as we initially told you just a few minutes ago, you can now download Absinthe and jailbreak your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 untethered.

Check inside as we guide you through the entire jailbreak process step-by-step
How to Jailbreak the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 with Absinthe
Step 1: Download, extract, and run Absinthe from our downloads page.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 via USB.

Step 3: Click “Jailbreak” to run the Absinthe jailbreak. It will take a while on the beginning portion, and eventually your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 will look like it’s restoring a backup. It will say “Restoring in Progress”. This can be pretty lengthy. Don’t worry, it’s working. Don’t touch your device until completely finished!
Step 4: Once completed, unlock your iPhone if necessary, and you should see an Absinthe icon on the Home screen. You may have to search for it if you have a lot of app icons. Tap the Absinthe icon, and it should load the GreenPois0n site, and will then reboot your device. Once it loads back up, the Cydia icon will have replaced the Absinthe icon.
Step 5: Your iPhone 4S or iPad 2  is now  jailbroken! It took a while, but it was certainly worth the wait. Now all that’s left to do is load Cydia for the first time, and start downloading your favorite jailbreak apps and tweaks.

Are you guys happy to finally have an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1? What’s the first jailbreak app or tweak that you’ll download?

Google Releases iPhone Client for its Orkut Social Network

Although Orkut may not be the most popular social networking service around, it’s still no slouch. The Google-owned company has in upwards of 66 million active users — about twice as many as MySpace’s latest count.

And for all of you Orkut members out there, Google has finally released an official iPhone client. Now you can update your status, check your friends’ updates, and browse through profiles, scraps and photos while on the go…
From the app’s App Store description:

“The official Orkut app for iOS connects you to your friends and family. Now you can send scraps, see your friends’ updates, upload photos and browse your friends albums anywhere you go. Never miss a conversation again because you are not in front of your computer: get the free Orkut app and stay connected.”

We’re a bit surprised that Google is continuing to support Orkut — 60+ million members or not. The search giant has been pushing its own social networking service, Google+, extremely hard over the past several months.

Nevertheless, if you’re an Orkut member, you’re definitely going to want the new iPhone app. You can grab it for free from — you guessed it — the App Store.

Case Makers Already Churning Out iPad 3 Covers

Although we’ve heard conflicting rumors over the last few months regarding Apple’s next tablet, a majority of them seem to agree on one thing: appearance. The consensus is that the iPad 3 will look extremely similar to its predecessor, albeit a bit thicker.

Case manufacturers even seem to be fairly confident in the gossip, as they’re already starting to churn out iPad 3 covers that fall in line with the chatter. But if the rumor mill has taught us anything in the past, it’s that the case manufacturers don’t always get it right…
You may recall the onslaught of iPhone 5 rumors leading up to Apple’s Fall iPhone announcement last year. The gossip called for a slimmer iPhone with a larger screen and a tapered profile, and the case-makers went for it. We must have seen hundreds of purported iPhone 5 cases. But, as we all know, that device never materialized.
So you can imagine our level of skepticism when we saw these new “iPad 2S” cases pop up online yesterday. They come from a Chinese case producer known as Chinne, and fit a device that is reportedly 1MM thicker than the iPad 2. Interesting.

It’s worth noting that case-makers have been right in the past. Just last year, 9to5Mac got its hands on an iPad 2 case more than a month before Apple unveiled the tablet. And it turned out to be fairly accurate.

Apple’s next iPad is expected to be an upgrade in every sense of the word, featuring a higher resolution display, a faster processor, and higher megapixel cameras. The company is expected to unveil the tablet sometime between late February and early March.

Planetbeing Posts Picture of Jailbroken iPad 2

By now, most of you are familiar with the jailbreak application known as IntelliScreenX. The utility, which only works on devices running iOS 5.0+, was introduced by Intelliborn in mid-October last year.

