iPhone News

Angry Birds visit Mars, new Star Wars clips with Han Solo, Chewie, R2-D2 and C-3PO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0z2lXLlHeI

Finnish developer Rovio's really been an adept exploiter of the space theme. Its latest Angry Birds installment, Angry Birds Space, has just been updated with ten volcanic levels on planet Mars and the special Mars Curiosity Rover boss level. This release also contains an antenna egg level (get three stars on all levels to unlock it) and a "super-secret bonus level" that will unlock upon discovering the hidden rover.

Additionally, the company released a new interesting video giving us a hint of gameplay in the upcoming Star Wars tie-in called Angry Birds Star Wars, due November 8. An earlier trailer featured Princess Leia. Don't also miss another gameplay video from Monday that dropped humorous hints of a romance in the making between Luke Skywalker and Leia.

And while we're at it, as part of NASA and Rovio once again joining forces with the Red Planet episode for Angry Birds Space, Rovio released three interesting NASA clips about planet Mars. Plus, we also get to see R2-D2 and C-3PO characters in an exclusive Angry Birds Star Wars gameplay video. Don't worry, we've included all of the aforementioned videos right below...

How to jailbreak iOS 6.0.1

iOS 6.0.1 was just released a few minutes ago, but we've already confirmed it can be jailbroken right now using the existing jailbreak tools for iOS 6.

Although RedSn0w was recently updated to 0.9.15b3, the update doesn't yet include support for iOS 6. That's okay, because you can still point at the already supported iOS 6 firmware and successfully jailbreak iOS 6.0.1.

Check inside for the full video walkthrough that shows how.

Apple seeds iOS 6.1 Beta to developers with Maps Kit improvements

Hot on the heels of fixing numerous bugs with an incremental iOS 6.0.1 update that was released to end-users an hour ago, Apple has now seeded iOS 6.1 Beta to its registered developers. The software is provided for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad alongside the new Xcode 4.6 Beta integrated development environment.

At first glance, it seems iOS 6.1 will allow apps to ask the operating system to programmatically search for map-based addresses and points of interest. A new Reset Advertising Identifier button has been added to Advertising Settings and the date must match for Passbook passes to be relevant ...

Redsn0w 0.9.15b3 is out with improvements and bug fixes

The Dev Team has updated its popular jailbreak utility RedSn0w today, bringing the software to version 0.9.15b3. Although it closely follows Apple's release of iOS 6.0.1, it doesn't seem to include any 6.0.1-specific changes.

What it does include, though, are a handful of bug fixes and improvements that should make the jailbreaking process much smoother. We've got the full change log after the break...

The iPad mini ships with the smaller 5-watt adapter after all

Compared to the phased-out 10W adapter, Apple's new 12W power brick enables faster charging times for iPhones, iPads and iPods. Specifically, the two extra watts of power shave up to 45 minutes off the iPad charge time. What's really interesting is that in an article 9to5Mac ran a week ago it claimed "Apple also told us that the iPad mini would come with a 12W adapter as well".

This doesn't seem to be true, if a report by MacRumors is anything to go by. The publication relays a note from its reader who was able to purchase an iPad mini from his local Walmart yesterday and confirmed that it came with the smaller 5-watt adapter.

It doesn't appear to be an isolated incident. Additionally, iPhoneinCanada shortly following the iPad mini keynote observed that Apple's own shopping app depicted the 5-watt adapter as part of the iPad mini package contents...

Apple’s new 12W power brick charges iPads up to 45 minutes faster

Apple's new 12W power brick enables faster charging of your iPads, iPods and iPhones. Apple stopped short of divulging specifics when asked to quantify the “fast, efficient charging” claim on its online store. "We don’t have an exact percentage of how much faster it would charge but you should see an increase in speed", the company told 9to5Mac.

Enter Mike Flaminio of Insanely Great Mac, who took it upon himself to figure out non-scientifically the exact difference. An interesting video he posted claims the new power brick is able to charge an iPad between 30 and 45 minutes faster compared to the old (now phased out) 10W adapter. Yes, two extra watts of power make a difference. Check out his clip right below...

Apple releases iOS 6.0.1: fixes keyboard glitch, improves Wi-Fi and more

Apple has this morning released an update to its mobile operating system, iOS 6.0.1. The update comes just a day before the official launch of Apple's new 4th gen iPad and iPad mini.

In iTunes, updating to 6.0.1 is business as usual. But if you have an iPhone 5, you'll likely see the above screen asking you to install an 'Updater' before you receive the actual update. As it states, the Updater fixes a bug that prevents the iPhone 5 from installing updates wirelessly over the air.

So what's new in iOS 6.0.1? We've got the full change log after the break...

Path releases native iPad app

Path, a social network where people engage in limited sharing of their daily habits and photos with only a select few closest friends, later today will launch its iPad app. Focused on full-screen experience in landscape, Path puts more of your network at your fingertips with fewer taps. Images of the iPad interface are promising and new features sound interesting enough to give it a a try. My favorite: the improved home screen displaying more activities from your network than is possible on the iPhone version.

UPDATE: a new version of the original iPhone app just went live with support for native iPad experience. Simply update your existing installation to get iPad goodies...

Concept video shows widgets the way Apple should implement them

If you've had an Android device in your hands before, you've likely noticed they usually come with widgets for just about anything. As a matter of fact, when I reviewed the Nexus 7 a few months ago, I noted that widgets were definitely one of the strong points of the tablet. Of course, jailbreakers are no strangers to widgets: Dashboard X is an example of how widgets can be implemented in a very tasteful way on iOS.

Visual and UI designer Max Rudberg recently took it upon himself to imagine another way widgets could work on iOS. The result is quite amazing, and in all honesty, I believe Apple should really take note of Rudberg's concept. Have a look for yourself...

UK Judge: Apple must remove “incorrect” Samsung apology

Note to Apple: UK judges don't get American snarkiness. The UK Court of Appeals Thursday told the iPhone maker its recent apology to Samsung was "incorrect" and required a new notice on the website "acknowledging the inaccurate comments." At issue: comments from the trial's first ruling in which the judge declared Samsung's tablet "not as cool."

Judge Robin Jacob ordered the changes to Apple's website be made within 24 hours, rejecting the Cupertino, Calif. firm's request for 14 days to make the edit. "This is Apple. They cannot put something on their website?" Jacob reportedly said...

Apple adds Sandy relief donation portal to iTunes

As most of you are aware of by now, the Northeastern part of the United States was hit by a superstorm this week. Hurricane Sandy tore through New York, New Jersey and other areas on Monday night, causing an estimated $60 billion in damages.

For those that are looking to help, Apple has teamed up with the American Red Cross to make it easy for folks to donate money to the relief efforts...

Apple names Forstall’s new job title in year-end 10-K filing

Apple has filed its end of the year 10-K document, a performance report required of all companies by the SEC (Security Exchange Commission), and as you might expect, it contains some pretty interesting information about the iPad-makers.

Perhaps most interesting is that it names Scott Forstall's new official title at the company, following Monday's announcement that he is no longer the SVP of iOS software: Special Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer...