pod2g now running iOS 5.1 untethered jailbreak on iPhone 4

Things are starting to pick up regarding the iOS 5.1 jailbreak, as we’ve just received word that pod2g has hit another major milestone in his efforts to hack the latest version of Apple’s software.

The security expert just tweeted “Heya! My iPhone 4 running iOS 5.1 is now untethered  ” This is good news, considering the only jailbreak currently available for iOS 5.1 is tethered…
The news is also exciting for a couple of other reasons. For one, it means that hackers are actively working on the 5.1 jailbreak. And two, it means that things are coming along nicely.

We still don’t, however, have any kind of ETA for when the jailbreak will be released to the public, and if/when it will work with A5(X) devices. But at least we know we’re making progress.

As always, we’ll let you know as soon as more information becomes available.

Samsung unveils its new flagship handset: The Galaxy S III

Even though iDB is primarily an iPhone-focused blog, we like to keep tabs on what the competition is up to. Earlier this week we told you about RIM’s all-new BlackBerry 10 platform, and today we’ve got some news regarding Samsung’s latest handset.

The Korean manufacturer unveiled the Galaxy S III earlier today at a media event in London. Packed with a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display and a host of other high-end components, the device certainly looks impressive on paper. But is it?
That may depend on which version of the handset is available in your area. While the global variant of the Galaxy S III will be equipped with the new Exynos 4 Quad quad-core processor, regional models will likely include dual-core alternatives.

But Samsung didn’t just give its Galaxy S line a hardware makeover, it also added in a ton of new software features as well. Some of them are actually pretty impressive, like the new Pop up play feature, which essentially gives you on-device picture-in-picture.

Then there are some features that some might say aren’t so innovative, like the new Siri-like digital assistant “S Voice.” And the new AirPlay-like “AllShare.” Samsung even introduced Scan and Match, a new service that scans your music collection and automatically uploads it to the cloud. Interesting.

Initial impressions seem to depict the device as just an incremental update to the current Galaxy S II handset, but we won’t know how it performs in real life until it hits the market next month. One thing is for sure though, Samsung’s bound to sell a ton of them.

What do you think of the Galaxy S III?

Rumor: Apple developing iPay as the next iPhone becomes your iWallet

Yeah, I know analysts promised us flying cars many times before, but bear with me for a second. In addition to opining that the time is not right for an Apple-branded television set until 2014 due to dire economic conditions, the same credible analyst also advised clients that a mobile payment platform from Apple is to be expected.

He calls it iPay and guesstimates it’ll work with NFC technology believed to be in the cards for an upcoming iPad and iPhone hardware refresh…
The analyst is “more optimistic” that Apple is developing a mobile payment solution of its own. He thinks it’s going to be marketed under the iPay moniker and require future iPhones and iPads thought to implement the necessary near-field communication (NFC) technology.

NFC technology lets mobile devices talk to each other over short distances, using radio waves. One simply touches two NFC-enabled devices together in order to, say, confirm the payment, exchange contacts and photos and other items.

According to AppleInsider, Moskowitz wrote this morning in a note to clients:

Currently, we do no have any evidence of an iPay platform in development, but it is our view that the company’s current Apple Store app that enables consumers to check themselves out of an Apple Retail Store could be the stepping stone.

Though it’s just a speculation at this point, but it has its merits.

True, it doesn’t seem like iPay will make a whole lot of sense on iPad. That said, mobile payment capability undoubtedly sounds like a natural progression of the feature set folks have come to expect from their iPhones.

It’s not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’.

We know Apple’s been hiring NFC experts and they filed several patents detailing a digital wallet on portable devices. Recently, the United States Patent & Trademark Office granted the company a key patent for iWallet.

And if multiple reports from sources like The New York Times and China Times are anything to go by, the next iPhone will feature NFC technology.

Also important – Apple owns premium customers who spend money via iTunes and willingly entrust club Cupertino with their credit card information and confidential data.

The iTunes ecosystem is huge. Last month, Apple revealed it had a whopping 200 million credit card-enabled accounts on iTunes.

This makes the popular online store the biggest credit card hub on the web.

Adding mobile payment functionality that extends outside the confines of digital content purchases on iTunes is a no-brainer.

