The iPhone Blog


Apple posts new “What is iPad” TV commercial

Posted: 12 May 2010 08:08 PM PDT

Apple "What is iPad?" TV commercial

Apple has released their second iPad TV commercial and it focuses on “what is iPad?”. The voice is older and more gravelly. The music is slower and more deliberate. Just like the iPad, it takes its time. It also focuses the imagery on idealized use cases and puts the attention where it should be — on the features.

iPad is thin. iPad is beautiful. iPad goes anywhere and lasts all day. There’s no right way or wrong way. It’s crazy powerful. It’s magical. You already know how to use it. It’s 200,000 apps and counting. All the world’s websites in your hand. It’s video, photos, more books than you can read in a lifetime. It’s already a revolution and its only just begun.

It’s an interesting direction for Apple advertising. Seems like smart one too.

Video after the break.

[Apple.com via MacStories, 9to5Mac]


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Comcast demos Xfinity Remote app for iPad

Posted: 12 May 2010 03:07 PM PDT

Today Comcast demoed Xfinity Remote, a prototype of a web-based remote control that aims to extend their interactive programming guide to many IP-enabled devices such as an iPad. Unlike their current sub par iPhone application [iTunes Link - Free] this application allows Comcast subscribers to have full control over cable boxes.

“The Xfinity Remote, which Brian Roberts demoed today on an iPad at the NCTA show, enables you to search for your favorite shows and movies on television and video on demand, change the channel on your cable box right from your iPad, and set your DVR remotely.”

Comcast also mentions the app will allow for integration into social networks and allow for chatting live while watching a show or send invites to friends to watch programming at the same time.

The Xfinity Remote should be free when in lands into the App Store and while no release date has been given, Comcast promises we will see it before the end of the year.

Video after the break!

[MacDailyNews via Comcast]

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Smartphone Experts S&C retractable cable for iPhone and iPad – accessory review

Posted: 12 May 2010 02:44 PM PDT

The Smartphone Experts S&C retractable sync and charging cable for iPhone and iPad [$4.95 - TiPb Store Link] is for those who abhor long cables that always getting caught, tangled and the imposing clutter, the SmartPhone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone is the way to go. Small and lightweight, you can take it with you everywhere and charge/sync your iPhone through the USB connection on your laptop or computer with ease.

The Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone expands to a length of 2 ft. and has a locking feature which allows you to choose which length you would like the cable locked at. A light tug on the cable and it retracts back to its wound state. When wound, the Cable is only 4.5 inches long, making it very easy to bring with you. My regular usb S&C cable was always a tangled mess when I carried it loose in my briefcase. A good deal of time and effort was spent on untangling the cord from whatever it had become attached to. With the Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone, charging and syncing my iPhone is a snap, just take it out of my briefcase and plug it in and when I am done a quick tug and is thrown back into my bag. The cable is quite well constructed and after a month of use it is still working like new.

I would recommend getting this for everyone who charges and syncs their iPhone. I absolutely love this Cable and at $4.95 it is practically free (appeals to my Scottish side).

Pictures and video after the break!

TiPb iPhone 4.5-star rated


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iPhone Live! Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am BST)

Posted: 12 May 2010 02:30 PM PDT

podcast_iphone_live

iPhone Live! comes to you LIVE tonight at 8pm ET, 5pm PT (1am BST) so please join Rene and Georgia to chat about all the week’s iPhone news, how-tos, and app and accessory reviews!

http://www.tipb.com/live/

Want to be part of the show?

Grab your iPhone, launch VoiceMemo (or your favorite voice recorder of choice!), and record yourself introducing the show. Tell us your name, where you live, your favorite iPhone app, and finish it off with “…and my favorite podcast is iPhone Live!” Then email it to news (at) tipb (dot) com. We’ll pick one of you, and you’ll be on the show!

  • Example: “Hi, this is Eric from Mountain View, my favorite app is Google Voice (Ad Hoc!), and my favorite podcast is iPhone Live!”

Chat with you soon!

iPhone Live! Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am BST) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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HTC counter-sues Apple, claims 5 patents infringed

Posted: 12 May 2010 11:41 AM PDT

HTC has just announced that they’re counter-suing Apple for infringement, claiming Apple treads on 5 specific HTC patents.

"As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible," said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of North America, HTC Corporation. "We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones."

Apple originally sued HTC for patent infringement on April 2, citing 20 patents in a move widely speculated to be directed towards Google’s Android platform in general. HTC had since agreed to license patents from Microsoft — counter-intuitively — for Android, again speculated to me a move directed towards Google.

Just like the Nokia vs. Apple suit and counter-suit, these types of suits can take months if not years to resolve, especially in the still forming smartphone space.