Well, planetbeing, who is a member of the so-called dream team of hackers working on the A5 jailbreak, just tweeted a photo of IntelliScreenX running on his iPad 2 (shown above)…
Along with the picture, planetbeing tweeted this short message: ”Been a productive day. Relieved to find out IntelliScreenX (an app I helped write) works on the 4S and iPad 2.  ”

The image and the tweet are good signs for a couple of reasons. For one, it shows that the jailbreak is stable enough for planetbeing to install Cydia packages. And two, this marks the third time in the last few days that we’ve seen an untethered jailbreak running on an A5 device. Yesterday we saw Dustin Howett show off a jailbroken iPhone 4S on video, and just hours ago pod2g posted a photo of his jailbroken iPad 2.

As the old saying goes, “where there’s smoke, there’s probably fire.” So with all of these jailbroken A5 devices floating around, we figure we can’t be too far away from a public release. As always, we’ll let you know the moment we hear anything.

Apple Files More Lawsuits Against Samsung in Germany

It’s been nearly a year now since Apple filed its original patent infringement suit against Samsung, and the battle is still far from over. In fact, Apple has just filed a new set of lawsuits against the Korean manufacturer.

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has just filed two new design-related lawsuits against Samsung in Germany’s Dusseldorf Regional Court. The suits call out several Samsung products including 10 smartphones, and 5 tablets…
As you may recall, Apple has already won an injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Germany. Samsung has appealed the ban and is currently awaiting a decision from the court, which should fall in the next two weeks.

The new lawsuits, however, go beyond Samsung’s tablets. Apple believes that 10 of Samsung’s smartphones are also infringing upon at least two of its European Union-wide design rights.

As FOSSPatents points out, these design-related lawsuits are different than the previous technical-related ones that Apple has filed against Samsung. With technical-related suits, the end-game is fairly obvious: the infringing party either changes the product to remove the infringing components, or some type of licensing agreement is reached. But in design-related lawsuits, the end-game is not so clear. It appears that Apple won’t be satisfied until Samsung makes some drastic design changes.

The worst part is that the actual trials for the above-mentioned lawsuits aren’t expected to take place until this Fall. Great, another year of the top two smartphone manufacturers in the world bickering.

Add Calling and Messaging Shortcuts to Your Home Screen with QuickContact

The current trend of finding ways to get icons on an iOS device’s Home screen with the intent of creating shortcuts for actions is nothing new. It was originally one of the big jailbreak advantages, and now it’s back. This time, you don’t need to jailbreak anything.

QuickContact is the latest in a long line of apps that offer the user a way to create shortcuts on the Home screen, and now sending SMS messages and making phone calls are the order of the day.

The best part about this is the fact it’s not actually an app at all, but rather a web app.
In order to get the ball rolling, you’ll need to point your iPhone at the QuickContact web site and enter a name and phone number. Here you can tell the web app whether you want to create a shortcut for sending a message or making a call and select a fancy little icon, too.

Once you’re set, you can tell the web app to create your new shortcut which will them prompt you to install a new profile for your device. You’ll need to give this the “OK” or it won’t work, so make sure you are comfortable with that. We see no reason not to trust the author of thi web app, Jeff Broderick, but as always it’s your choice.

Tapping your newly created icon will launch Safari and then your requested function will be activated, whether that be a phone call or a new SMS/iMessage.

All this is free, and if you’re the kind of person that likes things to be at the touch of a button, then QuickContact might well be for you.

NES Controller Made to Work with iCade-Enabled Games

There are few things cooler than playing old arcade games on an iPad, but playing them with on an iPad using a NES controller is certainly one of them.

That’s exactly what blogger and DIY-er Paul Rickards did, and the results are pretty impressive, to say the least.

Using some LEGO and a little bit of magic, Rickards can now play iCade-enabled games using one of Nintendo’s old NES controllers, just as those of us old enough to remember the golden age of gaming would have in the olden days…
The marriage of iPad and NES controller came entirely by accident, with Rickards accidentally pressing some keys on a homebrew Commodore 64 keyboard he had lying around. After a ‘eureka’ moment, he set about making what is sure to get plenty of gaming geeks excited.

