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iOS 5.1 gets tethered jailbreak for non-A5 iPads, iPhones and iPods
We've got good news for anyone intrigued by the new (largely incremental) features of Apple's latest mobile OS update. MuscleNerd, famed iOS meddler, has confirmed that iOS 5.1 can be jailbroken to the original iPad, iPhone 4 and 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touch devices. Unfortunately, it's still a tethered jailbreak which means you'll need to "just boot" the device using redsn0w whenever it powers down. However, we're sure those iOS hackers are already working on that minor niggle. Get the full instructions and those ever-important warnings over at Think iOS, which also links to the required iOS 5.1 files. [Thanks all]
iPhone turns five today: a smartphone launch worth remembering
It's been said that Apple has managed to "steal" every CES for the past five years, and without a doubt, it all started on January 9th, 2007. In a day that'll live on in Engadget lore as being one of the zaniest, most overwhelming 24 hours in our history, we can fondly recall shipping Ryan Block a few hours northwest from the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center to the MacWorld Expo to cover what would go down as one of Apple's most memorable keynotes. What happened after that is evident to just about anyone who has even heard of a mobile phone, with Apple's singular smartphone (yes, the iPhone) going on to but pressure on the likes of Microsoft, RIM and even Google. In fact, we're wondering if humans are still alive today to remember a time before the iPhone. Is that even possible? Will we one day say the same about Siri? Has anyone thought to ask Siri that very question?
Untethered jailbreak now available for pre-A5 iPhones, iPads and Touches
It's just a few weeks since pod2g revealed his untethered jailbreak for iOS 5 and -- boom -- all of a sudden it's up for the DL. The exploit has been incorporated into redsn0w 0.9.10, the Pwnage Tool and Chronic Devteam's Cydia package, and it works on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (including the CDMA version), iPad 1, iPod Touch 3G and iPod Touch 4G, so long as they've been updated to iOS 5.0.1. Meanwhile, pod2g is reportedly now looking for a way to snap the shackles on A5-based devices too, but hopefully only after he's taken some rest -- a burned-out jailbreaker is no good to anybody. Full instructions are at the source link. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhones, iPod Touches still on iOS 3.1.3 can't download new apps directly from the App Store
While fragmentation is a rare(r) problem on iOS there's still quite a few users rocking older versions on their devices. Unfortunately for them, ever since a recent update on the 16th they haven't been able to download any new apps from the App Store straight to their devices. While users of older iPod Touches and iPhones stuck on 3.1.3 by choice or incompatibility with newer OSes can still update the apps they already have and transfer software from iTunes on a computer, they can't buy or install new ones directly from the device. We were able to confirm the issue on one of our own devices, while there's a pretty lengthy thread in Apple's support forum about the issue, but no official response yet. We'll keep you posted if word comes that this is just a glitch or if the company has decided to leave those old versions on the outside looking in. [Thanks, Domo]
New iOS developer betas posted
Apple has posted several new betas for members of the paid iOS developer program. Point your browser to the developer site, and use your credentials to log in. You'll find new betas for iOS 4.2 as well as several other items that we're not sure we can specifically mention without breaking NDAs. Download. Enjoy. Have fun. Thank you everyone who pinged us!
iPad gets Xvid AVI video playback with CineXPlayer app on iTunes, hell freezes over
Now here's a surprise. Apple isn't exactly known to be super friendly when it comes to video compatibility, and we can sympathize to an extent. However, for some inexplicable reason, Steve's brethren decided to give this CineXPlayer app the green light for general consumption, thus finally allowing iPad users to load up their stash of Xvid AVI files -- sans conversion -- via iTunes. While this is worth a quick celebration, it's still rather absurd having to resort to underhanded apps for such basic functionality -- something that we've been able to do natively on many other tablets and PMPs for years. Let's not also assume that this free app is staying for good, so grab it while it's hot. Video instructions after the break.