Tapping iTunes credit cards and the more than 365 million iOS devices in the wild, Apple’s iPay should take off in an instant.

But what about financial institutions such as credit card companies, banks and payment processors? Apple currently partners with these guys and covers credit card transaction fees incurred with each iTunes purchase.

However, the money guys are unlikely to hand over point-of-sale processing to a middle-man. On the other hand, Apple did disrupt some pretty powerful industries and bankers could be easily next for a sprinkle of Apple magic.

And while Google was the first to crack mobile payments with their Wallet thing, Apple is best poised – in my opinion – to simplify and mainstream this technology.

I can certainly see myself paying for groceries just by waving my iPhone.

Would you trust Apple with your expenses or perhaps you’d rather use good ol’ plastic?

Analyst believes we won’t see an Apple television until 2014

Despite the fact that Apple hasn’t given any indication that it’s working on a TV set, and a glaring lack of any concrete evidence, the Apple-branded television is one of the most highly anticipated products of 2012. It seems like everyone thinks it’s coming.

Everyone except JP Morgan’s Mark Moskowitz, that is. In a note to investors this morning, the analyst said that he doesn’t believe that economic conditions are right for Apple to release a TV set this year. And he doesn’t think we’ll see one until at least 2014…
AppleInsider reports:

“According to the analyst, the TV industry is experiencing “strained” economics, despite the fact that several television makers offer “suitable solutions. “We are not sure that the Apple premium could prevail in the TV market, unless there is a radical change of the user interface, integration of the TV programming and data content, and use of gesture or voice control,” he said.”

Admittedly, Moskowitz has a point. Putting together an innovative TV set by itself is a tall order, never mind trying to secure content deals with the ruthless executives of Hollywood. Add in the aforementioned weak economy, and you have a couple of solid reasons for why we won’t see an Apple television this year.

The analyst does believe, however, that we will eventually see a full-fledged TV set from the Cupertino company. But until then, he thinks that we’ll continue to see steady refreshes of the popular set top box with additional content and features.

Here’s your chance to be the pundit. Is Moskowitz right, or will we see an Apple television within the next 12 months?

iPad for Academics: setup, workflow, and accessories

With the rise of iPads in education continuing at a steady pace, it only seems natural to find ways to replace PC-dependent methods of academic work. Over the past year, I have tasked myself with replacing traditional education methods with the functionality of my iPad, from reading textbooks to taking lecture notes. Only recently have I taken the ultimate challenge: completing an entire research paper using only Apple’s groundbreaking tablet, from conception to submission.

In trying to find solutions to the glaring obstacles in my path, I devised a workflow to make this task feasible. I compiled a list of strategies, study habits, iOS apps, accessories, and web apps that made me more efficient in everything from research to writing…
Due to the complex steps of writing a research paper, I found it best to divide my findings into this seven part series. Keep an eye on this site for the continuing segments.

Part 1: Setting it All Up
Bluetooth Keyboards
To actually write a full paper on the iPad, an external keyboard is a necessity. There are ways to learn to type quickly with the on-screen virtual keyboard, yet you would sacrifice valuable screen space. Efficient writing requires a clear view of multiple paragraphs. Using the arrow keys allow easier navigation of text and cursor placement. Additionally, you will be able type more comfortably and noticeably quicker. With a few jailbreak tweaks, you can even achieve desktop-like keyboard hotkeys and shortcuts.

When choosing the right keyboard, you must decide how you work best. I like to sit at a desk or table, so the Apple Wireless Keyboard suits my needs well. Many writers rave about the ZAGG Keys SOLO or the Logitech Keyboard Case. If you prefer to sit on a bench or couch while you type on your lap, you should opt for a laptop-style clamshell keyboard case combo. The ClamCase and the Brydge are good choices.

If you already have an Apple Wireless Keyboard, then you should buy a sturdy stand that holds up well against finger taps and screen gestures. I use the WingStand because it’s lightweight, affordable, takes up minimal backpack space and attaches my iPad directly to the Apple Wireless Keyboard. There are plenty of other great stands, but none as weightless and sturdy as the WingStand. I don’t recommend the Apple Smart Cover or original iPad case, simply because they both tip over from accidentally strong finger taps.

