2.2
Latest
Hidden TV out features discovered in iPhone 2.2 SDK
So, get a load of this. While tinkering within the iPhone 2.2 SDK, ArsTechnica discovered a neat little tidbit that could lead to some pretty extensible applications. In essence, the MPTVOutWindow class enables your iPhone to beam out video to a connected TV rather than the built-in screen. Of course, dock-connecting iPods / iPhones have been sending out videos for ages now, but this could actually enable applications to be used on the big screen. Sadly, the current code won't allow screen interaction while the TV out function is active, but the accelerometer is still a go. Check out a short demonstration clip after the break, and feel free to let your imagination run wild after peeking the read link.[Via AppleInsider]
Darren Murph11.27.2008
iPhone firmware 2.2 gets QuickPwn and PwnageTool, of course
In case you haven't noticed the trend, when Apple releases a new iPhone / iPod touch firmware, it has a tendency to fall to the jailbreakers at mind-boggling breakneck speed. QuickPwn and PwnageTool have now both been updated to support 2.2, though there's a critical note in here from the iphone-dev team: if you have any interest in unlocking your iPhone 3G in the near future, only use PwnageTool, not the more painless QuickPwn. You've been warned![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Chris Ziegler11.22.2008
PwnageTool and QuickPwn for 2.2 released
The dev team has released PwnageTool and QuickPwn for iPhones and first generation iPod touch devices, for those who want to upgrade to firmware 2.2. Important: If you have a 3G iPhone and you want to unlock it in the near future, you cannot use QuickPwn and must use PwnageTool (currently available for Mac users only). As the dev team explained yesterday, the 2.2 update for the 3G iPhone also upgraded the baseband. In order to achieve a jailbreak and keep future soft-unlock options available, you must use PwnageTool to create a custom .ipsw file that preserves the 2.1 baseband but provides the software functionality of a 2.2 update. Read the entire dev team posting for complete instructions. Users with first generation iPod touches, 2G (first gen) iPhones, factory unlocked iPhone 3Gs or users who have no desire to soft-unlock their iPhone 3G can use the QuickPwn tool. Neither PwnageTool nor QuickPwn work with the second generation iPod touch. The dev team has already said that its current focus is the 3G unlock and then they will look into working on the new iPod touch. If you just want to use Installer.app on your 2G or 3G iPhone and don't want to go through the jailbreak process, check out Pusher from RiP Dev. It works with 2.2 and doesn't open the system partition when writing information, making it a potentially safer jailbreak alternative. Thanks to everyone who sent this in! And thanks Josh for the RiP Dev tip!
Christina Warren11.22.2008
iPhone/iPod touch update 2.2 Walkthrough
As you've probably heard by now, Apple released the much awaited 2.2 firmware update for both the iPhone and iPod touch. This new firmware brings several impressive new features.Downloading and Installing the new FirmwareFirst, you'll need to get the new version of iTunes that was released last night. Next, launch iTunes, and connect your iPhone or iPod touch. Click on your device and select the "Summary" tab and then click "Update." The update will then take a few minutes to download and install. MapsIf you've ever used the maps application before, then you know how useful it can be. Apple has added cool new features with this update, including Google's Street View service. Street View provides a full 360º view of some streets in the US (this isn't available for every street). To try it out, enter an address in the search field. When it's found, click the head icon in the bubble that appears above the pinpoint. The Maps application has a very cool transition from the 2D map to street view.%Gallery-37667%In addition to Street View, Maps also includes public transit and walking directions. When you drop a pin to remember a location, Maps can tell you which address it is near. When you drop new pins, you will also have the option to add the address as a contact (a very nice touch, literally). When you view details for a location, or pin, you can now share this location via email. When you click "Share Location," a new email will be generated with a maps.google.com link. Read on to learn about Safari, iTunes Store, and additional notes.
Cory Bohon11.21.2008
Apple also releases iPhone OS for iPod touch 2.2
Apple also released a firmware update for iPod touch, bringing it in line with most version 2.2 updates for iPhone released a little while ago. It doesn't appear, however, that iPod touch users get the enhancements to the Maps app that iPhone users do. (Thanks, Guillermo!) The update contains enhancements to Mail, fixes connection issues with WPA-secured wireless networks, improves Safari stability, and includes a new preference to turn off auto-correction for typing. Also, podcasts are now available for download from within the iTunes app, and pressing the Home button from any home screen will now take you to the first home screen. Several security enhancements are included, too, updating CoreGraphics, ImageIO, networking, Office Viewer, Passcode Lock, Safari and Webkit. A complete list of security updates is available on Apple's website. The update is available by clicking "Check for Update" with your iPod selected in the Devices area of the sidebar in iTunes.