Apple slyly enables background iDisk music streaming in iOS 4
Well, would you look at that? The v1.2 update to MobileMe iDisk that Apple pushed out last month has a secret -- er, did have a secret. One of the concealed new features of the app is background streaming, or as Apple puts it, the ability to "play audio from your iDisk while using another app." For starters, it's pretty fantastic just to have this functionality in-hand for your own garage jams, but what's more is that any licensed music on your iDisk still streams perfectly fine. Only time will tell if any record labels (or that mean, mean RIAA) step forward with a grievance, but this could very well be the beginning of iTunes in the cloud. Or a reason for buying Lala. Or a mysterious combination of the two.
Skype updated for iOS 4, background VoIP is a go (update: no plans to charge for 3G use)
Well, it's about time. Touted back in March as one of the pillar apps to benefit from the new multitasking API, Skype has finally been updated to iOS 4 compatibility. We're seeing crisper, more retina display-friendly graphics and, more importantly, background VoIP (not for iPhone 3G, naturally). A notification window will pop up when you're called or messaged, and you can use other apps while on the line chatting to international friends at reduced rates. Even on the lock screen, if you receive a call, sliding to unlock will take you immediately into the call. Video chat still isn't here -- a darn shame given the lack of other options now -- but now you've got even more of a reason to rack up those rollover minutes on AT&T's voice plan. Download away! Update: Remember when Skype was talking about charging extra for calls over 3G starting this month? Straight from the horse's mouth: "we no longer have plans to charge a supplement to make calls over 3G." [Thanks, Tyler C]
devsugar: Understanding iPhone 4 backgrounding
If you're looking for a simple and easy-to-follow introduction to iPhone 4's new backgrounding abilities, head on over to Oliver Drobnik's weblog and check out his latest write-up. You'll find a lovingly crafted graphic that walks you through the iPhone application lifecycle, showing how an application reacts to system changes like incoming phone calls or users' home button presses. A small portion of the chart appears at the top of this post. Don't miss Drobnik's write-up in addition to his flowchart. I like the case he lays out for using applicationDidEnterBackground as the perfect place for saving state before giving up application control. As he points out, applicationWillTerminate will not get called in many application suspension cases. Drobnik continues to refine his write-up, so keep checking back in for last-minute tuning and updates.
iPhone OS 2 apps no longer welcome on the App Store
Apple hasn't been shy about dropping support for older hardware and software in recent years, and it looks like the iPhone and iPod touch are no exception: according to a short note on the iPhone developer site encouraging devs to get ready for iOS 4, the App Store will no longer affect apps that target iOS 2. That doesn't really mean much right now -- apart from a few iPod touch owners who didn't pay the $10 iOS 3 upgrade fee, we doubt there are many people out there still running iOS 2 -- but we can see Apple dropping support for iOS 3 apps next year when iOS 5 and a new iPhone are announced, and that'll effectively be the end of the original iPhone and touch, which can't be upgraded to iOS 4. That's a four-year shelf life, which isn't too bad considering the insane pace of mobile development, but we can still shed a tear -- especially since we paid $599 for the damn thing on contract way back when.
iMovie for iPhone gets a cheeky hack for jailbroken 3GS, runs well-oiled
Not feeling hot about the trouble-prone iPhone 4, but still tempted by its optional iMovie app? Now you have a choice! Turns out to run said app on other devices (including iPod touch, supposedly) running iOS 3.0 and above, all you need are a jailbroken iOS device, iMovie for iPhone from the App Store, and two quick edits in the app's info.plist file -- change minimum system version to "3.0.0" and front-facing-camera to "false." Sounds easy enough, although we've yet to see the hacked app actually running on devices other than the 3GS demoed in the video after the break. And sorry, Redmond Pie's already confirmed that this sucker doesn't work on the iPad... yet.
First day thoughts on iPhone 4
The day has finally come. After 2 1/2 hours in the reserved line, I was able to walk out with the iPhone 4 up and running, albeit without contacts, music, videos or my app collection. Getting it home and synced was uneventful. iTunes detected the new phone and dutifully restored everything. A couple of reminders, however: First, some passwords won't survive the sync. I had to sign on to Pandora again, enter my email passwords once more, and tell my Navigon app that I did indeed purchase traffic and panorama view maps. Tapping their icons re-loaded them, but the panorama maps don't display properly just yet, while the regular 2D and 3D maps work just fine. Hopefully this will be part of a Navigon update that includes multitasking. Oh, and your Bluetooth devices will have to be re-paired as well. Speed increases are pretty obvious and very welcome. I could easily discern the extra speed in bringing up web pages, long playlists and even the address book.