[HTC via Android Central]

HTC counter-sues Apple, claims 5 patents infringed is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Give away: Appigo Todo for iPad brings task management to the bigger screen

Posted: 12 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Appigo has just released Todo for iPad, and like Apple themselves, they’ve used the larger canvas for a more real-world inspired interface. Binders, pages, and pockets, oh my! For fans of Appigo Todo for iPhone, rest assured all your favorite features are here, they’re just bigger than ever before. Appigo Todo for iPad currently on sale for $4.99 so if you’ve been waiting for it, jump on it now. [iTunes link]

All the features come fully loaded:

  • Sync with iCal (Wi-Fi required)
  • Sync with Outlook (Wi-Fi and Outlook 2003 or newer required)
  • Sync with Toodledo.com
  • Task reminder alerts (Wi-Fi or cellular data network required)
  • Projects and Checklists (subtasks)
  • Full Landscape Support
  • Notes on tasks with clickable phone numbers and URLs
  • Manage multiple tasks at once with multi-select
  • Full Calendar View for choosing Due Dates
  • Drag and Drop sorting
  • Contact, Email, SMS, Phone integration
  • Full Task Searching including notes
  • GTD support with Contexts and Tags
  • Repeating Tasks
  • Quick Add Task Entry
  • Task Sharing via Email (Import back into Todo)
  • Customizable App Badge
  • TextExpander touch snippet expansion support (SmileOnMyMac, LLC)

The great folks at Appigo have also been kind enough to give us a couple promo codes to pass on to you, so if you want in, leave a comment below telling us what’s on top of your iPad to do list. Make sure to use a real email address, it won’t be made public but we’ll need it to send you a promo code. Also, promo codes still require a US iTunes account (Apple’s rules, not ours).

More screenshots after the break!

Give away: Appigo Todo for iPad brings task management to the bigger screen is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Panda Hero for iPhone – game review

Posted: 12 May 2010 10:26 AM PDT

Panda Hero from Barefoot Explorers LLC is a cute iPhone game with a cuddly eco-friendly message where the objective is to free your animal friends from poachers while you avoid poisonous mushrooms, pits, and other dangers. After you complete a level you also get to have your own virtual panda to take care of and enjoy.

TiPb first took a look at the pre-release Panda Hero at GDC 2010, and the core gameplay here remains the same — using the accelerometer you tilt your iPhone in the direction that you want your panda character to move. In order to jump you lift your iPhone and your character will jump in the air as well. This type of play will satisfy those who enjoy playing any maze-type of game though it is not quite as difficult as something like marble madness.

As with many maze-type games if you have to try to steer your character through many obstacles which includes bridges and labyrinths. You rescue one of your animal friends by going up to the caged animal and touching them. After rescue your animal companion will follow you through the course for a little while before heading back into the forest. The game is quite forgiving as there are no lives so if you die you just return to a close position to continue on.

Your virtual Panda is a lot of fun to interact with, you can use the coins you have gained through the game to purchase the Panda toys, clothing and other fun items.

For adults who enjoy tilt play games and virtual pets, its cute but not deeply strategic. With its bright, beautiful graphics and eco-friendly message, Panda Hero will appeal most to young gamers in their early teens, and that’s who barefoot explorer is targeting. To sweeten the eco-pot, they’re even planting 3 real-world tress for every copy of Panda Hero purchased off the App Store

[$2.99 - [iTunes Link]

Pros

  • Cute graphics
  • Virtual pet is a fun addition
  • Easy controls

Cons

  • Simple levels
  • Little strategy involved

TiPb iPhone 3.5-star rated


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UPDATE: Second iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototype, A4 chipset show up in pictures, teardown, video

Posted: 12 May 2010 05:09 AM PDT

Pictures and video of what appears to be a second “lost” Apple iPhone HD/iPhone prototype, this time including a tear down and A4 chipset

Second iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototype - bottom

Another iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototype has shown up on the internet and has been posed, torn-down, and shown off on video. This Taoviet prototype is similar to the Gizmodo prototype seen earlier in most respects, but is clearly labeled when it comes to storage — 16GB — and lacks the two screws on the bottom seen on the previous prototype as well as current iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS models.

Reportedly a Vietnamese businessman bought the 4th gen iPhone in the US for $4000 but how Apple lost control of it remains unknown. The screen looks stuck on a firmware test reading Inferno and calling itself Bonfire!, so no bootable iPhone OS 4 or special feature hints yet (sorry iChat video fans).

Unlike Gizmodo, Taoviet tore their prototype down to the system-on-chip (SoC) and the chipset looks to be an Apple A4 similar to the blazingly fast 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 and PowerVR SGX chip found in the iPad. (We’re still holding some hope for a multicore Cortex A9, but we’re never satisfied).

More pictures and video after the break!

UPDATE: iFixit sent us word that, based on analyzing the part numbers, it looks like this A4 chipset has the same amount of RAM as the iPad. 256MB. Drat.

[Taoviet via Macrumors, Engadget]


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How-To: Downgrade iPhone OS 4 to iPhone 3.1.3

Posted: 11 May 2010 09:26 PM PDT

Today we are going to cover how to successfully downgrade the iPhone from OS 4 beta (iPhone 4.0) back to iPhone 3.1.3. If you’re a small developer who installed the iPhone OS 4 beta then realized you had to troubleshoot problems for an existing app under 3.1, it can sometimes come down to this or having to quickly go shopping for a second iPhone or iPod touch. Luckily, downgrading can be done pretty easily a majority of the time, even though things sometimes go downhill, like DFU loops, errors, etc.. We will cover these scenarios right now and hopefully get a lot of people where they need to be.  I’ll show you two ways to downgrade, through XCode (Mac only) and through iTunes (Mac and PC).

