Month: August 2010

Pirate Explains the Logic Behind iPhone App Piracy

Sébastien Page ∙ August 5, 2010

The Administrator for the pirate community Hackulous had some sort of open letter on TorrentFreak a few days ago where he explains why he thinks app piracy is not as bad as you may think. In this long piece, he goes over 4 mains points to convey his idea.

1. Most of the pirates who use our services do so because they simply cannot afford to purchase the applications. One of the prominent members of the Dev Team, planetbeing, described the pirates who use our software as “predominantly in their early teens where money is scarce and time is abundant.”

Since these users have never had any intention or capability to purchase the applications whether or not cracked versions are available, developers of these apps are losing significantly less than what they believe they are to these people.

2. Another portion of our pirates are those who have the capability of purchasing iPhone apps, but not the desire. These pirates typically do not “need” any particular application for free, they just want whatever application that can provide a certain level of entertainment for them.

They are not so much making the choice between purchasing or pirating software A, but rather making the choice between pirating software A or B. So again, the profit lost attributed to this tribe of pirates has been overestimated; these pirates would not have forked over their money anyway, they would just move on.

3. Over three million devices are running our software, Installous, to download and install cracked iPhone apps. The people using these devices are Apple customers who are likely to purchase another device, purchase new Apple products, or refer their friends to Apple. As I have stated before, the people who use our services to trial iPhone applications actually help Apple more than they hurt it.

Why, you ask? If a majority of our three million users are pirates, the value in Apple’s devices is significantly higher: These millions of users, who would otherwise be incapable or unwilling to purchase apps, now have a rich source of entertainment that greatly enhances their experience with their devices.

Apple does not like piracy, but as long as piracy increases the value of jailbroken iPhones, they have no need to be passionate about stopping it. As music has shown Apple and Steve Jobs himself, DRM can always be defeated. Apple is in fact embracing piracy for what it can accomplish for their company.

4. Piracy also helps to expose an application to the masses, much like music piracy helps artists and bands get more publicity. Without cracked app sites like apptrackr, a lot of applications would be left languishing in the pits of the App Store among the rest of the 240,984 apps (at last count) available.

I think these are some valid but very candid points.

What do you think?

[PlanetBeing]

An Adobe Flash Flood Headed Apple’s Way?

Guest Author ∙ August 5, 2010

Here we go again. The ongoing feud between Apple and Adobe just will not go away. Especially if Adobe has anything to say about it. The Federal Trade Commission's office denied a request from Adobe, which was to see a near 200 pages of information relating to the lawsuit the company has against Apple. The request was made under the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.

The FTC's reasoning is that making such documents public, "could reasonably be expected to interfere with the conduct of the Commission's law enforcement activities". This is a nice way of saying they don't want to screw themselves if they in fact act upon the lawsuit. This is where Apple enters the picture. Whether or not the suit has any merit is still in question, however, to refuse access is an indication that this isn't good for Apple, and certainly suggests that the investigation is very real.

The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg news reported in May that the FTC received a formal complaint from Adobe, concerning Apple's denial of the company's ability to port software such as Flash to iPhones and iPads. Apple implemented a device-wide ban on the software, after Adobe tried doing just this, which promoted the suit.

Steve Jobs went public about this via a letter in April, in which he degraded Adobe's software, calling it "unfit for the modern mobile area of computing". Also included in the not so loving letter was Job stating that porting such programs, would hinder performance, and leave users with "sub-standard apps". He obviously hasn't downloaded any fart machines. Nevertheless, I'd guess that Jobs wishes he would have went about this differently.

Whatever this refusal means, one thing is certain. There is more to this story than anyone is privy too. It seems strange that if the document was meaningless, the FTC wouldn't have a problem making it public. The FOIT isn't something you'd deny unless you have feel you might compromise its content, legally. We here at iDB will continue to follow this closely and update you as the information comes our way. Until then, enjoy your Flash free iPhone's.

Any thoughts?

[Apple Insider]

Wooden iPhone Case

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated September 20, 2016

So we've all seen the diamond bezeled iPhones over the years, as well as gold plated. Usually they are thousands upon thousands of dollars and don't even look that nice. If you're more of an outdoors kind of geek, then look no further for the first wooden iPhone 4!

Case maker KARVT has come out with these surprisingly good looking skins, for the iPhone 4 and 3GS. Pre-orders for the lumber looking protectors start at $25 for your iPhone 4, and $14 for the 3GS. I can't accurately inform you as to how well they work, but they don't seem to be oak, so no throwing your devices to test them. As to whether or not the case helps or hurts your signal, you better just knock on wood!