Robert Palmer11.21.2008
iPhoneHellas: 2.2 coming November 21
According to iPhoneHellas.gr, version 2.2 of the iPhone firmware will be made available on November 21. The site says that the tipster is "reliable" but offered few details. Gizmodo calls the site "consistently reliable." The tipster did say, however, that the update will not contain Greek keyboard support. Rumor has it that the update will contain: Street View, public transportation and walking directions for Maps An always-visible search field in Safari A rating request before you delete an app The ability to download podcasts directly to your handset Location sharing via email Support for Emoji icons An option to turn off auto-correction There is still no word, of course, about the most requested and elusive of options: copy and paste. Gizmodo seems to think that -- if the release date is indeed on the 21st -- the major features of the update have been frozen. Looks like we'll have to wait until 2.3. [Via O'Grady's PowerPage.]
Robert Palmer11.12.2008
iPhone software 2.2 features Google Street View, mass transit directions
The T-Mobile G1's Google Maps Street View implementation is one of the slickest features of the first Android phone, but it looks like Apple's going to keep feature parity -- the latest builds of iPhone OS 2.2 seeded to developers have Street View, as well as the ability to give mass transit directions. That's pretty useful for cityfolk like us -- and we're also stoked that line-in audio is now supported in the SDK, giving devs the ability to create voice recorders and other interesting audio apps. Of course, there's no word on when 2.2 will actually arrive, but until then we suppose we'll live with regular, non-data-augmented streets. Lots of screenshots of the new features at the read link.[Via MacRumors]
Nilay Patel10.26.2008
Google Street View, emoji coming to iPhone 2.2?
MacRumors hears news of some interesting new features that may see the light of day in the next iteration of iPhone firmware. The Maps application will apparently have support for Google Street View. It remains to be seen if the integration will be as impressive as that of Google Android, which used GPS compass data to dynamically change the street view depending on which way you're actually pointed. Also included is support for Japanese emoji icons: 461 popular pictures that can be added to text messages and emails. Emoji support is popular on Japanese phones, and including it on the iPhone might give a boost to sales there (described as less-than-stellar by the WSJ). In a move sure to be popular with non-English users using the English keyboard, the new firmware will also let you turn off auto-correction. It's not clear when the new firmware will be generally available. Developers received version 2.2, beta 1 on September 25.
Robert Palmer10.06.2008
iPhone gets tweaked Safari in firmware 2.2
We're going down our "things that absolutely must change on the iPhone" list, and yeah, "redo the Safari toolbar" isn't anywhere on there. Not even at the very bottom. Cupertino works in mysterious ways, though, and they've decided in firmware 2.2 that it's time to muck with the positioning of the text boxes so that the address bar and search bar both appear at all times without needing to first tap in the area. They've also moved the refresh button inside the address bar itself, which should truly revolutionize our browsing experience yet again. Apple, screw copy / paste -- we're officially stoked.[Via Wired, thanks Konstantin]
Chris Ziegler09.27.2008
Apple outs iPhone firmware 2.2 beta 1
Apple has released the first beta of iPhone firmware 2.2 to developers, and we're hearing that it'll cause your phone to sprout wings, run Android in emulation, connect to fully-operational LTE and WiMAX networks all over the world, and bring world peace. Oh, and it'll be able to copy and paste things you never dreamed possible, like ponies and happiness. On a more serious note, though, no one seems to have a firm grip on exactly what it adds yet -- push notifications are high on the wishlist, as always -- so we'll keep you posted (and you do the same).
Chris Ziegler09.25.2008
PS3 2.20 update is out, get your BD-Live while it's fresh
Nothing beats that straight-from-the-oven firmware smell, and Sony just hit the internet with its PS3 2.20 firmware update goodness. The big win here is BD-Live interactive Blu-ray compatibility (Blu-ray 2.0), but there are some other minor tweaks as well, mostly multimedia and web browsing related. Unfortunately, portable copy didn't make the cut, but there's always 2.30, right?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Paul Miller03.24.2008PS3 firmware 2.20 bringing BD-Live interactive Blu-ray this month
The Blu-ray 2.0 spec (or BD-Live) is just days from launch. Sony just announced that the next PlayStation3 firmware updated -- v2.20 -- will add the new interactive features to your PS3. As such, PS3 owners should expect downloadable video content, ringtones, interactive movie-based games, and the always intriguing "more" when the software is released in "late March." In other words, in the next 11 days. The update will also allow you to copy photos and music playlists over USB from your PS3 to your PSP. The rest of the new features after the break.
Thomas Ricker03.20.2008
Making 2.3 install in Vista
Apparently, the new patch has been having some problems under Windows Vista. Based on the description of the symptoms, I imagine this would be the same for other patches, so many of you may know this fix already. But then, some of you may have just upgraded to Vista. Anyway, here's the problem: the patch downloads OK, but the patcher fails to run correctly. According to Growl at Gitr's blog, this is because of permissions; the "normal" user on Vista doesn't have admin permissions, and therefore can't do things like run patchers.Fortunately, Growl has an easy solution. Just right-click the WoW icon and select "Run as administrator" (as depicted); log in and WoW will spawn the patch download, which will inherit its administrator privileges and, in turn, spin off the patcher, also running with admin privileges. Safety is good, Microsoft, but Vista might be a little too safe for its own good. Couldn't we at least have an alert asking us if we wanted to authorize the patcher?
