Year: 2012

Absinthe version 2.0.4 released with iPad 2,4 support in tow

The Chronic Dev Team, as expected, has released an update to the Absinthe jailbreak tool to enable iPad 2,4 untethered jailbreak support for iOS 5.1.1.

The iPad 2,4 is the updated version of the iPad 2 that features a new chipset yielding improved battery life. Due to the rarity of this version of the iPad 2, support was withheld until further testing could be done. Now it's obvious that the testing was completed successfully...

Cook at D10: stay tuned for Apple and Facebook as we get more social

So what's up with that unpleasant Apple-Facebook fallout? Here's another video highlight of Tim Cook's yesterday's talk at the Wall Street Journal's D10: All Things Digital conference. In this particular segment, Apple's head honcho explains the Apple-Facebook relationship, touches upon why Facebook isn't more fully integrated into iOS and mulls how Cupertino can "do more with them". Deep Facebook integration with iOS 6, anyone?

iPhone 5 front panel schematic reveals centered FaceTime camera

Another day, another leak. This one comes vi a Japanese blog with a somewhat mixed, albeit strong track record of Apple rumor reporting. The site published this morning an image that appears to be design schematic of the front panel of Apple's next iPhone. It appears to corroborate previous leaks, also suggesting a slight FaceTime camera tweak...

RIM’s backlog hits $1 billion worth of unsold BlackBerrys and PlayBooks

Just as we thought things couldn’t get any worse for the embattled BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, more bad news hits the wires on a daily basis.

It’s been revealed today just how unimpressed customers are with RIM’s current lineup of BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet, as these two product categories now commanded a staggering backlog of $1 billion in unsold inventory in the last quarter, up from $618 million a year earlier...

How Apple’s gadgets achieve smooth finish

If you ever wondered how the smooth and shiny finish of Apple products is achieved in manufacturing, here's your answer. The process called anodizing makes metals such as aluminum and titanium corrosion-resistant by growing an oxide layer into the metal.

A nice clip based on a chapter in the book Eight Amazing Engineering Stories explains the anodizing process in Layman's terms through the mouth of Bill Hammack the Engineer Guy.

As you know, anodizing is used on many Apple products, including most of the Macs sold today, and is likely to be applied to an upcoming iPhone 5 said to feature metal-clad back...

Dater adds timestamps and more to the photos in your camera roll

Dater is a recently released jailbreak tweak that adds a few nifty identification features to the photos in your camera roll.

First and foremost are the timestamps. Dater adds timestamps to all of the photos contained within the camera roll, and it will even retroactively add stamps to photos that already exist prior to installing the tweak. Don't worry; the timestamps aren't hardcoded on your photos, so they don't actually appear when you export or print them.

The timestamps are a very nice feature, but not alone worth the $0.99 asking price. Fortunately, there's more to Dater than what initially meets the eye...

iOS 6 could introduce sexy new silver look

Today's a leaks day, folks. First we learned that Apple will be kicking off the upcoming WWDC with a 10am PT keynote come June 11, then a cool-looking aluminum backplate surfaced to reveal a couple nuggets concerning a sixth-generation iPhone and now a set of photos from "a trusted source" (aren't they always?) show off the exciting new 3D mapping functionality of the re-worked Maps app in iOS 6.

Oh, and Apple also launched the official WWDC 2012 app. Taking it all in, we can now conclude with a reasonably high degree of probability that folks in Cupertino are ready to ditch the familiar blue theme in iOS and supplant it with a fresh new sexy silver look.

How's that? Read on...

Purported screenies show off enhanced iOS 6 Maps with breathtaking 3D view

Remember talk of Apple's enhanced Maps app thought to feature cutting-edge 3D view?

Apparently a few years in the making, looks like Cupertino is now ready to supplant a Google Maps backend with its own in-house mapping solution come June 11.

And now, screenshots from a "trusted source" have surfaced, depicting this exciting three-dimensional mapping view in action. The admittedly gorgeous photos look authentic and conceivably show off the power of a declassified missile targeting technology Apple got hold of with their 2011 acquisition of advanced 3D mapping startup C3 Technologies...

iPhone 5 backplate leaks: enhanced speakers, thinner profile, smaller dock connector

A new report out this morning points us to an allegedly leaked part purported to belong to an upcoming sixth-generation iPhone (not to be confused with a front panel part leaked by another source). It looks like it's machined from a single piece of an aluminum alloy, similar to Apple's Unibody manufacturing process for notebook chassis. If authentic, the leaked part casts additional light on the backside and profile of Apple's upcoming iPhone revision.

It does reinforce the mostly agreed-upon thesis of the next iPhone having a slimmer chassis and a much smaller and rounded dock connector...

Apple releases WWDC app and conference schedule

Apple has just posted on its website a list of WWDC 2012 events and conference schedules. If you're among the lucky ones who managed to snag tickets on time, chances are you'll be lost in over a hundred sessions and labs. Don't worry, there's an app for that, too...