Year: 2012

The iPad 3 Wishlist

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

The iPad 3 hysteria is reaching a fever pitch, and even I am getting swept up in the excitement. So much so that I just sat down and made a short list of the things I would most like to see Apple add to its next tablet device.

Before I unleash my list upon the unsuspecting masses, I must reiterate that I do know that some of these are never going to happen, but that's kind of the fun of a wishlist, right? Asking for things that would be mind-bendlingly awesome but are almost impossible, or just highly improbable.

With that out of the way, onwards we go to my iPad 3 feature wishlist...

Absinthe is the new Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Could the tension get any higher than that? A few hours after iOS hackers working on the jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 announced that the release was imminent, we know have more details coming directly from pod2g.

In a blog post, the French hacker responsible for the upcoming jailbreak for A5 devices revealed the name of the tool that will be released by the Chronic Dev Team: Absinthe...

Apple Patent Suggests New Thinner Batteries on the Way

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

A new Apple patent application to be released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office suggest that our future MacBooks, iPhones, iPods and iPads could get even thinner thanks to improved batteries.

When building a portable device one of the most important parts is the battery. Too small and your device will not have enough power to last a reasonable length of time. Too big and you risk making the device too large as well as making it unnecessarily heavy.

This new patent application shows that Apple is well aware of the need for improved battery technology, and it seems it might be on to something...

Will Textbooks for iPad Change Education?

Jake Smith ∙ January 20, 2012

Yesterday, Apple held an event focusing on education at New York City’s Guggenheim Museum to unveil a couple of new products that are supposed to change education. Apple opened up the event with the video below, where teachers explained what is wrong with education and why many students do not get the fullest education offered — or simply do not graduate.

Apple unveiled three new products yesterday: iBooks 2, iBooks Author, and iTunes U apps for the iPhone and iPad. iBooks 2 allows for textbooks publishers to sell their textbooks for $15 a pop, while iBooks Author allows for anyone to create text books simply through a Mac application. Lastly, iTunes U is an iOS app that allows for teachers to customize topics, provide students with office hours, post messages to the class, and give assignments.

With these announcements, Apple is working towards changing education, because really, education is not where it is supposed to be. But then comes the question: is Apple really the company that should be taking this charge, or should someone else? Moreover, will yesterday's announcements make a difference? As someone infinitely familiar with the inter-workings of high school education, I try to breakdown why I do not think Apple is up for the task...

German Court Scuppers Samsung’s 3G Patent Lawsuit Against Apple

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

With Samsung and Apple locked in the middle of so many lawsuits these days, it can be difficult to keep up, but the latest movement in the saga sees the Korean smartphone maker receive a black-eye after a German court rejected one of its patent claims.

Samsung had claimed that Apple infringed upon one of its patents which pertained to 3G/UMTS technology and took the matter to the German courts. One of seven such claimed infringements, this one in particular has met an early death, with Germany's Mannheim Regional Court rejecting Samsung's claim of patent infringement.

Judge Andreas Voss made the decision although the reasons for it are currently a little opaque, with FOSS Patents left to venture a guess...

Dev Team Releases Important A5 Jailbreak Details

Cody Lee ∙ January 20, 2012

We know. We're as eager for the A5 jailbreak to drop as you guys are. Probably more. But even though we've been saying it for weeks now, we think we're extremely close to a public release.

And The Dev Team confirms that in its new blog post entitled "Corona A5 jailbreak nearly ready to pop!" The post provides some important information regarding the highly-anticipated exploit...

iPhone 4S Jailbreak Progress Report: Testing and Polishing Phase

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 19, 2012

More updates from the jailbreak world this evening; as if the anticipation could possibly get any higher.

The app that contains the exploits used for the iPhone 4S jailbreak is essentially finished and the final touches are being placed on what we can only assume will be the latest version of GreenPois0n.

Earlier this evening, @planetbeing tweeted that fellow Chronic Dev Team member Nikias Bassen, better known as @pimskeks, has finished the majority of the app that will contain the heavily anticipated iPhone 4S and iPad 2 A5 exploit.

The Economics Behind Apple’s Digital Textbook Initiative

Cody Lee ∙ January 19, 2012

During its New York-based media event this morning, Apple announced its plans to get into the digital textbook publishing business. We have a good recap of the event in case you missed it, but the gist of it all is fairly straight-forward.

Using new applications like iBooks 2 and iBooks Author, Apple plans to disrupt the textbook industry by making it easier for folks to publish and consume educational content. And what's more impressive, they're giving the tools away for free...

Siri Patent Hints at More to Come from Apple’s Digital Assistant

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 19, 2012

If you've been reading the various editorials that we have been publishing of late then you'll probably already know that not all of us here at iDB are big fans of Siri. While some see it as a real paradigm shift, others think it has fallen short of its potential.

A new patent application may give an insight into where Siri could go from its current beta state however, and things look set to improve.

One possibility to come out of the patent is one which could see Siri, or software like it, react to external events and take appropriate action upon them...

iBooks Educational Event Wrap Up

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 19, 2012

There's been quite a bit to digest today regarding Apple's excellent educational event. I think the rumors that we'd see a "Garageband" for iBooks pretty much panned out like we expected.

To sort out all of the details, we've compiled a post explaining the highlights from Apple's event, along with details on the software involved and videos plus download links.

If you're at all behind on Apple's Media event this morning, don't worry, we've got you covered.

iH8sn0w Seeds Sn0wBreeze Update to Fix Numerous Bugs

Cody Lee ∙ January 19, 2012

Earlier this week, iH8sn0w released a major update to his popular jailbreak utility, Sn0wBreeze. Among the app's new features were support for older firmware (as old as 3.1.3) and pod2g's iOS 5.0.1 untether.

For the most part, the update has received positive feedback. But for some folks, particularly those with an iPhone 3G trying to flash over a custom iPad baseband, there's been a few notable issues. Enter Sn0wBreeze 2.9.1...

Watch Apple’s iBooks Author Video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 19, 2012

Apple already posted their official iBooks 2 video, now they've posted their official video for iBooks Author.

We've covered iBooks Author already in our media event coverage, and via our own hands-on time with the app, and we came away pretty impressed with its easy of use.

Be sure to check those out, along with Apple's own video if you're at all interested about the changing landscape of desktop publishing.