Stylus
Handwriting is an essential part of any research project. Writing is usually faster than typing when jotting down notes from print material. If you are highlighting PDF files or annotating digital documents, your finger isn’t always the best input tool. You should find a stylus you like and use it. I have tried many styluses, both cheap and expensive, and found that the Wacom Bamboo Stylus is my favorite. Students will appreciate its pen-like craftsmanship, and you will discover that writing with it is a familiar experience. It’s $29.99, and if that seems too expensive, I invite you to try the lesser priced styluses. Be sure to save your receipt.

Charging
The iPad boasts a true ten-hour battery life for continuous use. Still, always remember to pack a USB sync cable and an AC adapter for extra juice. I use the iTurbo from New Trent as a reliable dual-USB external backup battery, so that my iPad can charge in my backpack on my way to the library. Just in case I forget my cable, I keep the Scosche clipSYNC on my keychain at all times.

Useful Jailbreak Tweaks
For students, a jailbroken iPad is potentially more useful than one with stock firmware. Simply put, to replace a computer, you will need to add a great deal of functionality not officially supported by Apple. There are also tweaks to avoid. Let’s examine your options.

Activator is an absolute must. Once you expand this indispensable tweak with third party action add-ons, you can replicate many computer functions.

Next, WeeSearch Pro belongs on every student’s iPad. Sometimes you just need to quickly Google something. By the time a browser opens, I often forget what I wanted to look up. Searching from notification center solves this problem. Furthermore, you can add other search engine options to the search box, such as Wikipedia, your university’s library catalog, or even apps that support URL schemes.

If you dislike Mobile Safari, get Browser Changer as well. We will look at alternative browsers later on.

SpinTab is a new addition to my list. It is by far the fastest way to switch between two or more recent apps. If you don’t use the custom apps option and disable Tap to Launch, the previous app you used will launch after a short delay. This is a powerful equivalent to CMD-Tab on the desktop.

If you are planning on using a Bluetooth keyboard, you should install BTStack Keyboard. With it comes the ability to map Activator actions to function keys and CMD key combinations. Tap the Mission Control key to launch CardSwitcher or the native switcher bar. Tap the Dashboard key to open Notification Center.

Here is my list of recommended BTStack shortcuts that should make any PC-dependent writer feel right at home.

Shortcut Activator Action
CMD-T SpinTab
CMD-M Show Spotlight
CMD-Q Close App
CMD-F3 Activate Switcher
CMD-F4 Show Notification Center

The rest you can figure out to best suit your preferences.

Other tweaks to consider are AnyAttach, for emailing multiple documents from any app, and f.lux, to prevent eye strain from prolonged screen use after sundown.

Tweaks to avoid
The commonly assumed notion that having too many tweaks or customization hacks on your iOS device has been mostly debunked. What I advise instead is only install stable tweaks that are past the version 1.0 milestone. Beta releases are known to be buggy, and alpha releases even more so. Whether a jailbreak package slows down your device depends mostly on how well the tweak was programmed. Opt for regularly updated packages, make sure your device meets the minimum requirements, and if the tweak is new or something like version 0.1, either stay away or expect unwanted bugs.

While typing a paper, I highly recommend that you disable the basic Action Menu options. Bluetooth keyboards support the Copy, Paste, and Select All keyboard shortcuts, and all of these are much easier to use than Action Menu’s interface. Pasteboard History and Favorites are still very useful to writers, so decide if those would be helpful to you. Do note that Action Menu interferes with some apps’ selection menus, or at least makes swiping to find the right option a hassle.

Still not interested in using a Bluetooth keyboard? You should install KBShortcuts to compensate for the absent arrow keys as well as iKeyWi for iPad to add another row of functionality to the virtual keyboard.

Wrap up
In conclusion, the workflow and setup is an important part of using the iPad for academic work. The goal is to use the right accessories that take up the least amount of backpack space and to install just enough jailbreak tweaks to increase functionality without affecting performance. Coming up next: research and note-taking.

On a side note, many of you are probably wondering why I don’t just do this on a MacBook Air or a laptop. The sad truth is that I traded my aging 2008 black MacBook for 2010 Mac Mini. The transition that followed has turned my iPad into my dedicated device for school work, writing, and typing on-the-go.

