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Too lazy to grab your TV remote? Use Siri instead
Siri hasn't been caught cooking dinner yet, but hackers worldwide have boldly taken Apple's personal assistant to a whole new level by incorporating its functionality with a plethora of different devices. We've seen Siri use custom commands, change the temperature in your house, and even allow select car owners to utilize their automobile's Bluetooth integration. Nifty, no doubt, but this assistant's evolution towards greater heights isn't over yet. Vimeo user toddtreece has whipped up a slick demo of the iPhone 4S' right hand gal (or guy) taking command of his television set. From changing channels to turning off devices, with the help of a proxy and a few parts, you can get your own home setup running on voice activation. Feeling a bit guilty for your sudden interest in slothfulness? Fret not -- Siri's apparently quite good at calling you out. Have a look just after the break. [Thanks, Jesse]
Daily Update for November 30, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Siri lends a hand via your Bluetooth-enabled car stereo, reminds you to buy milk (video)
Sure, we've seen Siri used to do a host of things, including controlling the temperature in a hacker's home. But the folks over at Autoblog were curious to know just how well the virtual assistant would work with Bluetooth-enabled car stereos. Once your iPhone 4S is properly tethered, holding down the handset's home button will activate Siri. Treating her as an incoming call, your Notorious B.I.G. playlist will pause before the ready-for-command chime sounds. The in-car assistant was tested on two Mercedes-Benz automobiles, a Chrysler 300, a Dodge Charger and a Nissan Maxima, with the Maxima showcasing the best results. It comes as no surprise that mic placement on each stereo and in-cabin background noise provided a noticeable difference in Siri's listening abilities during the test. For a glimpse of the action before trying it out yourself, hit the video just past the break.
Jailbroken iOS 5 devices get Siri0us, tap into Nuance's dictation servers (video) (update)
Sure, it's leaps and bounds away from all the parlor tricks that Siri is able to perform, but now, jailbroken iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch devices -- that have been upgraded to iOS 5 -- may access the dictation portion of Siri's prowess. Thanks to Siri0us, the free app available through Cydia, users will gain the option to speak messages and search queries rather than type them, which could be a huge time saver -- unless there's a series of mistakes, anyway. Rather than accessing Apple's own system, the app works by tapping into Nuance's Dragon Go servers for speech recognition. Rather subversive, don't you think? If you'd like to get in on the fun (before Nuance breaks up the party), just check the video following the break. Update: Well, who didn't see this one coming? Nuance has pulled the rug out from under Siri0us, and the app has been yanked from Cydia while the developer searches for another speech recognition server. Happy hunting, dude.
iOS 5.1 beta seeded to developers (Update: iPhone 5, new iPad and Apple TV revealed?)
The latest update to iOS 5 is drawing near, folks, as the beta of version 5.1 was just released on Apple's developer site. You can grab the build if you're in possession of an iPhone 3GS or later, either iPad or the third and fourth generations of the iPod Touch. We're hoping to see some fixes to the battery life issues on the iPhone 4S, as the company has acknowledged the concern and promised a fix in the near future. Stay tuned as we learn more about the new refresh. Update: A little digging has already revealed a new product ID contained in the update, referencing an "iPad 2,4". There's some speculation that this could be a reference to a tablet with a modem from Sprint built in, but even if that's the case, who knows if it would actually be released prior to the next generation iPad. Update 2: More leaks! Now 9to5Mac is reporting on a new device, codenamed "J33", which it believes refers to a new model of the Apple TV box. Hit up the link for a few more well-reasoned rumors, we'll let you know if any more details surface. Update 3: Ok, now we're starting to think someone in Cupertino is just screwing with us. One more time, sleuths have uncovered a reference to the elusive iPhone 5 (aka "iPhone 5,1") in the code, as shown above. Check the third link for more details from 9to5Mac, and prepare for a whole new round of next gen iPhone rumors incoming any minute now.
Chronic Dev team releases C-Dev Reporter tool
As noted by RedmondPie the Chronic Dev Team, the people behind the GreenPois0n jailbreaking tool, have released a beta of a new tool which aims to circumvent iOS crash reports being sent to Apple and instead funnels them to the Chronic Dev Team. The tool, called C-Dev Reporter, aims to notify the Chronic Dev Team instead of Apple, so they can better find exploits in iOS that could allow for easier and faster untethered jailbreaks. As the Chronic Dev blog explains it: At this point, the program copies all the crash reports off your device (which, under normal circumstances, would be sent right back to Apple), and instead sends this data to a secure, private server hosted by your friendly Chronic Dev team. Next, our program proceeds to neuter your copy of iTunes, simply by changing your settings to prevent your computer from sending any further diagnostic information from your device to Apple. iOS crash reports are a very important part of what allows Apple to keep making iOS more secure. It allows Apple to identify security and stability issues and fix them before shady developers can exploit your iPhone or iPad for nefarious purposes. C-Dev Reporter isn't designed with that goal in mind. With possibly hundreds of thousands of iOS error reports being rerouted to the Chronic Dev Team and not Apple, and while Chronic Dev Team's intentions are well-intended, their C-Dev Reporter tool could at the very least stop Apple from receiving critical error reports that help to make iOS better for people who don't jailbreak and, at most, be hijacked to flag and use exploits for illicit purposes.
SiriProxy enables voice control of third-party apps (video)
If you'll rewind your mind in time to earlier this week, you might remember a clever proxy server from @plamoni that enabled Siri's control of a thermostat through spoken commands. Now, the same bit of engineering has been exploited to enable voice control of third-party applications. In this example, FastPdfKit Reader is manipulated by various commands with SiriProxy acting in the middle. A plugin is used to add new commands to the ones recognized by Siri, and finally, the proxy then sends the final commands to the app. Those hoping to get hacking will find a complete list of instructions from the source link below. For everyone else, you'll find the true magic after the break.
Thanks to iOS 5, some users lose WiFi connectivity
Of all the enhancements to discover in Apple's iOS 5 upgrade, it seems that an unforeseen monster may have snuck its way into the release. We're now reading through a handful of user complaints about losing WiFi after taking the plunge, with most replies mentioning intermittent connectivity and / or a significant loss in signal strength. The issue remains unconfirmed by Apple, but it appears to span across a number of devices, including the iPhone 4S, 4 and 3GS, along with the iPad (and possibly, the iPod Touch). By troubleshooting, one user was able to resolve the problem by reverting to iOS 4.3, then cause it to manifest -- once again -- by upgrading to iOS 5. The recent iOS 5.0.1 update certainly hasn't fixed the matter, either. Could these reports be an unfortunate series of unrelated events, or is there something larger at play? Sound off about your experience with WiFi and iOS 5 in the comments below. [Thanks, Iain]
Developer builds Siri proxy server
Last week, a bunch of hackers cracked open the Siri protocol and explained how the service sends information back and forth to Apple's server. Now, another developer, known only by his twitter handle @plamoni, created a proxy server to extend the functionality of Siri on your phone. The proxy server contains custom commands that Siri on the iPhone 4S can use. In his demo video, he shows how Siri can communicate with his indoor wireless thermostat. He is able to grab status information and turn the heat on and off. The server works with Siri on a stock iPhone 4S handset and doesn't require any jailbreak. It only works with the iPhone 4S right now and is not ported to earlier iPhone models or the iPod touch. He has released the proxy server to the open source community so they can experiment with it. You can grab the source code from github and check out a demo video from the developer below. [Vis Engadget, ijailbreak.com and iPhone Hacks]
The Engadget Interview: Dr. Charlie Miller
Dr. Charlie Miller -- a man who has been covered extensively here at Engadget -- snagged a doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. He spent five years working on cryptography for the National Security Agency. And, after heading into the wilds of security analysis, he was the first to find a bug in the battery of the first MacBook Air, various bugs within Mac OS X and the Safari web browser and assorted bugs within iOS itself, all while racking up thousands of dollars in hacking contest prize money. PWN 2 OWN over: MacBook Air gets seized in 2 minutes flat The Pwn2Own trifecta: Safari, IE 8, and Firefox exploited on day 1 Linux becomes only OS to escape PWN 2 OWN unscathed Last week, this came to a head, as Miller created a controversial proof of concept application that both proved the existence of an iOS security hole as well as got him expelled from the App Store's developer network. Given that he's driven Apple Inc. somewhat nuts over the past few years, we sat down with the good doctor to see how he felt about Apple, iOS, security, technology, sandboxing, the pros and cons of modern security and the ups and downs of one of the weirdest career paths for any aspiring technologist today. Join us after the break for the full interview in both textual and audio form.
Minecraft arrives to mine your wallets on iOS
Those who sit inside the Venn diagram of iOS users and Minecraft fans have been missing out on all the love. They watched with envious eyes as the mobile edition of the world-building game launched on the Xperia Play before an Android-wide release back in October. As of today, that injustice has been remedied, but it's not all gravy. The Pocket Edition of the game is the same stripped-down version that you can play on Gingerbread; that means there's no crafting, mining or survival modes -- just the classic construction mode. Considering the spartan nature of the software, the $7 asking price seems pretty hefty -- still, when you need a fix, you need a fix, right?
