Year: 2012

Hands on with Lima, a browser based Cydia alternative

Over the years there has been no shortage of proclaimed Cydia replacements, alternatives, and supplements.

Lima is the latest such purported alternative, but it has one unique thing going for it that makes it a bit different from the others — it's entirely browser based.

Is Lima a legitimate threat to Cydia's dominance?

I've had the privilege to go hands-on with a beta copy, and I'd like to share some of the things that I found with you.

Who says all jailbreakers are pirates?

"After all most jailbreak users are only in it for running unlocks and pirating apps." This was the last line in a series of tweets by infamous iDevice hacker I0n1c, talking about the state of the jailbreak. While I'm not typically the kind of person to get riled up over such an ignorant comment, I feel like there's a similarly negative consensus about jailbreaking that needs to be addressed.

It's a fairly true statement to say that all iOS app pirates are jailbreakers. After all, I don't know of any other way to pirate apps – and if there is, it can't be easier –  than by jailbreaking. But to say that all, or even "most" jailbreakers are pirates is asinine. From where I'm sitting, the jailbreak community looks pretty awesome. And it's made up of much more than just pilferers....

New iPad jailbreak tweak ‘Quasar’ allows for true iPad window based multitasking [Video]

A new $9.99 jailbreak tweak was released for the iPad today on Cydia, and it goes by the name of Quasar.

Quasar is a tweak that's exclusive to jailbroken iPad's, and it allows you to have a true window based multitasking session with your iPad.

As you know we've been fairly adamant about a true multitasking solution for the iPad for quite some time now, so we're excited to see what Quasar can do for iPad users.

Full story and video walkthrough inside...

Foco aims at making your iPad speaker sound better [sponsored]

I'm sure that most of you already know about Kickstarter, the platform that helps people like you and me get funding for various projects. Since its creation in 2008, Kickstarter has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs get their project started.

Today, we sit down and talk to Adewale Adeluyi-Adelusi and Bojan Smiljanic from Unique Design Solutions about their new project, Foco. They tell us what it is, why they created it, and hopefully you'll like their project enough to pledge a few bucks...

Apple seriously considered giving the iPhone a physical keyboard

We've heard rumors in the past that Apple had an iPhone prototype with a physical keyboard floating around its Cupertino labs. But the speculation has never been confirmed or denied. Until now.

Tony Fadell, a long-time Apple employee turned Nest founder, was on The Verge's tech talk show On The Verge last night. And the ex-Senior Vice President dropped some insider information about Apple's popular handset...

Cookie: backup and restore your unlock activation ticket right from your iPhone

We've shown you how to manually backup your iPhone's unlock activation ticket. And then a new version of Red Sn0w came out that made the process even easier. Well now, thanks to a new jailbreak utility, you can do it right from your iPhone.

Folks using the new SAM method to unlock their handsets have been directed to backup their activation tickets to make unlocking a possibility in the future. And now with Cookie, the task is as easy as opening an app and tapping a button...

Apple cracking down on App Store manipulation services

Earlier this year, we pointed out an interesting discovery regarding the App Store's list of top 25 free apps. Apparently, some developers were employing seedy marketing services to move their apps up the ranks, using tens of thousands of download bots.

Well it looks like Apple is cracking down on such services, as downloads for the top 200 free apps in the U.S. have dropped more than 30% over the past two months. And Fiksu, a legitimate app marketing firm, attributes part of the decline to Apple's actions...

Rumor: Apple and EPIX in movie streaming deal that includes the mythical iTV

Apple is (again) rumored to be negotiating content deals with Hollywood studios that would give the company necessary rights to stream premium Hollywood entertainment via the iCloud to your living room.

Two people with knowledge of the negotiations apparently told Reuters that the EPIX movie streaming deal could include “a long-anticipated” television set from Apple.

However, industry sources indicated that any Apple-EPIX streaming deal cannot be realized before end of September 2012, when EPIX's prior streaming arrangement with Netflix is set to expire...

Samsung Australia: We didn’t stage anti-Apple protest. So, who the heck did?

Apple's frenemy Samsung went on the record to deny speculation that it was behind a flashmob-style anti-Apple protest that occurred 'spontaneously' outside Apple's retail outlet in Sydney, Australia. More precisely, a spokesperson for Samsung said their Australian branch had nothing to do with the stunt.

But the curiously ambiguous response leaves open the possibility of Samsung of South Korea or any of their regional offices hiring a creative shop to stage the protest. Before you jump straight to the comments, know this...

Apple’s new celebrity iPhone 4S ads are testing well with viewers

Last week, two new iPhone 4S commercials surfaced starring Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanel. And given the fact that Apple hasn't used celebrities in its TV spots in quite some time, there was some questions on who was behind the ads.

Well as it turns out, Apple was. And apparently it was a smart move. According to Ace Metrix, an advertising tracking firm, the celebrity iPhone 4S ads are generating higher scores with consumers than any other 4S ads aired this year...

How about this gorgeous speaker dock for your iPad by Jean Michel Jarre?

Jean Michel Jarre, a composer, performer and music producer, may be best-known for his trademark new-age sound and a penchant for lavish concerts that dazzle fans with fireworks and spectacular light equipment rocking the out-of-this-world laser shows (and that was back in 1986).

What you might not have known is that this 63-year-old French also runs Jarre Technologies, a cutting-edge brand for high-end home entertainment products and technological lifestyle.

The AeroPod Two is the latest in prosumer speaker dock technology to come out from Jarre Technologies. There's a lot to like about this product, especially if you're fond of elegant designs akin to Apple's. The beast of a speaker dock is a whopping 34 inches wide, but wait 'till you hear the price...