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iPhone 4 jailbreak enables FaceTime video calling over 3G
We'd actually already hacked up a 3G FaceTime video call using an iPhone 4 and a MiFi, but now that Apple's latest handset has been jailbroken, you can toss the extra hardware -- you just need a little Cydia app called My3G, which lets you run WiFi apps over 3G. FaceTime video quality appears to be unaffected, but from what we've seen the framerates suffer depending on your connection -- pretty much what you'd expect to get when running a video stream optimized for high-bandwidth connections on a smaller pipe. Still, it's instantly the best reason to jailbreak your phone -- check a video after the break. P.S.- If you're averse to jailbreaking, remember that Fring lets you make video calls over 3G without any shenanigans -- and unlike FaceTime, you can also video call non-iPhone users. Just sayin'!
Found footage: the REAL iPhone 4 jailbreak, courtesy of Saurik
So, you have an iPhone 4, but you're missing all of that Cydia love? Well, in a recent interview with Make It Work, Jay Freeman (known to the jailbreak world as Saurik) talked about the iPhone 4 jailbreak. But wait, there's more -- he also showed the Cydia store on his iPhone 4, which is the App Store replacement found on jailbroken iOS devices. An extended interview will air tomorrow on KNX 1070 Newsradio in LA from 1 - 2 PM PDT, and in San Francisco on KSFO 560 between 3 - 4 PM PDT.
How to play SNES on your iPad
Unfortunately, as we posted the other day, Nintendo isn't likely to actually allow any Super Nintendo games on your iPad anytime soon. That doesn't technically mean you can't do it, though; if you're willing to jailbreak your iPad and install snes4iPhone, you can experience all of the magical and revolutionary retro console gaming that you want. The video above from Lifehacker makes it easy; in just four steps, it'll walk you through jailbreaking the iPad with Spirit, installing snes4iPhone with Cydia, getting some ROMs installed, and even syncing up a Bluetooth controller (like a Wii remote, but an iPhone with a compatible app will work as well) to play games with. None of this is new at all, but the guide is quite clear and makes things pretty easy. Of course, that's only if you want to take the step of jailbreaking your iPad. If you're not willing to do that, you've got to stick with official retro action -- have you seen Streets of Rage yet? [via MacStories]
How-to: Install Flash on your jailbroken iPad (for real)
We just saw Flash 10.1 ported to the iPad demonstrated in video form by Comex, and now you can get in on the action too, as long as your iPad is jailbroken. It's called Frash, and while the plugin is still pretty early and doesn't do video playback yet, you can definitely play games and other animations right now, and we're told video support is forthcoming. Okay, so let's try this out, shall we? It's not point-and-click simple, but it's not that hard, either. Full instructions after the break.
Play SNES on your jailbroken iPad, with an iPhone as controller (video)
Not every Apple addict is lucky enough to own an iPad, iPhone and the means to jailbreak both, but if you belong to that elite group you're in for a treat: SNES HD for iPad. Built on ZodTTD's existing iPhone emulator, the new code has Super Mario World looking positively fantastic at the iPad's 768p. Better still, it works with the ControlPad app for iPhone, giving you look-alike wireless controls alongside the nostalgia of its ROM select screen. "Coming soon" to Cydia; see it in action after the break.
hacksugar: Mirror your jailbroken iPad display with DisplayOut
Ryan Petrich's latest utility for jailbroken iPads just hit the Cydia store. DisplayOut for iPad sells for US$1.99. It allows you to mirror the iPad's screen out to an external display via an attached VGA or component/composite cable. Similar to earlier iPhone solutions like TV Out and ScreenSplitr, DisplayOut extends video out to the larger iPad screen. DisplayOut provides a great way to create application videos. It supports both in-app and Springboard video, so you can record complete sequences including application launch and run time. If there is any negative to the application, it is that the video doesn't quite fill the screen, and I couldn't find a way to increase the screen size; that's why the video on the Magic Window review appears on the small side. Positives include the excellent Settings integration. You can easily enable and disable video mirroring with a simple switch change. An adjustable refresh rate lets you increase video quality, albeit at the cost of more system resources. I found that some applications slowed down exponentially as the refresh rate grew. All in all, DisplayOut is a great little utility for anyone who has a jailbroken iPad, a video cable, and a desire to display or record iPad action. Note that you will need a recording device on the other end of the cable (VCR, DVD-R, or a video in device for your computer) to capture videos.
Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone video hands-on: it works!
We just got our hands on Wi-FI Sync and guess what? It actually works -- fancy that! For those of you out of the loop, Apple recently rejected this gem of an app (go figure), but thanks to the magic of jailbreaking, that was hardly the end of the road. Days later, Wi-Fi Sync ended up on Cydia (Mac-only, for now) with a completely-affordable price tag of $9.99, promising iPhone and iPod touch users the ability to sync their device with iTunes sans any cabling whatsoever. Since we're notoriously lazy when it comes to actually plugging in our phones and syncing, we fired up the program on our jailbroken 3GS in order to see exactly what the law-abiders in attendance were missing out on. %Gallery-93092% Installation couldn't have been easier. We parted ways with our Hamilton, downloaded the necessary companion software for our laptop, and fired up the application. The iPhone was immediately recognized, and after a few prompts we were ready for action. Syncing was just as easy as it normally is (with "easy" being a relative term here), just without that iPod wire hanging around and bumming everyone out. We will say, however, that things weren't as snappy OTA as a standard hardwired connection. It was a bit sluggish on the first couple of runs, and although iTunes crashed a few times (boo), we're fairly confident in saying that a poor WiFi connection was to blame for the jankiness. Once we migrated closer to the router, things went much smoother. Still unsure if it's worth the investment? Then give the video past the break a look.
Wi-Fi Sync app rejected by Apple, headed to Cydia for $9.99
Can't say we're surprised to hear that Apple rejected Greg Hughes' Wi-Fi Sync app. You know, the app that allows you to wirelessly sync your iPhone / iPod touch with iTunes without having to USB tether to your computer. Messing with Apple's synchronization technology is a pretty big no-no as demonstrated by Palm's webOS bluff. Here's the rejection as explained by Greg from an unnamed Apple rep over the phone: "While he agreed that the app doesn't technically break the rules, he said that it does encroach upon the boundaries of what they can and cannot allow on their store. He also cited security concerns." So while you won't find it in Apple's App Store, it's available now on Cydia for a cool $9.99. You have jailbroken your device haven't you? Don't make us get all MuscleNerd up in here. Update: An Apple spokeswoman contacted us to clarify that the rejection was the result of security issues and "technical issues including reading and writing outside of the app's container." So there.
iPad running SNES, controlled with a Wiimote
I can't think of many things that top playing Super Mario Kart and being behind someone while in possession of the red turtle shell. Oh wait, I can: it's playing Super Mario Kart on your iPad and using your WiiMote to shoot the red turtle shell at those in front of you. Provided you have a jailbroken iPad and the latest version of snes4iphone, you too can use your WiiMote to control Mario, Yoshi, Samus and the rest of the Nintendo gang. You'll first need to install version 7.0 of snes4iphone, which provides support for the WiiMote via BTStack. The jailbroken app can be purchased for US$5.99 at the Cydia store. As jailbreaking is required to install Cydia and non-App store apps, you'll first need to jailbreak your iPad. [via toucharcade.com]
iPhone OS 4 jailbreak released to developers, not you
Be clear on this: if you're not a jailbreak app developer then the redsn0w 0.9.5 beta release is not for you. The iPhone OS 4 jailbreak previously hinted at is for real and it's for devs only so that they can prep their wares for the summer update. Don't worry, it doesn't reveal anything new to Apple and no, it won't work on the iPad -- it's Mac OSX only, iPhone 3G only, and iPhone 4.0 beta 1 only for now. But hey, it's early days, at least you know it's out there and that people smarter than you are tending to things.
iPad jailbreak: thanks Geohot, Comex (update: video!)
