This is a summary of the most popular articles published on iDB this past week.
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Top 10 iPhone News You Might Have Missed This Week
Month: June 2011
New in iOS 5: AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2
We did a post about the future of iOS gaming a few days ago, but the article only touched on the potential of the young platform. For the last couple of years, Apple has been putting pieces in place to make iOS a heavy hitter in the mobile gaming industry.
First, there came the App Store, which provided a distribution channel for iOS games. Then came innovations like the 3-axis gyroscope for motion control and AirPlay to wirelessly stream content. The latest piece of the puzzle is the new iPad 2 mirroring feature in iOS 5...
Watch Out for iPhone and iPad Scams
With so many look-a-likes and scams out there, a person has to be pretty careful when shopping online for an iDevice. Before purchasing any type of high-end electronic device, you always want to ask for the serial number to check and see if it's been stolen, or if it's even real.
The police of Morrow City, Georgia recently apprehended 2 suspects for using a popular website to sell imitation iPhones and empty iPad boxes for cash. The two culprits were picked up last Thursday in the process of selling 2 fake iPhones for a total of $400...
Web App Performance in iOS 5 Greatly Improved
Web app performance in iOS 4 has been disappointing. It's been speculated that Apple has been intentionally handicapping web app performance in iOS 4. When websites are launched from the iPhone's homescreen, loading times become much longer than when a site is opened straight from the Mobile Safari app.
In iOS 5, it's been discovered that fullscreen web apps from the homescreen can access the Nitro Javascript engine that sped up Mobile Safari in iOS 4.3. These "dynamic-codesigning" privileges allow for a much faster web app experience in iOS 5.
New in iOS 5: ‘Find on Page’ Search from iPad Keyboard
The "Find on Page" feature in Safari isn't new, as it was introduced with iOS 4.2. Up until iOS 5, to use this feature, you had to tap the “Google” search bar at the top right and start typing. As Google gave you suggestions, you also had the “on this page” option appearing at the bottom.
iOS 5 is making this feature much smoother on the iPad, as it brings it directly to the keyboard...
JOYSTICK-IT: A Hardware Joystick For Your iPad
We love the iPad as a gaming device as much as the next person, but we just can't help but feel hampered by the lack of buttons. Granted that the large, 9.7" touch-enabled display does have its advantages when it comes to changing the way we think about games, but there are some times when a pair of good ol' fashioned joysticks would come in handy.
Apparently we aren't alone in thinking such thoughts, with the JOYSTICK-IT proving that sometimes prodding things with your finger isn't always the best way to go.
With iPad gaming, at least...
‘SlideTime’ Nestles a Clock Into Your iPhone’s Slide to Unlock Bar
Is it just me, or are a lot of the tweaks as of late starting to focus on the iPhone's slide to unlock bar?
SlideTime is the latest tweak that takes advantage of the unlock bar's real estate by replacing the words "slide to unlock" with a clock.
Yep, a clock -- in your unlock bar...
iOS 5 Untethered Jailbreak on iPhone 3GS with Sn0wBreeze Beta 2
iH8sn0w's popular jailbreak tool for Windows, Sn0wBreeze, has been updated with support for an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak on the iPhone 3GS. iOS 5 is still in the Beta 1 stage, and Sn0wBreeze Beta 2 is the first method available for an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak on the iPhone 3GS.
Thanks to the old bootrom on the 3GS, users can enjoy a fully untethered iOS 5 Beta 1 jailbreak with the newly released Sn0wBreeze update.
Future iMacs and MacBooks to Charge Your iPhone Wirelessly?
In last week's iOS 5 announcement, there seemed to be an emphasis on "cutting the cord." With new iCloud and Wi-Fi sync services, users will no longer have to depend on tethering their iDevices to their computers for syncs and backups.
From the looks of this Apple patent that surfaced earlier this month, it seems that Apple has been researching methods to do away with the infamous white USB cord completely. The filing is titled, "Wireless power utilization in a local computing environment..."
Now – The New iPad TV Ad
A new iPad ad is currently hitting your TV set, showing how the iPad is changing the way we do just about everything, from watching a newspaper, to touching the stars.
As usual, you can't watch this commercial without thinking "I want one of those damn iPads." I know, because I own 2 iPads and every time I see one of these commercials, I feel the rush to drive to the nearby Apple Store and spend $500...
DreamBoard iPhone Theming Framework Receives a Huge Update
A few days ago, iPhone theming platform DreamBoard received a much-needed update that brought stability, full keyboard access, app icon caching, and much more to the table.
It was such a big update, that I figured it warranted a whole new walkthrough to show off its new fresh coat of paint.
With DreamBoard's core updates comes a refresh to the built in Endroid HD theme as well, and let me tell you, it's very easy on the eyes.
Before, it was safe to say that DreamBoard was a promising, but much maligned theming framework. With this latest update, a lot of its ailments have been cured, transforming it into a legitimate springboard replacement for the iPhone...
Apple Has Enough Cash to Buy Mobile Phone Industry
In a mouth-dropping report, Asymco states that Apple would be able to buy the entire mobile phone industry - in cash.
Nokia, RIM, HTC, LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson could all be bought with Apple's treasure trove of $70 billion in available funds. Apple's profits are expected to continue in growth, while most handset makers are suffering from a decline in profits.