Do you prefer a different set of accessories or tweaks? Tell us your workflow tips in the comments.

The best business card apps

Digital technology has enhanced socializing and business to an incredible extent, and nowhere is this more noticeable than when the two overlap.  So it stands to reason that the days of paper business cards, while not quite over, are most certainly numbered. Digital business card apps for iOS are on the rise, and we’ve tested many of them to present this list of five of the very best.

Business card apps fall into two main categories: those that focus on a digital business card format which you can use to share contact information wirelessly within a professional format which promotes your business, and those that focus on creating a database of your paper business card collection. You know, that pile in your filing cabinet that you’ve picked up at conventions and meetings and keep intending to sort into a Rolodex or manually enter into your contact list? Some apps are equipped with the ability to glean the information from the card for you after you take a photo of it and store the information digitally or transfer it to your phone’s contact list.

In terms of the future of digital business cards, we favor the first category. After all, one expects that paper business cards will eventually be a thing of the past, so methods for transferring their information for a digital format will themselves eventually be unnecessary. But they’re not unnecessary yet, so we’ve included two gems from this category in our list as well…

We’ll start with the cream of the crop: the recently released my facecard. The app allows you to design both sides of your digital business card, including background, image design elements (like an additional photo), font color and size, and so forth. You can even set your own image as the background — you aren’t limited to template images or colors.

While the my facecard template is effortlessly easy since the interface walks you through each step, the ability to express yourself and promote your business is limitless. And promoting your business is more than just having a nice digital business card, after all, if it stays in your phone, it’s not doing much promotion. But my facecard makes sharing your card wirelessly simple, fast, and effective.

To share my facecard with contacts wirelessly, simply use the “request” feature to invite users from your contact list to my facecard to swap cards, or use “bump” feature to trade facecards by tapping your phones together.

The best thing about my facecard is the usability it offers your contacts when they view your card on their devices. It doesn’t just show your info visually. Your facecard is interactive. Your colleague can tap right on the card to contact you via phone call, text, email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. It’s a fantastic step in the direction of taking business cards completely digital. my facecard is available for free!

ScanBizCards is our number two choice, but in reality, it’s a nice compliment to my facecard. ScanBizCards provides an incredibly robust way to to create a database of the paper business cards you collect while networking.

You take a photo of each business card, and allow ScanBizCards’ OCR function to scan the information.

You can manually correct any mistakes if you’d like. You can store the information on the cloud and access it online on your computer, and forward information to colleagues.

Tons of integration options with business networking sites, Skype, and social networking are a major plus. You can pick up ScanBizCards for $6.99 in the App Store.

Bump isn’t precisely a business card app, but it’s an app that performs many of the same functions as a paper business card, so it’s worth reviewing if networking with your contacts is your primary goal.

Bump lets you exchange contact information while face to face by gently tapping your iPhones together. It’s a fantastic new utilization of smartphone technology, and being one of the first apps to make use of it in a number of ways puts Bump on the shortlist.

It only makes it to number 3 because of other limitations, however. Your potential contact, for example, has to also have Bump, and while it’s a great way to enhance your business networking options, it doesn’t replace the function of business cards entirely, because simply exchanging contact info isn’t necessarily promoting your business in the same way that sharing cards would. Bump is free and doesn’t hurt to try if you haven’t used it yet.

Our number four favorite is WorldCard Mobile.

Like ScanBizCards, WorldCardMobile offers you a method of saving paper business cards you’ve collected in a digital format. The user takes photos of the cards in the same manner, and that information is scanned and converted into a digital contact card.

However, despite being close to the same price, WorldCard Mobile has considerably fewer features than ScanBiz Cards. Nonetheless, it’s a fine option for those who have fewer cards to manage or don’t require as many integration options.

WorldCard Mobile is another heavyweight starting at $6.99.

Finally, CardFlick. CardFlick is an acceptable alternate option for those who prefer a very simple interface and don’t need as many design options.

CardFlick offers fewer fields in which to enter information, but if speed is a requirement, you may find you prefer its stripped down interface to my facecard. Like my facecard, CardFlick is for those ready to leave the world of paper business cards behind, at least with other contacts that boast digital business cards.