Rickards intends to release the code required to make this thing work once it has been tidied up a bit, but his blog post does already point people to a few key pieces of documentation that will help get the ball rolling, should you be that way inclined.

If you do end up making one of these things at home, be sure to let us know how you fare!

iOS Battery Update: iOS 5.1 Beta 3

A week after the release of iOS 5.1 beta 3 the biggest question that seems to be getting asked repeatedly is one that we have become accustomed to ever since the release of iOS 5, back in October. Yes, you guessed it – is the battery life any better yet?

We have been talking about battery life in iOS quite a bit since the issue first reared its ugly head, and we’ve discovered that it isn’t just an iPhone 4S issue, but rather something Apple changed in iOS 5. Since then the company has issued a full update in iOS 5.0.1 and a series of iOS 5.1 betas, but has the latest improved things any? Can we expect to get back to iOS 4.x-levels of battery life?

Learn to Play the Guitar on Your iPad With This Awesome Add-on

Looking for a fun, innovative way to learn how to play the guitar? Well if you happen to own an iPad, you might not have to look further than Ion Audio‘s new Guitar Apprentice.

The guitar-shaped tablet accessory made its debut last week at the Consumer Electronics Show, and it’s been getting a lot of positive feedback. Keep reading for an overview of the Apprentice and a video of it in action…
From the company that brought you the popular iCade, comes the Guitar Apprentice. It’s chock full of features including a learn-to-play-as-you-go light-up fretboard, a built-in speaker, and a free guitar-teaching iPad app.

And since the Apprentice uses iOS Core MIDI, it’s compatible with dozens of other popular iPad applications — including GarageBand.

Apple to Start Using Halogen-Free USB Cables

Apple’s been on a roll over the last few days, releasing a detailed supplier list for the first time, and joining the Fair Labor Association. But the company’s not just stopping with improving the working conditions of its supply chain.

It’s also working on improving its environmental footprint. The London Evening Standard is reporting that Apple has asked Volex, the manufacturer that makes all of its USB and power cables, to switch to halogen-free materials…
Why is Apple so concerned about having halogen removed from its power and USB cables? GigaOM explains:

“The presence of halogens in electronics is a danger, because when products are incinerated at the end of life, the burning halogen can release dioxins and furans into the atmosphere, which have been shown in studies to be increasing in presence in soil, ground water and people. Dioxins and furans are thought to be carcinogenic in large-enough concentrations, and in fact a 2003 study said that there is no known “threshold below which dioxin will not cause cancer.”

Wow, cancer-causing dioxins and furans huh? Yeah, it’s probably a good thing they’re doing away with this halogen stuff.

As MacRumors points out, this is just the latest move in Apple’s journey to become more environmentally-friendly — one that started back in 2009. The initiative, led by Steve Jobs and his A Greener Apple letter, saw the addition of an Environmental Footprint section to Apple’s website, and far greater transparency on what the company is doing to decrease its carbon footprint.

Singapore Carriers to Offer iPhone 4S Models Without Cameras

This is kind of interesting. The JakartaGlobe is reporting that three of Apple’s Singapore-based carrier partners are planning to offer camera-less iPhone 4S models to their subscribers in the near future.

While this removes one of the handset’s biggest features — its 8MP camera, it does make the device more appealing to the the military crowd. Which is perfect, because that’s exactly who they’re targeting…
From the JakartaGlobe report:

“Following a year-long review, Mindef [the Singapore Defense Ministry] recently issued guidelines to its servicemen on the use of such smartphone. It is understood that servicemen with these phones must show a certificate to prove that their handsets were modified by any one of the local telcos.”

But it’s not Apple modifying these things, it’s the carriers. They’re taking the handsets and disabling both the front and back cameras. And then they’re selling them for a premium.

The camera-less iPhones are the perfect solution for any company that deals with highly-sensitive materials, not just the Singapore Military. RIM has been manufacturing camera-less BlackBerries for years.

It’ll be interesting to see if this trend catches on. It would certainly help Apple make further inroads into the government and enterprise markets.