Rumor: iOS updates to address remaining battery issues, add new Siri commands
German blog Macerkopf claims it's heard directly from an Apple software engineer that iOS 5.0.2 "should arrive before the end of next week" and will address remaining battery issues that have affected some iPhone 4S units even after the recent 5.0.1 update. Macerkopf also claims that a larger update (which the blog assumes will be iOS 5.1) will come with updated commands for Siri that will allow users to access hardware functions via voice commands. Currently Siri gets apologetic when you ask it to do things like take a picture or turn Bluetooth on/off, but Macerkopf claims these commands will be added to Siri in the 5.1 update. Although Macerkopf hasn't supplied any direct evidence for its claims, this rumor still sounds plausible. Apple obviously wants to address any remaining battery issues as quickly as it can before the media decides to spin another "-gate" controversy out of it, and adding basic hardware commands to Siri just makes good sense.
Exploit discovered in Siri servers, promises cross-platform access to the foolhardy
A few clever folk have had some fun with Siri lately, first by making it do the time warp with the Fat Mac and then by shoehorning it into an iPhone 3GS. Neither development is quite so intriguing, however, as a purported exploit that enables any device to access to Siri's remote server. While this certainly holds great potential for Siri apps on numerous platforms, the mystical floodgates to the masses are unlikely to open any time soon. You see, the hackers have since learned that for seamless communication to take place, a unique identifier from an iPhone 4S must be provided to the mothership in Cupertino. While it's certainly feasible to spoof these bits from an existing device, it's also likely that Apple would simply blacklist any "unique" identifiers submitted en masse. In other words, unless you have a very trusting friend who's willing to risk her handset join the naughty list, your best bet is to purchase an iPhone 4S -- simply for the identifier alone. At any rate, it seems like a steep price to find a locksmith.
iPhone 101: Set up keyboard shortcuts for easier typing
Typing on the iPhone or iPad becomes easier as you get used to it, but some things remain cumbersome to write even after years of use. The keyboard acrobatics required to type something like "Wi-Fi + 3G" or a long email address on a touchscreen keyboard can be somewhat maddening if you have to input that multiple times a day. Fortunately, a new feature in iOS 5 comes to the rescue: custom keyboard shortcuts. In the Settings app, navigating to General > Keyboard > Shortcuts gives you access to a fully customizable list of shortcuts you can edit to your heart's content. If you're familiar with TextExpander on the Mac, this setting in iOS 5 functions much the same way. Only one shortcut is included by default: "omw" = "On my way!" You can edit that shortcut or add completely new ones, and as long as the shortcuts are easy to remember and easy to type, you can vastly speed up your typing on the iPhone for common phrases you use. When you tap the "+" icon on the Shortcuts screen, you'll see a page that gives you input options for "Phrase" and "Shortcut." The "Phrase" setting is what you want your shortcut to expand into, while "Shortcut" is what you'll actually type. As one example, I've set up "Wi-Fi + 3G" as a phrase on my iPhone. All I actually have to type is wifiggg, and my iPhone will automatically expand that into "Wi-Fi + 3G." I also write about Apple on Twitter quite a bit, and in order to squeeze within Twitter's character limits I've set up a shortcut to substitute in the character for the Apple logo () whenever I type the shortcut applogo. Setting up similar shortcuts will allow you to type all sorts of special characters not included on the iPhone's keyboard. Another way the keyboard shortcuts feature comes in handy is circumventing the standard autocorrect for some terms. Many times in the past I'd type the word "hell" and have it autocorrected to "he'll," for example (all those times my mom put soap in my mouth didn't teach me a thing). I still haven't been able to work around what I consider iOS's most irritating autocorrection -- its always corrects to it's even after setting up a keyboard shortcut trying to prevent it -- but I've been able to eliminate most iOS autocorrect oddities via keyboard shortcuts. iOS 5's shortcuts feature is a great way to simplify inputting text you find yourself typing many times throughout the day, and as PC World points out, you can even use it to set up multiple email signatures for different use cases. As far as I can tell there doesn't appear to be a limit to the phrase length -- I put in half the lyrics to "Yellow Submarine" with a "yllwsub" shortcut, and iOS didn't complain -- so you could potentially create shortcuts for several paragraphs of text that you can quickly input with just a few keystrokes.