Tethering: How to Tether the iPhone 4

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated August 31, 2010

Until last week when the iPhone 4 was finally jailbroken, your only option to tether the iPhone 4 was to go through the official, legit and expensive way: AT&T. If like me you think that an extra $20/month just to tether your iPhone 4 is a little too much, we've got a solution for you. It's called MyWi.

We've talked greatly about MyWi on iDB before but for those of you who just arrived let me tell you briefly what it does. MyWi is an app that let's you turn your iPhone into a wifi hostpot. Turn it on and share your iPhone Internet connection with computers around you. That's how simple it is.

Tethering Your iPhone 4 Using MyWi

Step 1: Make sure your iPhone 4 is jailbroken (see iPhone 4 jailbreak instructions)

Step 2: Launch Cydia and search for “MyWi 4.0”.

Step 3: Download and install the free MyWi trial then reboot your iPhone.

Step 4: Launch MyWi and tweak the settings to your liking:

Change the hotspot name Change the channel Enable Wep security Enable USB/Bluetooth tethering

That's it. You can now tether your iPhone using MyWi. Your iPhone doesn't even have to be plugged in your computer. You can just use MyWi as a hotspot, but remember it will drain your battery like crazy.

While MyWi is not illegal in itself, AT&T (or your local carrier) might have a policy in place to prevent you from using apps like MyWi. As long as you don't get caught, it's all good...

If you want to keep MyWi after the 10-day trial, it will cost you about $20. Although it comes with a hefty price, I believe MyWi is one the best jailbreak apps out there.

UPDATE: There are cheaper alternatives to MyWi. Click here for more info.

Early Release of an iPhone 5?

Guest Author ∙ August 5, 2010

Yesterday TUAW reported on an iLounge leak, concerning several possibilities around new iPods, iPads, and yes, an early release of an iPhone 5 type device. Now, even iLounge themselves stated that they think such a device would be "highly unlikely", however my blood started to boil just thinking of such a scenario. The rumor is that Apple would be releasing the device 6 months earlier than its previous summer cycle.

This would be entirely due to the well documented antenna issue. The speculation doesn't stop there though. The "story" continues with saying that the likelihood of an "iPhone 4.5" would be more of a possibility. Having the device be similar in design, minus the antenna placement, come in a 64GB model, and run on Verizon's CDMA network. Are you getting mad yet?

Let's be real for a minute. It wasn't that long ago when rumors of an iPhone Nano were flooding throughout the grapevine. Obviously we know what came of that. I will say that if Apple thinks releasing a bigger capacity, differently placed antenna device designed to run on Verizon as a way to "not disrupt the Apple faithful", they are sorely misguided. Time will tell if there is any substance to this, but keep your torches handy.

What do you think?

Come Take A Tour of the Biggest Apple Store in the World

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

You can find the biggest Apple Store in the world at Covent Garden in London. Now watch this video and take a quick virtual tour of Apple's largest store in the heart of London, including a stretch Genius Bar and new Pro Labs education areas.

The store will open to the public this Saturday at 10 am.

[Electric Pig]

How Much Your iPhone Really Costs

Guest Author ∙ Updated November 25, 2016

If you were asked how much you paid for your iPhone, I suspect the common answer, (contract free phones aside), would be either $200-300 plus tax, depending on the capacity you opted to purchase. After politely hanging up on Best Buy today after I was told I would have to pay $13 to have an already $30 InvisibleShield "installed", I started thinking. About what you ask? I got to thinking how much cash has just my current iPhone 4 cost me, in the 6 weeks or so I've owned it.

I went with the 32GB model for the logic stemming from the "it's better to have unused space than too little space" module. So let us take a quick tally type glance at how much my iPhone 4 has really cost me, so far:

iPhone 4 + tax+ upgrade fee - $330 Applications/Music since launch day - $125 Belkin Vue Grip Case - $25 2 generic cases from Hong Kong - $8 Car charger + cable to plug into the Mazda 3 - $40 2 months worth of data (petty, but real) - $60

Total: $588

Now, I didn't include my monthly AT&T bill simply because I would have a phone of some sort, even if it wasn't an iPhone. This comes to an average of $100 per week thus far! Don't worry, I know there are readers here who paid more than just to walk out of the store with their current iPhone. However just like it is with them, it's all personal choice. No one, (that I'm aware of) has ever been "forced" at gunpoint to buy an iPhone and its accessories. That would be a pretty far-out stick-up though.

So, how much as your current iPhone cost you since you bought it? Obviously if I went off the numbers of my 3GS, the number would be much steeper (& painful). Nevertheless, post your numbers in the comment box if you dare see what your precious piece of history has cost you.

Intel Inside (Your iPhone?)

