Month: August 2010

Mixed Statistics For iPhone 4

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

It's no secret that the iPhone 4 has been selling better than hotcakes. As of today, it will be 3 weeks shipping time on Apple's online store. With the web publicized "issues" surrounding its release, some hard data (as Steve Jobs would call it), has been released courtesy of Change Wave Research. So lets take a look, shall we?

72% of iPhone 4 owners say they are Very Satisfied, while another 21% stated they were Somewhat Satisfied. For the mathematically challenged, that's 93% giving a favorable rating of the new iDevice. How does this compare to the 3GS you ask? Well, 82% went with Very Satisfied, while 17% said Somewhat Satisfied, totaling a 99% favorable opinion. On the cuff you could say that the iPhone 4 fell a bit short, however it's pretty tough to go anywhere but down from 99%.

Top 10 iPhone News You Missed This Week

Sébastien Page ∙ August 8, 2010

Here is a summary of some of the best posts published on the blog this past week:

JailbreakMe jailbreak for all iDevices How to jailbreak your iPhone with JailbreakMe How to unlock your iPhone with UltraSn0w FaceTime over 3G with My3G How to watch Netflix movies on your iPhone Fanboys headed to jail(break)... Pirate explains the logic behind iPhone app piracy Hot to fix "Different SIM detected" Rant: dear Apple, don't release it early The irony of JailbreakMe

And for those interested in iPad news, here are a few articles from our sister site:

How to jailbreak your iPad with JailbreakMe How to fix JailbreakMe stuck on purple screen FridgePad iPad Fridge magnet mount iPad mini in the works? Using a bluetooth mouse on the iPad The iPad gets the Genius treatment

Apple Exec Gets Canned After iPhone 4 Antenna Issue

Sébastien Page ∙ August 7, 2010

The iPhone 4 antenna issue claimed another victim, and a big one! Apple's Senior Vice President of iPhone Hardware Engineering Mark Papermaster isn't on the payroll anymore. The NY Times article that broke the story doesn't know if he was fired or if he resigned.

However, according to John Gruber, Papermaster did get fired over the antennagate:

From what I’ve heard, it’s clear he was canned. Papermaster was a conspicuous absence at the Antennagate press conference. Inside Apple, he’s “the guy responsible for the antenna” — that’s a quote from a source back on July 23. (Another quote from the same source: “Apparently the antenna guys used to have a big chip on their shoulder. No more.”)

I'm a bit confused here. According to Apple, there is no antenna problem with the iPhone 4, so why did Mark Papermaster got ousted? Sarcasm apart, someone had to take the heat for this.

Turn Your iPhone 4 Into A Game Boy

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 16, 2017

We'd seen this before for the iPhone 3G and 3Gs so it's all natural this awesome skin has been made available for the iPhone 4.

This original skin will turn the back of your iPhone 4 into a Game Boy. I would never put this on my iPhone but I think it's a really cool geeky product.

They run for $9.95 at Zapstatic, but they're unfortunately out of stock for the time being.

[French iPhone]

The iPad Gets the Genius Treatment

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple just brought the Genius feature to the iPad. Similar to the way it works on iTunes or on your iPhone, turning Genius on will generate a list of applications you might be interested in.

Additionally, Apple added an "iPad Upgrades" section. This is basically versions of apps you have on your iPhone that are now compatible with the iPad.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Apple Introduces “Try Before You Buy” Section in the App Store

Sébastien Page ∙ August 6, 2010

Apple recently introduced a new category in the App Store called "Try Before You Buy". This category brings together the free or "lite" versions of popular iPhone applications. If this is a move to put an end to app piracy, then it's a big fail!

As a point of comparison, the Android Market let's you use the full version of an app for 24 hours. If you don't like the app, you just get your money back. I don't understand why Apple doesn't implement such a policy in the Apple Store.

Personally, I want to try the full app, not a watered down version of it. While Apple made a step in the right direction, I think it's still not enough.

What do you think?

Fix: FaceTime Failed – xxx is Not Available For FaceTime

Sébastien Page ∙ August 6, 2010

Today I want to post about an issue I recently had when trying to FaceTime with Tina. Everytime I tried to initiate a FaceTime call, I would get an error message saying "FaceTime Failed - Tina is not available for FaceTime". What was strange with this issue is that she could initiate the FaceTime call and reach me, but I couldn't.