To share your info, you simply “flick” your card to other CardFlick users with the “flick” feature. You can even locate the nearest CardFlick users with public profiles, using the app’s geolocating service. It’s a great tool for conferences.

And you can also email your CardFlick card to those who don’t have the app. CardFlick is great to try out since it’s free.

Which digital business card app is right for you? We’ve ranked them, but deciding which app — or apps — you’ll use depends a great deal on your particular needs, as well as your target networking contacts. If the business you’re in tends toward being plugged in, my facecard and similar apps like CardFlick are great. But if many of your colleagues are less technologically trendy, you’ll almost certainly benefit from the addition of an app like ScanBizCards just to manage the paper business card collection that you’ve acquired.

To find the app that’s right for you, consider how much customization you need and who you’ll be sharing your business card with and receiving business cards from.

Meet the iPhone Plus

Those of you who have been reading iDB for a while know we love a good iPhone concept. So when we came across these beautiful renderings of the iPhone Plus from the folks over at ADR Studio, we knew we had to post them.

If the name ADR Studio sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same design firm behind other concepts we’ve featured on our site, including the iPhone SJ. And as usual, they didn’t disappoint. Meet the iPhone Plus…

As you can see, the handset is gorgeous. It boasts a 4.3-inch Retina display that sits edge-to-edge across the device. But the Plus isn’t just all show and no go. The concept is packed full of features.

Borrowing from recent rumors and reports, the ADR team gave the Plus a liquid metal body and outfitted its display with In-Cell touch technology. It also has a slimmer 30-pin dock connector and capacitive home button.

Then, there’s the wishful thinking. The Plus is sporting a pico-projector, for beaming content onto any surface, a 10 megapixel rear camera, and a 2 megapixel front-facing one. It also has an A6 quad-core processor.

We seriously doubt that Apple’s next iPhone will look like this, but that doesn’t mean these renderings don’t look fantastic.

What do you think of the iPhone Plus?

We’re giving away three ‘Lima’ beta invites

Last week we brought you an in-depth look at Lima — the web-based Cydia alternative for jailbroken iOS devices. Needless to say, we were thoroughly impressed by what we saw.

If you’re anxious to get your hands on Lima, then here is your chance. As promised, we’re giving away three Lima beta invitations.

Want one? Check inside for the details…

How to enter:
Step 1: Leave a comment below with your Twitter handle.

Step 2: Retweet this post using the Tweet button above, or by utilizing this link.

We will pick three (3) winners at random tomorrow evening. Winners will be notified by DM, so make sure you’re following @iDownloadBlog on Twitter.

If you haven’t already, be sure to take a look at our very in-depth look at Lima. Do you believe it’s the potential Cydia alternative that it aspires to be?

Apple and Samsung bosses meeting on May 21-22 to talk patents

As previously hinted, top dogs at Apple and Samsung will meet next month to discuss a possible settlement to the ongoing patent war which has seen minor casualties on both sides, but has otherwise failed to produce an outright winner. A new report claims the upcoming mediation will take place on May 21 and May 22, starting on each day at 9:30am.

The court-moderated settlement talk is to seek an alternative dispute resolution to the more than fifty lawsuits the two technology giants have filed against each other in little more than a year in courts the world over…
Apple, Samsung’s biggest buyer of components, will be represented by CEO Tim Cook. He will engage in talks with his counterpart at Samsung, CEO Gee-Sung Chog.

According to patent expert Florian Müeller, writing for his own blog FOSS Patents:

The meetings will take place in a San Francisco courthouse, while the litigation itself is before the San Jose division of the court. With Oracle v. Google, it was just the opposite: the case is currently being tried in San Francisco, but court-ordered settlement talks took place in San Jose.

Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero, who is not directly involved with the lawsuit, will oversee the negotiations, according to FOSS Patents. Unfortunately, the mediation and statements from these talks will apparently remain confidential.

Apple once referred to Samsung in court documents as “the copyist”. The South Korean company returned favor by likening Apple customers to sheep in the Galaxy S III teaser video. A series of Galaxy S II commercials also indirectly spoofed Apple by painting those who would wait in the line for a new iPhone in unfavorable light

Thieves beware: this iPhone will self-destruct in 5 seconds

In the world of iPhone rumors, things tend to get a tad ridiculous at times. In fact, if we were to believe some of the reports we’ve heard, Apple’s next smartphone will have a 5-inch screen and be machined from liquid metal.