And as always, if you are even a little scared you may mess up your phone during this process, stop right now.  What you do to your phone is always on you.  These guides are there for your convenience, but we hold no responsibility for any bricked iDevices of any kind.

If that didn’t scare the pants off of you, hit the jump for screenshots, a written walk-through, and a video!

First of all, we need to differentiate between firmware and a baseband as a lot of people seem to get those confused.  Firmware is the actual software your phone is running, which in most cases can be downgraded easily.  A baseband however can NOT be downgraded as easy.  This is part of what makes a phone unlockable (when the baseband is cracked).

Currently, iPhone firmware 3.1.3 and above can not be unlocked as the baseband version changed.  So if you are trying to downgrade in order to get your unlock back, don’t bother with this process.  Your baseband will currently remain at the 4.0 baseband.  Even when you downgrade successfully, your baseband will remain the same, ruining your chances at having your unlock back.

What I’m getting at here is, do not downgrade in hopes of getting an unlock back.  If you’ve installed 3.1.3 and higher, there is no unlock released.  The only way you can unlock 3.1.3 is to have an older bootrom that was not upgraded (meaning you upgraded to 3.1.3 from a custom firmware ipsw, not the official 3.1.3).

XCode Downgrade

The easiest way to downgrade is going to be to go through XCode on a Mac.  If you’re just going through XCode, simply choose 3.1.3 from your available firmwares, and voila, your phone will restore.  If you are a licensed dev, you should have no problem going this route. No errors, nothing.  You will not need the packages listed above (at least you shouldn’t). Open XCode and go to Organizer…

Then choose 3.1.3…

If you do get stuck in a DFU loop or get an error, jump down to the iTunes directions and continue from there (typically error 1015 or a DFU loop, which is where you need iRecovery – covered below and in video).  I did not include an XCode walkthrough in the video as it’s extremely simple and painless if done correctly.

iTunes Downgrade (Mac and PC)

Even though I am covering a PC downgrade, you should NEVER ever install a beta OS through a PC. That is not the way they were meant to be installed. Betas should NEVER be installed through iTunes, always through XCode on a Mac. Especially with 4.0. The file system changed and iTunes will install the old way, creating crashes and all kinds of other nastiness. Even though I am giving instructions for PC downgrade, I have no way to test them, if there are issues, please let me know so I can correct them.

Alright, now on to what you’ll need to have beforehand -

Here is what you need to download to your computer (to your desktop is easiest):

After you have downloaded the files above, install libusb and iRecovery (PC, you don’t install iRecovery, you run it through command prompt).  Then plug in your iPhone.  Open iTunes and hold down alt/option and click restore (ctrl click on a PC).  Now navigate to where you saved your firmware like below (I have a folder on my desktop called iPhone firmwares).

Wait for your phone to go through the restore process (I would normally of told you to backup before doing any of this, but as 4.0 does not support backups yet, that isn’t possible. Hopefully you backed up your data before 4.0 so you can restore from that).

Your phone will not complete the downgrade, it will give you an error like below, that’s OK.

Next, open iRecovery.  There are 2 versions of iRecovery.  One you have to manually enter commands, the other, fast version is a button click.  So for Mac users, open the faster iRecovery and click the button.  iRecovery will reboot your phone and you “should” be done and able to sync and restore like normal through iTunes (you are done if you have a screen showing “Slide for Emergency”, if you still have “Connect to iTunes”, skip to the section titled “Still Stuck”).  For PCs who need to enter commands into your command prompt, type the commands in this order:

  • iRecovery -s
  • satenv auto-boot true
  • saveenv
  • reboot (by holding home and power down until you see Apple logo – about 10 seconds)
If you are still stuck in DFU, continue, if you have “Slide for emergency” (below), you are done, sync like normal. “Connect to iTunes” (below) is bad, so continue on…

Here is what you don’t want (but may get)…

Still Stuck

When I decided to downgrade, my phone was stuck in a hopeless loop of DFU fail.  I found a way around this with blackra1n.

First, download blackra1n to your computer.  Launch it, and click “make it ra1n”.  Wait about 30 seconds, your screen should be black but not off.

UNPLUG your phone and hard reboot it.  When it comes back on, you should now have “Slide for Emergency” and be able to sync like normal. blackra1n will not jailbreak your phone, so if you want a Jailbreak, use Spirit afterwards (see my Spirit Jailbreak for iPhone 3.1.3 walkthrough).  But it will get your phone out of DFU mode.

That’s it!

Just a side not: Anytime you restore you may have to repeat this process as a clean restore may still fail (at least until 4.0 official drops and you upgrade to that).  Forcing your iPhone out of DFU mode can cause restores to act funky, so just save these steps for further reference.  You should now be able to backup and sync like normal though.

Questions, problems? Let us know in the comments or in the TiPb Jailbreak Forum!


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How-To: Downgrade iPhone OS 4 to iPhone 3.1.3 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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