So really I thought the problem was from me since I was the one not being able to reach her. This drove me nuts for days. I even went as far as restoring my iPhone, thinking it would fix the issue. It didn't. The solution was in fact much simpler. Ironically, the issue didn't even come from my iPhone, but from hers.

I found the fix somewhere deep inside Apple's support pages. Apparently the problem arises if you ported an old number to your iPhone 4, or if you recently changed your number, which was the case for Tina's phone.

According to Apple, some of the symptoms are:

When you are calling someone on FaceTime, the number on their screen is not your number. People are unable to initiate a FaceTime call with you. After installing a new carrier settings update, FaceTime does not activate.

The fix is really simple:

In Settings > Phone, turn FaceTime OFF and turn it back ON again Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset all settings Done

Immediately after performing this on Tina's phone I was able to initiate a FaceTime call with her.

Hopefully this will help other people stuck on this issue.

Winners of the iVogue Cases

Sébastien Page ∙ August 6, 2010

The winners of the iVogue cases giveaway are:

Kevin Floria Gabby Minch Timothy Polumbo Patrick Ferree Tony Gilmore Desire Cardiello Mellano Nicholas Dimichino Ron Levine Paul Jurado Andre Manzyuk

Winners should watch their Facebook inbox as I will send them emails soon. Don't forget to email me back your address!

Thanks everyone for playing. If you didn't win, try again next time. We're going to have more and more of these giveaways.

I also want to check iVogue for giving us 10 cases. Check their website. They have some great stuff over there.

Dear Apple, Don’t Release It Early… [Rant]

Guest Author ∙ August 6, 2010

While iDB reported on a rumor regarding an early iPhone 5 release yesterday, I feel a further-ado to its idiocy is warranted. So many questions come to head at the very sound of this. To start, we look no further than eligibility. If this were to come out under AT&T, who could buy it? Most everyone who wanted an iPhone 4, either bought or ordered one, which reset their upgrade date. I know I don't speak alone when I say I'd be royally ticked off if a newly designed iPhone was released, and I wasn't eligible for subsidized pricing.

The rumor in question states that similar features would be included, however the antenna would be placed differently, and a 64GB model would be offered. Say What? Not only would the "problem that isn't a problem" be fixed, but just to add insult to injury, the capacity would be doubled? This would completely negate everything Apple said and "did", concerning the antenna. If you thought the original issue was a PR director's bad dream, this fiasco would be a nightmare.

How to Fix the “Different SIM Detected” Issue on the iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

A few weeks ago we told you about a trick to activate an iPhone without the original SIM card. This was used by jailbreakers and unlockers who didn't have the original SIM card to activate their iPhone. It worked well for a while but it seems Apple caught up to it and put an end to it all by hooking the activation wildcard ticket to the ICCID of the used SIM. Fortunately, an alternative method was found to go around the "Different SIM Detected" message you might get.

Step 1: Download iFunBox from here.

Step 2: Download the patched LockDown folder from here.

Step 3: Run iFunBox and sync it with your iPhone.

Step 4: Go to /private/var/root/Library/ and replace the Lockdown folder with the one you downloaded in step 2.

Step 5: Reboot your iPhone.

I haven't tried this myself but it seems to work well. If you do try it, please let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.

[Sherif Hashim]

Apple Bans JailbreakMe From Its Stores

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Well, it only took Apple 4 days to realize they should block access to JailbreakMe.com from their stores' wifi network to stop those pranksters from jailbreaking iPhones, iPads and iPods. According to 9 to 5 Mac, pointing a device to www.JailbreakMe.com from inside the store redirects to Apple's website.

I'm sure Ethan will be happy about that.

Using a Bluetooth Mouse on the iPad

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

There is a nice hack that let's you use a Bluetooth enabled mouse on your iPad. To do this, simply install BTstack Mouse from Cydia, pair your iPad with your mouse, and here you go.

The mouse can be configured in Activator so you can choose different actions for your clicks (I chose the right click to be the home button).

[JAiB]