Okay, you've got an iPhone 4 -- now what?
Whether you were lucky enough to score an early delivery, blazed through a pre-order reservation line, or camped out all night, you're going to want to take full advantage of your hard-won new iPhone 4 once you get it home. As we said in our review, the core experience of using an iPhone hasn't changed too dramatically with iOS 4 and the new hardware -- it's instead been refined and extended with some new capabilities. That means you'll need to poke around a little and download some updated apps to really see all the benefits -- there's some fun stuff to uncover. So without further ado, let's run down the list of things to try and do with your new iPhone, as well as highlight some essential apps that'll let you get the most out of your new toy. Read on!
iPhone 3G, iOS 4, and you -- what's missing (spoiler: multitasking)
While iOS 4 is delivering on every promise for the iPhone 3GS users out there, as we were all told up front, the iPhone 3G would be missing some of those touted new features. Granted, we knew such disparities would exist but were never given the finer details. Now that the final build is percolating through the internet, we decided to take a look at what features are and aren't working on the earlier year's model. What's there Folders Threaded mail iTunes playlist creation / editing 5x digital zoom: just tap on the display near the capture button, but be warned, it doesn't paint a pretty picture iBooks: we were having issues with the earlier build, but it seems to be running fine after today's official download -- PDFs work, too. Photos: you can now sort by albums, events, faces, and places Game Center: the icon is present, but as of this writing we're unable to connect to the servers. (Update: a number of readers saying it didn't come with today's download. We nabbed ours as a gold build, which might explain the discrepancy despite still being considered "up to date" by iTunes.) Spell check has been updated Spotlight search: you can search the web and Wikipedia from the home screen search bar. That said, not all our queries -- "Engadget," for example -- weren't offering the option. [Thanks, jkane08] What isn't Multitasking: this is the big one. Double-tapping the home button doesn't give you the handy menu, there's no fast app switching, and background use is missing in action. Screen lock: normally in the multitasking menu (which isn't available on 3G), it's nowhere to be found, even under Settings. Bummer. Home screen wallpaper: you'd think this simple addition would make the cut, but sadly no. The dock has been given a visual upgrade, though. Bluetooth Keyboard support: we haven't tried this ourselves, but an influx of reports from Twitter suggest this is also a no-go. We'll keep testing, but be sure to let us know your own discoveries below!
Apple now accepting iOS 4 apps, multitasking ahoy
Although we've been running iPhone OS 4 -- now known as iOS 4 -- since it was first announced in April, we actually haven't been able to try out any of the fancy new multitasking features, since no third party apps have been released with support yet. That's all about to change: as of today, Apple is accepting iOS 4 apps, which means we should see quite a few apps that take advantage of multitasking on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, as well as make use of the 1500 other new APIs in the system when it launches on June 21. That's definitely good news, but we've got a feeling Apple's unique take on iPhone multitasking will take a few people by surprise, as only certain tasks are allowed in the background -- and apps that need to run persistently, like IRC and IM clients, still won't really work at all. In fact, there's already some rumblings by devs that they need additional backgrounding tools in order to provide features that users are asking for; Instapaper's Marco Ament has proposed a network polling API that would allow his app to update content in the background, for example. We'll see how quickly Apple responds to these requests, but for right now we're just happy we'll finally be able to switch away from a Skype call or GPS app while using our iPhones. [Thanks, Oliver]
iOS 4 gold works with any compatible iPhone / iPod touch via iTunes 9.2, jailbreak also updated
