Apple TV to Turn into More Than Just a Hobby?

by Cody on Mar 27, 2011

When questioned about the Apple TV’s lackluster sales, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said that Apple TV was “just a hobby.” That might have been the case at last years annual Goldman Sachs’ technology conference in San Francisco when delegates asked Apple’s COO the question, but not anymore.

Apple’s second release of the Apple TV came in the form of a trimmed down black case and a low price of $99. With NetFlix and MLB integration, Apple TV2 seemed much more appealing than the original.

With the introduction of AirPlay in iOS 4.3, Apple made your HDTV you already had start interacting with the iDevices you already carried.

Fast forward to yesterday, March 25 2011. AppleInsider is reporting that Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty sent a note to investors yesterday that read “checks in Asia suggest Apple is working on a Smart TV prototype.”  The news has been traveling through the tech blogs like wildfire as everyone is intrigued to see what Apple will come up with next.

Are the folks that brought us the mouse and the click wheel ready to invade our living rooms for real this time? It’s possible. Huberty speculated that a Smart TV would be an opportunity for Apple to consolidate innovative hardware with their iTunes software and other technologies.

An Apple TV set would bring the iTunes Goliath media library into homes that weren’t using it before on other products. It could also bring technologies like FaceTime into the homes of the not-so-tech-savvy. If given access to Apple’s current App Store, an Apple HDTV would immediately turn into a gaming hub, compatible with all of your current iDevices.

Only time will tell what Apple has planned for the future. I think it’s very likely we start seeing Apple branded products outside of their current scope. And if the previous success of Apple’s previous products are any indication, whatever it is, they’ll probably sell millions.

 

Phil Schiller Says No iPad 2 Keyboard Dock in the Works

by Cody on Mar 27, 2011

If you were one of the people lucky enough to grab an iPad 2 while they were still available, you might be looking for an alternative to the iPad’s built in soft keyboard. With the original iPad, Apple released a keyboard dock that would connect an Apple keyboard to your iPad and charge it at the same time.

If you are searching for a similar accessory from Apple for the iPad 2, keep looking. 9to5mac is reporting that one of their readers emailed Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing Phil Schiller on this very topic.

From what I’ve heard, the Apple keyboard dock is not made for the iPad 2. Is there an ipad 2 version that I can’t find on your online store – or is it coming soon?

It seems Schiller’s reply to the email doesn’t necessarily answer the question, but definitely gives you the idea that Apple will not be making an iPad 2 keyboard dock.

People prefer to use the iPad’s built in soft keyboard most all of the time, it works very well. Those that do choose to use an external keyboard most often choose to use Apple’s bluetooth wireless keyboard for the convenience it provides.

It’s not surprising that Schiller is indirect with his response. But 3 weeks after the iPad 2 launch and no announcement, the answer is no. So it looks we’ll just have to buy Smart Covers to use as stands and Apple bluetooth keyboards for our external input.

Good news though, for those of you who already owned an original iPad keyboard dock, 9to5mac is claiming it works with the iPad 2.

What do you use for an external keyboard for your iPad or iPad 2? Tell us below!

 

Angry Birds Movie Trailer Released [Funny]

by Jeff Benjamin on Mar 27, 2011

Every day there seems like there’s another parody being released involving Angry Birds.

Is it just me, or is the already insanely popular game garnering even more attention as time goes on?

Check out this video of a live action Angry Birds trailer. If you’re critical of today’s mass-market action movies, you’ll find this to be pretty humorous no doubt.

The entire trailer features a live action setting; in fact, besides the Angry Birds themselves, everything is real, including those filthy pigs…

Read More

 

AutoResponder Will Automatically Respond to Your Text Messages

by Alex Heath on Mar 27, 2011

AutoResponder is a Cydia tweak that automatically replies to incoming SMS messages. If you’re in a situation where you can’t immediately respond to a text, AutoResponder can reply for you with a list of preset messages you assign.

If you’re the kind of person that doesn’t like to leave your friends hung out to dry, AutoResponder is great for notifying someone that you’re busy or unavailable… Read More

 

Top 10 iPhone News You Might Have Missed This Week

by Sebastien on Mar 27, 2011

This is a summary of the most popular articles published on iDB and our sister, ziPadBlog, this past week.

Please make sure to spread our iPhone wisdom by sharing our posts on Twitter and Facebook.

From our sister iPad Blog, ziPadBlog.com:

 

iOS 5 Pushed Back to the Fall, Preview at WWDC

by Alex Heath on Mar 26, 2011

Some news has surfaced concerning iOS 5 and Apple’s roadmap for the coming year. According to M.G. Siegler of TechCrunch, Apple is going to push back the release of iOS 5.0 to this fall, and the iPhone 5 will launch with a version of iOS 4.x.

Speculation has been that Apple would hold a media event next month for an iOS 5 preview and MobileMe revamp, but TechCrunch’s sources claim otherwise… Read More

 

iOS 4.3.1 Already Jailbroken With PwnageTool 4.2 [Tethered]

by Alex Heath on Mar 26, 2011

The latest build of iOS has already been jailbroken! Thanks to the work of DjayB6 on the 4.3.1 jailbreak bundle and Universal Ramdisk Fixer, Apple’s newest version of iOS has already got the jailbreak treatment.

PwnageTool 4.2 can be used to perform a tethered jailbreak for 4.3.1. This jailbreak method is not for the faint of heart, and is by no means considered a “stable” release for jailbreakers.

You will need several tools to perform a successful jailbreak of 4.3.1, and we have yet to hear about a stable untethered solution… Read More

 

TinyUmbrella Updated for iOS 4.3.1 Support

by Kickstar13 on Mar 26, 2011

Following Apple’s official release of iOS 4.3.1 yesterday, notcom has updated TinyUmbrella to support the latest version of iOS.

TinyUmbrella version 4.30.05 supports iOS 4.3.1 for all iDevices. Compatibility excludes the Verizon iPhone 4, since Apple has yet to release iOS 4.3.x for the Verizon iPhone.

As a reminder, to save your SHSH blobs, simply connect your iDevice via USB to your computer, launch TinyUmbrella, and click the “Save SHSH” button.

Read More

 

Pwn2Own Safari Exploit Not Fixed in iOS 4.3.1, Could Mean Return of JailbreakMe

by Alex Heath on Mar 26, 2011

Charlie Miller, a security expert who managed to jailbreak iOS 4.3 during the Pwn2Own hacking contest, has revealed an interesting piece of information about 4.3.1. According to Mr. Miller, the Safari exploit uncovered at Pwn2Own is still un-patched in Apple’s latest build of iOS.

An official jailbreak has yet to be released for 4.3.1, but the fact that this obvious exploit still exists points to the possibility of a jailbreak solution similar to JailbreakMe. There is no concrete evidence that this bug will be used in a jailbreak tool for iOS 4.3.1… Read More

 

Apple Really Doesn’t Want You to Use Cydia in Their Stores

by Sebastien on Mar 26, 2011

If you connect to an Apple Store wifi network and try to go to Cydia, you’ll get a nice little surprise. Instead of loading Cydia as it is supposed to do, you will be redirected to Apple’s own website.

I think it’s kind of a funny way for Apple to let you know they’re watching you and won’t let you pwn them in their own store… Read More

 
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