iOS 5

CoolBooter dual-boot utility updated to 1.0b6

CoolBooter, the dual-boot utility for legacy jailbroken iOS devices, saw an update yesterday, as did its CLI version.

The frontend is now at version 1.0 beta 6, whilst the command line interface, which must be run from a Terminal application, reaches version 0.3.

Siri withholds information, can help you if you upgrade to iOS 6

We haven't seen a publicly released untethered jailbreak since iOS 6 debuted in September, and Apple hasn't been making the wait easy for the jailbreak community. There are the little annoyances, like apps exclusive to iOS 6, over the air update alerts, and that pesky notification badge in settings that appears by default. Some of these are easy to deal with through tweaks, but what happens when Apple isn't being subtle?

A user on Reddit asked Siri when the superbowl was starting, only to find that his personal assistant refused to comply. Siri's response: "If you update to the latest version of iOS, I'll be able to help you with that." ...

Auxo for iOS 5.1.x now available on Cydia

Auxo — the popular jailbreak tweak we covered in depth last week — is now available on Cydia with iOS 5.1 support in tow. As you may recall, the initial version only supported iOS 6 out of the gate, and many users, pined for iOS 5.1 support, since a great majority of jailbreakers have chosen to remain on 5.1 firmware for obvious reasons.

Thanks to developer, Kyle Howells, who assisted with porting the tweak, the team behind Auxo was able to meet its turnaround time for adding support for the older iOS firmware. Did the team have to make any sacrifices in order to bring such an awesome tweak to iOS 5.1? It sure doesn't look like it to me. Check inside as we go hands on with Auxo for iOS 5.1 on video...

Siri’s reliance on Google cut in half since iOS 6

Siri, what happened to Google? The voice-activated personal assistant (which debuted alongside the iPhone 4S last October) and the Internet giant aren't as close as before. Apple's digital secretary is fast becoming a stranger to Google as one Apple watcher says Siri's reliance on Google has been cut in half since iOS 6.

While 60 percent of Siri queries sent iPhone owners using iOS 5 to Google data, iOS 6 reduced the percentage to 30 percent. Apparently, Google Maps took the heaviest hit as Apple Maps became the destination for 24 percent of Siri's answers, up from zero percent in iOS 5. Siri - now competing with Google's own voice assistant - is also a wee bit more accurate...

How Apple planned for the iPad mini with improved Multi-Touch in iOS 6

It's always good to think two or three steps ahead to prepare for any situation, and that's obviously what Apple's been doing when it comes to the iPad mini, and iOS 6.

As we told you about earlier, improvements needed to be added to iOS' Multi-Touch in order to accommodate the smaller bezel of the iPad mini. With the mini, you no longer have the luxury of a half-inch bezel wrapping around the screen like the bigger iPad models.

That means that fingers and thumbs will now rest on the actual screen of the device instead of the bezel, and this would in turn result in a litany of false positive finger inputs. If the iPad mini shipped with iOS 5, such an issue would be a major problem.

Fortunately, as iPhoneinCanada points out, Apple planned well ahead in advance for such a scenario. As it turns out, the iPhone and iPod touch versions of iOS 6 shipped with improved Multi-Touch out of the gate. Take a look inside as we compare iOS 5's Multi-Touch detection, with the improved and iPad mini ready iOS 6.

Poll: How is your iPhone battery on iOS 6?

It's a fairly simple question isn't it? But if you remember the furor that surrounded the release of iOS 5 and the subsequent battery-gate shenanigans, you'll know only too well what software can do to a phone's battery.

Back in the ill-tempered days of iOS 5, we covered the situation extensively and even offered a spot of advice that seemed to help a great many people. Today though, we want to know how iOS 6 is treating you all, and whether Apple may finally have gotten the iPhone's battery to last like it did pre-iOS 5.

So, let's begin...

iOS 6 adoption rate twice as fast as iOS 5 after two days

Despite claims by some that iOS 6 is less than a stellar update, it seems Apple's latest release of its mobile operating system is being adopted quickly by users of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches.

New figures released to Techcrunch by analytics firm Apsalar, show that iOS 6 is proving more and more popular as time progresses, with the adoption rate after two full days of availability being a healthy 20%. That's up 5 points from after day one.

Perhaps more telling is the fact that iOS 6 sees an adoption rate of double that seen by iOS 5 after the same period...

Is iOS 6 a dud for jailbreakers?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and for that reason, let me preface this post with a disclaimer: I'm not bashing anyone's right to an opinion. That's one of the things that makes life so great, differing points of view on all sorts of matters.

Apparently, whoever posted this post on the Big Boss blog isn't too high on iOS 6, in fact, they go as far as to label it a "dud."

I certainly don't feel that way; I'm the complete opposite. That made me think, do most jailbreakers feel this way about iOS 6? Are many of you guys and gals planning on staying right where you are on iOS 5 until a jailbreak is released for iOS 6?

NASA builds Android-based satellite

If Google wants to find somewhere not dominated by Apple's iPhone, they'll have to leave planet Earth -- which is exactly what's being planned. NASA will launch the Android-powered Nexus One smartphone this fall as the brains of a tiny nano-satellite.

The Android phone will be at the heart of PhoneSat, a 4-inch cube space agency engineers are building using off-the-shelf parts with a $3,500 budget. Turns out, the Android phone has all of the basic features to power what NASA hopes will be an orbiting ring of tiny satellites. Along with the Android operating system, the Nexus One has a fast processor, communications gear and a nifty camera with which to snap photos of Earth from space.

China is fastest-growing iOS and Android market

China has the big mo when it comes to smartphones. Although the US still leads with 165 million active iOS and Android devices, China is the fastest-growing market, according to analytics firm Flurry. Demand for smart devices in China grew 400 percent between July 2012 and the same period last year.

The nation far outpaced other countries, with Chile in second place at 279 percent year-over-year smart device growth. Brazil ranked next with 220 percent as Russia registered 179 percent growth and India's smart device growth rose by 171 percent.

LiveClock tweak updated with iOS 5 support

As most of you know, LiveClock has been around the jailbreak scene for quite some time. The tweak replaces the Clock app's icon with an animated version that reflects the current time.

But over the years, LiveClock has gotten lost in the couch cushions of Cydia. Ignored by its developer, the package had not seen an update since 2010. Until yesterday, that is...

How to add the iOS 6 Twitter Widget to iOS 5

Now that iOS 6 has official built-in widgets for both Twitter and Facebook updates, wouldn't it be nice to be able to replicate those same widgets on iOS 5? Apparently that's the same thought the developer of iOS 6 Twitter Widget had when creating his tweak. This widget, as its name so plainly alludes to, allows you to have an exact replica of the iOS 6 Twitter widget on lesser firmware.

Take a look inside for the full video walkthrough...