Guest Author ∙ August 5, 2010

Computerworld is reporting that the tycoon chip company Intel, is leading the pack of potential buyers of the German semiconductor company, Infineon Technologies. It goes without saying, (but I'll say it anyway), that this would be a nice payday for the company. Samsung and Broadcom have also shown interest.

Currently, Infineon produces chips for some iPhones and the iPads. Blackberry, Samsung, and Nokia are all buyers and users of the German company as well. In case you crawled out from under the a rock this morning, that's a LOT of cellphones. While nothing comes painless when making a gigantic deal (platform differences in Europe), the risks are believed to be outweighed by the benefits.

It's no secret that Intel has been figuring out a way to get themselves into the lucrative smartphone game, and it seems like buying the farm is their best shot at milking the cow.

Apple Has Already Developed A Fix for the PDF Exploit

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

An Apple spokeperson told CNET they are well aware of the security exploit found in iOS and they are apparently already working on it:

We're aware of this reported issue, we have already developed a fix and it will be available to customers in an upcoming software update.

This security glitch found in the way iOS handles PDF documents allowed the Dev Team to create JailbreakMe, which uses this exploit to inject the jailbreak code in your iPhone. Some security experts were quick to realize that this exploit could be used to inject malicious softwares in your iDevices and brought up this issue to the general public. The jailbreak community quickly developed a fix for it which can be downloaded directly from Cydia.

This morning I highlighted the irony of the situation. Apple has always claimed jailbreaking can put your iPhone at risk but it proved to be the other way around as so far, your iPhone is more secured once it is jailbroken and the exploit has been patched.

We don't know when Apple will release this software update, which will most likely come with 4.1. Apple usually isn't quick to fix things up so if I had a guess I'd say we won't see this update until the end of the month.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Vonage Offering Free Calls to Facebook Friends

Guest Author ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

So you've probably added all your old friends from your hometown via Facebook. While it's fun to "like" their latest pictures and status updates but you really don't want to waste your minutes on them, your problem is solved. Vonage has teamed up with Facebook, creating an app for your iPhone, (& Android), entitled Vonage Mobile for Facebook that allows free calls over Wi-Fi or 3G to anyone domestic or overseas, for free.

After you download the free app, just sign in with your Facebook account and you'll see a list of your friends who've done the same, and are ready to be called for free. You will also see whom you can chat with over IM. If you don't have unlimited 3G, or a Wi-Fi subscription, your first move should be checking with your carrier to figure out any charges that may apply to you.

Of course the program has its own Facebook page, which will allow you to invite your friends to the download the free app. This all sounds great, but I have one question. How many people are actually going to do this? Are you?

How’s your APPetite?

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I have a confession to make that might put my Fanboy status in jeopardy. I wasn't part of the iPhone click until the iPhone 3G veiled its beautiful body to us. It's a humbling revelation that I feel necessary to share. I have only been able to enjoy the iPhone with the App Store available. Having done my share of downloading and reviewing, (72 apps on my iPhone 4 today), I often wonder if I have maximized the potential that the App Store can cultivate.

It took me quite a while to break down and purchase paid applications. Probably too long. When I started adding iTunes credit to my account, it was if I was the conductor of entirely different ship. A much nicer ship.

I first hit apps which reflected the interests related to my lifestyle. Engadget, ESPN Radio, Echofon, Words with Friends, Tiger Woods, and those similar were the first to gain spots on my device. Then I gathered productivity enhancing apps like Docs 2 GO, Rowmote Pro, iStudiez, etc... Eventually I dabbled in games that already exist in "real life", then branched out to highly rated selections. I will admit I'm not much of a gamer, though I do enjoy a challenge as much as the next guy, (like eating 4 saltines in 60 seconds, minus water).

After a couple of years of wonderful, (and sometimes expensive) experiences, I noticed that the zealous downloading had subsided a bit. Don't get me wrong, the App Store is the single most important piece of the iPhone puzzle in my opinion. The ability to allow and include anybody with the ability and knowledge to develop, is a beautiful thing. My expectations are high, thus the reason behind the words you read. Does this leveling off of sorts include you?

I believe Apple has headed in the right direction with adding featured genres and categories now each week. I can honestly say it helps with both navigation, as well as keeping my wandering brain matter excited; believe me, this in itself can be a full-time job. Posting "Apps of the week" is another good utilization on Apple's part, though I might suggest adding a category-based App of the Week couldn't hurt.

All in all for the size of and population that App Store is, my concerns are very few. Let's not forget that most every credible source states that Apple's App Store is far ahead of any of its competitors. Perhaps my sometimes stagnant perception of the selection, is just simply the usual calming down effect that happens after a kid gets a new toy. Like that Tickle Me Elmo that has been sleeping under your kids bed for 2 years, untouched.

Let me know if you appetite is as intense as it once was. If not, there's always White Castle.