Eliah Hecht11.13.2007
2.2 in review
As we're looking forward to a new patch tomorrow, it's appropriate to look back at the last patch and what it added to the game. While there were also several tweaks to class mechanics and items, the main thing it added was Blizzard-supported voice chat. Earlier today, Mike admitted that he hasn't ever used the voice chat, and aside from experimenting with it a bit on the day it was released, I haven't either. I don't do pickup groups much these days, but the few I've been in haven't bothered with the chat at all. This may be due to the fact that its sound quality isn't all that great and there may be other issues as well. People being embarrassed to talk out loud to total strangers or simply being habituated to typing in pickup groups are both possible reasons why the chat may be neglected. What's your experience with it? Have you used it much?One of the other major changes in patch 2.2 was reporting AFKers in Alterac Valley. While I personally like this change, (if nothing else, it gives me something to do while protecting a flag,) for whatever reason, it seems to have skewed the battleground in the Horde's favor (my main PvPer at the moment is Alliance). Honestly, I haven't read a lot about the reasoning behind this phenomenon, and for all I know, it's different on other battlegroups. What's it like on your server? Do you like this change?
John Himes11.12.2007
Hardware sound acceleration to return in 2.3
There's yet more Patch 2.3 news, this time for people who have been having problems with sound ever since the sound upgrades in 2.2. As Cicero noted from his experience on the test realms, "all my sound problems were gone. I can hear myself cast again, no more clipped sounds..."Those of you who have been suffering unduly may wish to go to the test realms and try it out. I haven't been able to do so myself due to some computer limitations, but I wonder if our readers who have visited the test realms can comment on any differences they can hear. Are things really as good as Cicero says?
David Bowers10.28.2007
Brooms not going bye-bye (yet)
Everyone is having so much fun with their Headless Horseman brooms these days during the Hallow's End event in WoW, but with an incorrect tooltip and heaps of confusion (including our own) about just how long they'll last, most players aren't quite sure just how much fun they're going to have.Bornakk clears up some of the confusion (which he also had a hand in creating), saying that "the items with a duration on them won't all vanish on November first, you just won't be able to get any new ones." So now here is the factual summary of the official words on blizzard regarding your beloved broom mounts: They last for 14 days, not just for one ride. They last for 14 days of played game time on the character that possesses them, not 14 days of real time, and extending beyond the Hallow's End event for however long you keep them on an unplayed character. Just think about how those of you who were patient and saved up your brooms on an alt can try and sell them later on when Hallow's End is over, but people still wish they could ride in witchy (or Quidditchy) style. Do you think they'll be worth something?
David Bowers10.27.2007
WoW Moviewatch: The 2.2 Spectral Tiger
Sure, we've seen video of the ultra-rare Spectral Tiger Mount before. So why am I showing you new footage? Because as of patch 2.2, the Spectral Tiger's graphics have changed. And a lot of people who have had the luck (or money!) to acquire their own Spectral Tiger, the change, which altered the look of the mount's armor, is not an improvement. Blizzard, on the other hand, maintains that the change is actually a bug-fix and makes the tiger look like their initial promotional screenshots. And, tiger-owners or not, what do you think? Is the new look for the better or worse?Previously on Moviewatch...
Elizabeth Harper09.28.2007
Breakfast Topic: How's 2.2 treating you?
Players on US and EU realms have all had a couple of days of playtime in Blizzard's latest release -- patch 2.2. And though all we're hearing about recently is the upcoming changes in patch 2.3, but patch 2.2 is what we're all playing right now. I'm guessing we've all had enough playtime to come to our own conclusions, so I'm asking what you think of patch 2.2! Are you loving the new voice chat feature (it's not running on my realm yet, so I can't comment), annoyed with issues in the battlegrounds, or find it impossible to deal with the new delay on auction house profits? We want to know -- tell us about your 2.2 experience.
Elizabeth Harper09.28.2007
WoW's own Headless Horseman
Patch 2.2.2 (currently on the PTRs) doesn't just feature Oktoberfest... er, I mean Brewfest event -- there are also some changes to the regular Hallow's End event, in the form of a daily quest to summon the Headless Horseman from inside the Scarlet Monastery graveyard. And the Horseman isn't just here to celebrate the occasion -- MMO-Champion reports he also has an epic loot table featuring both useful gear and toys. On the useful side, there's a DPS caster ring, a healer ring, a physical DPS ring, and a DPS plate helm. But more interestingly, he can also drop broom mounts of four types, one for each level of riding skill. The downside? Your new cool broom mount is single-use only.[Thanks Darkbeard and Boubouille!]
Elizabeth Harper09.28.2007
Undocumented 2.2 patch notes
It's a familiar cycle with every patch -- some changes get properly documented in the official patch notes while other changes are sadly forgotten. However, industrious inividuals on the forums always band together to collect even the tiniest of changes into a community collection of undocumented patch notes. For 2.2, these are being compiled by Viral of Stormrage -- with the help of many an attentive player. The current list, for those of you who don't have access to the forums, is after the jump, but full details (complete with lots of rumor and debate) you have to go to the source.
Elizabeth Harper09.25.2007