IconSettings gives you simple control of your iDevice without jailbreaking
Look, we understand, some of you are a little timid about jailbreaking your iPhone. You've looked on in envy as your contemporaries have thrown warranties to the wind and enjoyed the convenience of turning on and off their WiFi from the homescreen. But, be jealous no longer. A crafty developer has figured out how to bring the same capabilities your iDevice with little more than a browser bookmark -- no jailbreaking required. IconSettings lets you quickly access or toggle various settings on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, provided its running iOS 5. Setting it up is as simple as saving a bookmark to your home screen. Then you just tap the links and, voilà, you can turn on and off Bluetooth, change brightness levels, or disengage autolock. You'll find full instructions and the appropriate bookmarks at the source links.
Apple iPhone 4S now available for $99... in Puerto Rico
Sure, you can now purchase an unlocked iPhone 4S within the US officially, but folks in the outlying territory of Puerto Rico have some tempting options if they'll go the long-term contractual route. The region's division of carrier, Claro, is now selling the Siri-packed device starting at the low, low price of $99 for the 16GB model on-contract -- those scared of commitment can also snag it unlocked, albeit for a slightly pricey $670 (which as 9to5Mac points out, is up $20 from Apple). The carrier also lists the 32 and 64GB variants as "expected soon," marked to sell at $199 / $299 with a two-year commitment and $770 / $870 unlocked. Notably, you'll have a choice of four monthly plans featuring unlimited talk and text ranging from about 65 to 85 bucks, with data allotments starting at 250MB and peaking at "unlimited." Apparently, Claro isn't offering the 4S for purchase online, but it does list a number of retail locations you can grab one from if you're interested. You'll find more details at the source link below.
iOS 5.0.1 For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch can be jailbroken with Redsn0w
For the jailbreakers among you, you'll be happy to hear that iOS 5.0.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch can indeed be jailbroken with Redsn0w. RedmondPie has tested and confirmed that Apple's latest version of iOS 5 can be tether-jailbreaked by using the latest version of Redsn0w. Redmond does note that the "SemiTether" patch continues to work, but iOS 5.0.1 "will not function to a satisfactory degree" on devices using SemiTether until users connect to Redsn0w on a Mac or PC. Jailbreaking is best left to the more experienced, tech-savvy users, but if you're feeling adventurous, RedmondPie has all the details on how to jailbreak your Apple device running the very latest iOS release.
Poll: Have you noticed battery improvements after updating to iOS 5.0.1?
Yesterday, Apple pushed out iOS 5.0.1, just about four weeks after releasing iOS 5 to the masses. Among the reported fixes: battery life improvements, following a confirmed bug in the initial release. We're hearing reports that battery life remains an issue for some iPhone 4S owners, however, and that it's been reduced even further for others. We want to hear about your experience, though, so let us know what's up in the poll below, and jump past the break to join other iPhone owners in the comments.%Poll-70860%
Report: 39% of photos on Twitter posted from iOS devices
According to the photo search engine Skylines, iOS devices account for 39% of all photos posted on Twitter. Of the 24 million photos posted to Twitter in the week of October 22nd to October 29th, Twitter for iPhone came in highest with 21%, Instagram accounted for 13% and the iOS 5 Camera and Photos app accounted for 5%, bringing the total to 39%. Apple's new iOS 5 introduced integrated Twitter functionality, bringing posting of photos to Twitter directly from the Camera and Photos App. iOS 5 has only been out since October 12th and it's already the 7th biggest photo client for Twitter. Other big players were Twitter for Blackberry at 12% and Twitter for Android at 10%. Twitpic accounted for 8%, but was not counted towards the iOS percentage because it is a multiplatform client. Read Skylines' report on their blog here. [Via TNW]
Apple's US online store begins selling unlocked, contract-free iPhone 4S: $649 and up
You can't expect to see one for "one to two weeks," but those hellbent on holding out for an unlocked iPhone 4S here in the US of A can finally snag one without jetting off to Australia (among other places). Nearly five months to the day after Apple started selling the iPhone 4 in unlocked fashion in the States, the iPhone 4S is joining the club, with a 16GB model going for $649, a 32GB model for $749 and a 64GB variant for $849. Just so you're aware, the unlocked phone enables you to use any micro-SIM from any GSM carrier worldwide, but it won't play nice with CDMA carriers "such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint." And yes, both the black and white versions are up for order. Hit the source link to part ways with your chosen amount of cash.[Thanks, Hicham]