See that iPad above, notice anything peculiar? Yeah, blackra1n jailbreak as predicted with the Cydia app installed. No details or downloadables yet but it won't be long. All courtesy of Geohot, natch. Update: Though geohot broke the news, looks like @comex was a major contributor. Video of iPad as N64 console and more pics after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone Dev Team's MuscleNerd shows off VNC on iPhone OS 4 beta, hints at jailbreak
We can't get a straight answer on the exact jailbroken status of iPhone OS 4, but MuscleNerd of the iPhone Dev Team (and recent iPad hacking fame) is sure hinting heavily. He's got Veency (a VNC server) and Cydia running on iPhone OS 4 on video, something he claims "you'll only find on JB 4.0." Of course, he also has the dev tools at his disposal and all the bugs and loopholes of an early beta, so we can't be exactly sure what's going on. There's also not much point to releasing an OS 4 beta jailbreak to the public, and MuscleNerd himself recommends not bothering with the betas, as they're "very buggy." Still, it's fun to see these tools alive and well on the newfangled multitasking OS. Check out the video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
SNES Mario Kart power slides onto (non-jailbroken) iPad? (Update)
You're looking at Super Mario Kart, running on the Apple iPad, courtesy of emulation guru ZodTTD. When do you get to play it, faithful reader? Hard to tell. If, say, the iPad had already been jailbroken, all you'd need to do is wait for a suitably safe jailbreak method, download RockApp or Cydia, grab the snes4iphone emulator you see running above, and fire up the ROM. However, the intriguing thing about the above video is not that it's running an SNES game -- but that ZodTTD claims he compiled a special version of his snes4iphone emulator "specifically for non-jailbroken iDevices." Since Zod is almost certainly an official developer, it's possible he output the emulator as an .ipa file and is testing it on a fresh iPad using Apple developer tools, but if we're lucky, it could instead mean that someone has finally found a way to sideload apps onto a stock Apple device. Either way, peep multitouch karts sliding and shells flying on video, right after the break. Update: ZodTTD tells us that while he does have access to the jailbreak, he did have to flex developer muscle (and official dev tools) to make snes4iphone work on a non-jailbroken iPad. He says: The build of snes4iphone running on my iPad as seen in the video was actually based on an AppStore app I submitted called "snesty". Apple quickly rejected it right after pulling the NES emulator. I combined snesty with some snes4iphone features such as using the private API called CoreSurface. I used Apple developer tools and self signed it. Zod says that after Apple officially releases iPhone OS 4.0 and the existing jailbreak is distributed freely, he plans to create new versions of his emulators that run at the iPad's 1024 x 768 native resolution and support touchscreen controls, hardware keyboards and even external controllers should they come.
StyleTap finally brings Palm OS to your iPhone
Well it's been a long time coming, but now you can finally run your favorite Palm OS apps on your (jailbroken) iPhone. The good folks at StyleTap have taken that exciting demo we saw way back in May of 2008 and turned it into a Cydia-downloadable reality. As we said, you'll need to violate Apple's rules (and break Steve's heart) to get the emulator on your device, but once you do you'll be able to run Palm OS applications (compatible up to version 5.2), with support for native ARM apps, Audio recording and playback, virtual memory cards, and TCP/IP connectivity, amongst other features. If you've been hanging on to a Treo or other discontinued Palm product due to your sick dependency on a single program (or set of programs), here's your chance to break free. You'll also be breaking free of $49.99, which is what the folks at StyleTap are requesting for this pleasure, and keep in mind that if you upgrade using one of Apple's official number bumps, you're out of luck with your jailbroken software. Still, we find the existence of this to be totally badical, so hit the read link and bone up on your next purchase.