Well the folks over at AatmaStudio, known for their powerful Apple product concepts, have taken ridiculous to the next level. Check out their vision for the next iPhone, and its cool self-destructing remote-wipe feature…

Obviously, there’s no way Apple would ever implement such a feature. If folks made a big deal about the new iPad getting a tiny bit warm, we can’t imagine how they’d react to a new remote wipe feature that involved explosions and glass.

Nevertheless, we have to admit the video looks good. These guys are obviously talented. And if we ever found ourselves storing information on our iPhones pertaining to national security, we’d probably contract them to help us build the real thing.

What did you think of the video?

Hands on with Lima, a browser based Cydia alternative

Over the years there has been no shortage of proclaimed Cydia replacements, alternatives, and supplements.

Lima is the latest such purported alternative, but it has one unique thing going for it that makes it a bit different from the others — it’s entirely browser based.

Is Lima a legitimate threat to Cydia’s dominance?

I’ve had the privilege to go hands-on with a beta copy, and I’d like to share some of the things that I found with you.

Setting it all up
Since I’m testing a beta copy, the setup process is likely a bit more cumbersome that it will be once it officially launches.

As it stands, setting up the Lima beta involves the following.

■Adding a unique source to Cydia
■Downloading the Lima service
■Rebooting the iPhone
■Navigating to a unique URL via Safari to authorize my device.
It’s a lot of steps, but again, this is apparently just for the beta authorization. I’ve been provided with 4 additional beta invites that we will be giving away in the near future.

Who says all jailbreakers are pirates?

“After all most jailbreak users are only in it for running unlocks and pirating apps.” This was the last line in a series of tweets by infamous iDevice hacker I0n1c, talking about the state of the jailbreak. While I’m not typically the kind of person to get riled up over such an ignorant comment, I feel like there’s a similarly negative consensus about jailbreaking that needs to be addressed.

It’s a fairly true statement to say that all iOS app pirates are jailbreakers. After all, I don’t know of any other way to pirate apps – and if there is, it can’t be easier –  than by jailbreaking. But to say that all, or even “most” jailbreakers are pirates is asinine. From where I’m sitting, the jailbreak community looks pretty awesome. And it’s made up of much more than just pilferers….
Let’s start off with the talented group of hackers that make jailbreaking possible. Guys like pod2g and the Chronic and Dev teams put in countless hours of work to enable the average user to unlock their device’s true potential. And these guys don’t ask for money – outside of optional donations of course – or anything else in return for their hard work. Some might say that’s crazy.

Then there’s the developers. Jailbreak devs are constantly blowing my mind with the things they come up with. And I’m not just talking about the thousands of free and low-cost tweaks that turn tedious tasks into swipes and taps. Although, those are awesome too. I’m talking about the truly helpful tools that make life easier for iPhone users — tools that Apple would never allow in the App Store.

The best example of this I can think of is WiFiSMS, a free jailbreak tweak by developer treAson. While the utility is often overlooked by most people, it’s actually helping improve the life of some folks. JailbreakCon’s Reza Malayeri tells the story of how the app is allowing people with muscular dystrophy, a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion, to text.

Admittedly, the video is kind of long, but the story is still pretty cool. Because of their disabilities, texting on an iPhone is difficult, sometimes impossible for these people. But thanks to jailbreaking, and WiFiSMS, they can use the full-size keyboards on their desktop computers to send and receive text messages.

And finally there’s the people. While this is the part of the jailbreak community that is the most likely to pirate apps, not all of them do it. Or at least that’s my opinion. Maybe I’m just naive, but I think that a majority of jailbreakers (over 50%) hack their devices for reasons other than pirating. Don’t agree? Come out to JailbreakCon this fall and see for yourself.

The second annual jailbreak convention will play host to hundreds of hackers, developers, and jailbreakers. And you know what? I bet app pirating will be the furthest thing from everyone’s minds.

What do you think? Are most jailbreakers pirates?