Want to get your hands on an iOS 4-equipped device now without being a registered Apple developer? As a number of readers have pointed out, it seems yesterday's gold build release works on any applicable iPhone / iPod touch whether or not its UDID has been sent to the dev center. Now that the previous restraint has been lifted, the only requirement now is a copy of iTunes 9.2 -- currently for Macs only and still blocked by the developer gate, but once you manage to obtain the appropriate files, the only thing in your path is time itself. Sure enough, we just got through installing the build on an unregistered iPhone without a hitch. Details available via Gumball Tech, and please, don't forget to back up your data ahead of time. In less rule-abiding news, the not-quite-surgical hand of the jailbreak community has taken a gander at the gold. A developer known as msft.guy, whose previous credentials includes recently-released binary "which enabled blacksn0w unlock port for iPhone 3GS on iOS 4 Beta 4" according to Redmond Pie, has updated PwnageTool for yesterday's update. As always, proceed with that one at your own risk, and if you're curious but hesitant, the ever-reliable iPhone Dev Team promise a full jailbreak / unlock suite later this month. Either way, video proof is available after the break. Update: Just to clarify, iOS 4 now works with any iPhone / iPod touch that's already been proven compatible -- the trick here is that you now don't need to register with Apple before trying. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iOS 4 gold build now available to iPhone Developer Program members
You've got to wait a couple weeks to get this if you're the run-of-the-mill iPhone type -- but if you've ponied up the Benjamin for an iPhone Developer Program membership (who's probably suffered through a handful of iPhone OS 4 beta builds over the last few months), you're now able to download the Gold Master seed of iOS 4 directly from Apple's site. Let us know if you manage to sprout a front-facing cam on your 3GS to test FaceTime or anything cool like that, alright? Update: We just updated to iOS 4 GM and haven't noticed anything particularly new or crazy yet. The install requires a beta of iTunes 9.2 to be installed as well, which adds in support for app folders and backups, but otherwise life is proceeding just like it did when we had beta 3 installed. We'll let you know if we spot anything as we go.
iOS 4 Gold Master Release Candidate almost ready for download
Finally! The iPhone OS 4.0 SDK iOS 4 SDK is almost (but not quite) ready to roll for all members of Apple's developer program, not just the paid App Store developers. However it's likely to be a week or two before everyone gets access to the GM release. Right now, it's still going to be a release candidate. Paid devs are almost ready to finally start shipping apps leveraging the new firmware's amazingly cool features. We can't wait until we start seeing VoiP and Game Center apps in action. Today, you'll be able to head on over to Apple's developer site and start downloading your copy of the 4.0 SDK release candidate. Although the site still shows beta 4, the gold master release candidate, as Steve announced at the Keynote this morning, should be ready momentarily. Of course, the iPad SDK is another matter. Any iPad SDK, when it appears (likely in the fall sometime), will remain under an ongoing NDA until that firmware and SDK is officially released. But the good news is that the new version of the iPhone firmware is just around the corner on June 21st. UPDATE: The developer site is DOWN.
iPhone OS 4 renamed iOS 4, launching June 21 with 1500 new features
We knew it had to happen eventually -- iPhone OS has been renamed to iOS with the bump to version 4. Some 1500 new features are coming along with the name change, including biggies like multitasking, a unified inbox, app folders, and data detectors. Although Apple is encouraging devs to tweak their apps for the iPhone 4's new Retina Display, iOS4 will also automatically redraw text and controls for existing apps to make them play nice with the new higher pixel density. Bing search integration has also been added to iOS 4 in addition to Google and Yahoo -- Google is still the default, though. The golden master is available to devs today, and Steve says the 100 millionth iOS device -- that's iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad -- will be sold sometime this month. That's a lot of devices! We found out about most of the features of iOS 4 at the SDK event, so check here for the full rundown. Apple says iOS 4 will arrive for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and the iPod touch on June 21 -- and it'll be free to iPod touch owners for the first time, which is nice. Not all features will be supported across all devices: the first-gen touch is left out entirely, and the 3G won't do multitasking, as we heard at the SDK event. We'll see if there are any other limitations and let you know. Amusingly, an iOS trademark is currently owned by Cisco -- just like the original iPhone trademark -- so we'll see if Apple's lawyers actually called ahead this time around or if they'll have to fake-tussle and make nice again.%Gallery-94591% Check out more from WWDC 2010 in our liveblog!
Steve Jobs live from WWDC 2010
It all starts today at the times below! 07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 02:00AM - Tokyo (June 8th)