hacksugar: Putting iPod touch GPS to the test with roqyBluetooth
A few weeks ago, I wrote lovingly about GPS. For me, at least, GPS on the iPhone OS family is often more about the social features that location unlocks than about simple positioning. With GPS, you can track your trips to share with friends and family, see what people have been Yelp-ing about, and find what's happening right now, right near you. When I heard about GPS for iPod touches, I got excited. For a while, I've been reading about roqyBluetooth (aka roqyBT). It's a system hack that allows you to connect an iPod or an early model iPhone to an external GPS receiver over Bluetooth. Yesterday, I finally got a chance to put RoqyBT to the test. Retailing for 8 Euros (about $11), roqyBluetooth is a jailbreak application sold through Cydia and the Rock Store. Its Bluetooth stack implementation hooks into the iPod's Core Location system services. In use, any application that normally queries for Core Location data gains access to the Bluetooth-originated GPS data (including location, elevation, and so forth) just as it would normally receive WiFi positioning or, in the case of the iPhone, cell tower positioning. It works. I bought a simple Bluetooth GPS unit from Semsons.com for about $20. After installing roqyBluetooth and pairing it with my BT GPS, I was able to run Trailguru and track my progress through several trips as I walked and drove to various locations. The Trailguru results were similar to the trails I recorded simultaneously on an iPhone 3GS using the same software. All in all, success. So what were the ups and downs of the process?
iPad UI gets ported to the iPhone and iPod touch
At this particular point, 50-something days away from the earliest iPad deliveries, we doubt too many people are up in arms about the iPad's ability to act as a jumbo iPhone. On the other hand, if we told you you can take pretty much the entire iPad experience and distill it down to your iPhone OS device, well you'd probably care a lot more, wouldn't you? To get that extra 3D flavor to your UI, including the fetching iBooks shelf and other iPad-specific touches, you'll need a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch, access to the Cydia app store, and the manpower to click past the break for the full instructional video. Come on, you know you want to. [Thanks, Taimur]
Using a Wireless Keyboard with an iPhone using BTstack Keyboard
A few days ago, the BTStack keyboard package was released to Cydia. This package, which we posted about recently, allows owners of jailbroken iPhones to use a Bluetooth keyboard with their iPhone 3G or 3GS, or 2nd generation or later iPod touch. The package is available for US$5.00 from Cydia. Since the iPhone was first introduced, there have been efforts to bring support for external accessories. The iPhone 3.0 external accessory framework allowing accessories that connect to the universal dock connector or use Bluetooth has been closed, and only a few companies have developed accessories using the framework. The BTStack project by Matthias Ringwald offers a more complete and open Bluetooth stack for jailbroken iPhones. The stack has even been used with an iPhone and a Wii Remote over Bluetooth. To use a Bluetooth keyboard for quick and easy data entry into your iPhone, you'll need to jailbreak your iPhone, which can be done with an application like blackra1n. Read on to find how I set up my iPhone to use the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and how it works with the iPhone.
Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There's a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!)
The wait has been long, but now there's finally a means by which to connect your dear, yet almost buttonless, iPhone or iPod touch to a Bluetooth keyboard for some more intense finger tapping action. The project that delivered us this teasing video back in February has at long last reached the application stage, where simple commoners like us can use it to synergize our gear -- provided we've had the wherewithal to free it from Cupertino's overbearing clutches first. The BTstack Keyboard app is now available in exchange for $5 at the Cydia store, so if you want to be the first to write a bestseller on his or her iDevice, there's no time like the present. Update: We've done the inevitable and had a quick play with the app ourselves. Pairing our iPhone and keyboard was a veritable cinch, and we were met by delightfully rapid responsiveness throughout, whether using it in Safari, composing text missives, or jotting those novella notes down. You should note that command, cut, copy, paste, and highlighting functions are not yet active, and then hurry along past the break to see a video demo.
NES emulator on the App Store? Not anymore.
TUAW loves our iPhones and we love our NES games. We've been convinced for some time now they are two great tastes that would no doubt taste great together. Tonight I settled in to write a post about how exciting it was that you could play old school public-domain and freeware Nintendo games on your iPhone now, thanks to Jonathan Zdziarski and Nescaline, the app he built to do just that. Ah, Kid Icarus and Ninja Gaiden and Zelda and Mario, all my old friends back again (if I had legal licenses to the ROM images, of course). I was excited to relive my pixelated past, but it was not to be. Jason updated his site this evening saying Nescaline had been pulled: Nescaline was removed from the AppStore by Apple at 22:19 PST tonight. I haven't received anything from Apple as to why. I predict they've either proven to be a pushover to Nintendo, who has no valid claim against Nescaline, or decided they really didn't want the ability to play NES games in the AppStore. NESv3 continues to be available in Cydia. Apple's draconian and anti-competitive AppStore practices is [sic] sadly why jailbreaking will always remain a necessity. I was all set to be indignant about this, but then I read the update again. Is it possible that Apple yanked it simply for being available on Cydia? Not being the person at my house who runs a jailbroken iPhone, I don't have any experience with anything being available through Cydia that is also available on the App Store. I know there are those who have been pulled from the App Store for one reason or another and made their way to Cydia, but I can't find any apps that seem to be available in both places. I would like to think this is the issue Apple saw with Nescaline and that's why it vanished, since the "Nintendo's knickers are in a twist" reason seems more heavy-handed. Then again, there's also the "no un-vetted code running in emulation" rule that the C64 emulator ran afoul of previously, which might well be the issue. Either way I'm disappointed: since my phone is not jailbroken I can't just get it from Cydia now that it's gone from the App Store. I do have a couple of long weekends coming though, and Google says it's pretty easy...
Camcorder brings video recording to iPhone 3G and 1st gen
Want to record video on your iPhone 3G or 1st generation unit? No need to jailbreak anymore. A $0.99US app called "Camcorder (for iPhone 3G and 2G)" [iTunes link] promises real time video recording on your older equipment, similarly to the free Ustream app. So how does it work? In our initial and very quick try, not so badly -- but at the same time, really not so great. Prepare for a slow frame rate (tested on 3G and on a 3GS) with just okay audio. For $0.99, there's not much value there, especially considering you can't do anything with the videos you capture except watch them on your phone until you delete them (although they are backed up with your sandbox data, they are inaccessible except to iPhone geeks). The GUI is flimsy as well. For example, you actually have to reach under a toolbar to swipe-to-delete the most recent recording. While the entire application feels a bit like a rush job, you've got to admit that it's nice to have approved access to App Store video recording without jailbreak on older equipment -- but for now, you'd be better off with the Ustream app and the ability to save your videos to a destination. For jailbroken phones, I personally love Cydia's Cycorder app -- it has recorded many school plays and concerts. Camcorder provides a bit of the same functionality (albeit at a slightly lower quality) without having to go the jailbreak route. That's a good thing... and it will be a better thing when/if the app adds some export functionality. This app works by using the long-blacklisted UIGetScreenImage() function that I've written about in the past. (I discovered this use by scanning the application using my APIkit scanner.) Apple must have willingly given the go-ahead for its use, as their automated scanning must have picked the same function call. Good news on the "more flexible review" front. Since Apple recently gave the green light to the UStream video app, with Qik hot on its heels, it's likely we'll see more of these applications that provide iPhone video functionality for livecasting or recording from your device. So how much is Apple loosening up? It's hard to tell, despite the buzz surrounding recent "non-rejection" letters, where developers are warned about API use at the same time their applications are given the go ahead for App Store. I may just go ahead and resubmit my AppFlow application launcher that Apple rejected ages ago, which is full of unauthorized APIs from one end to the other. Maybe its time has come. Update: TUAW reader Josh points to the $0.99 iVideoCamera [iTunes link] also new on App Store (December 12), that does let you save to your camera roll.
