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Despite Qualcomm chip shortages, analyst says next iPhone will feature LTE

Cody Lee ∙ May 21, 2012

With all of the recent talk regarding the next-generation iPhone's display, the LTE rumors seem to have faded to the background. Maybe it's because folks are assuming that, after the third-gen iPad, the feature is a lock for Apple's next smartphone.

Gene Munster certainly seems to think so. PiperJaffray's senior Apple analyst told investors today that even though there has been some speculation that a Qualcomm chip shortage could affect Apple's upcoming handset, it will still ship with LTE compatibility...

Why carriers put up with high iPhone subsidy

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 21, 2012

I already opined on crazypants analysts predicting carriers would put the iPhone in its place because they reason Apple wields far too much power in the wireless industry.

Newsflash: we've been hearing for years that disgruntled carriers will drop iPhone subsidies and hurt Apple's bottom line in the process.

Surprisingly enough, fear of customer-retention rates spiking if they did has so far outweighed concerns of their profits taking a short-term hit because fewer people could afford a non-subsidized iPhone.

The fact of the matter is, it's never been about Apple or even industry politics for that matter. This is about a sought-after device with the proven ability to bring in new customers.

It's simple: make the iPhone more pricier and expect customers to flee to another network that offers it subsidized...

Even the iPhone charger is a work of art

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Did you ever wonder why Apple's $29 USB Power Adapter for the iPhone costs so much more compared to, say, Samsung's cube charger that goes for about $6-$10 (and looks all too familiar).

Alright, everything Apple is more expensive because the company makes integrated products that "just work", right?

But as tough as it is to argue against Apple pricing its shiny gadgets accordingly, it's far too easy to criticize Apple accessories that many people think cost more simply because of the official branding.

In the case of the original Apple USB Power Adapter, there is no merit to this argument for there's more to your iPhone charger than meets the eye...

Sony’s Music Unlimited streaming app hits iOS, children run scared

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 28, 2018

As rumored back in January 2012, Sony has brought its music streaming app to the iOS platform. A newly-released iOS client works in tandem with the Japanese giant's own online music service dubbed Music Unlimited, enabling you to stream Sony's catalog of fifteen million of songs to your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

The program arrives on the heels of Spotify for iPad, which landed on the App Store on May 2, 2012. Of course, to fully enjoy the Music Unlimited iOS app, you'll need to pick a Basic or Premium subscription. Luckily, a 30-day free trial Premium subscription is available, allowing you to sample the service and the iOS app before committing to a monthly subscription, which starts at $3.99 a month...

Where’s My Water merchandise arriving

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 21, 2012

Not to be outdone by Angry Birds maker Rovio, Disney today announced a new merchandise line for its iPhone puzzler dubbed Where's My Water.

The charming little alligator who lives in the sewers under the city is Disney’s first original character for mobile and can now be bought as a plush toy.

Disney also promised a number of other items, including consumer electronics accessories, apparel and accessories...

How to prepare for the iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

The upcoming iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak release is imminent. It's so close we can almost smell it.

For that reason, it would be wise to go ahead and analyse your current situation, and prepare for the jailbreak.

It has been confirmed that the A5 portion of the jailbreak — the jailbreak for iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and the iPad 3 — will only support iOS 5.1.1.

While nothing has been said about A4 devices, it's a good chance that iOS 5.1.1 will be required to jailbreak any device with the new Absinthe tool across the board.

So what should you do? Should you update your device now, or wait until the jailbreak has been officially released?

MuscleNerd reveals more iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak info

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

MuscleNerd just tweeted out a whole host of interesting info about the upcoming iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak.

Inside, he confirms that it's very likely that we will see the untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1 by the end of this week.

He also details some of the behind the scenes work that has taken place in order to make this a well supported jailbreak. iPod 3rd generation owners, and iPhone 3GS owners should take particular note...

What we learn from the Absinthe 2.0 video [updated]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 20, 2012

Now that a video showcasing the Absinthe 2.0 iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak has finally surfaced, we can glean additional details about what to expect when the tool is released to the public.

If you haven't already seen our posts outing the name of the highly anticipated tool, or our post with the video of Absinthe in action, then be sure to take a look at those respective posts.

The nice thing about seeing the tool in action for the first time, is that we can have a clearer idea as to what to expect once the tool is released.

Here is what we've found so far...

Absinthe 2.0 iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak in action [Video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 20, 2012

Shortly after confirming the name of the upcoming iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak tool, iOS hacker, xvolks, uploaded a video showcasing Absinthe 2.0 in action.

xvolks warns that the video is poor quality, but given that he and the rest of the team have been working very hard on getting this release out as soon as possible, we can surely cut him some slack.

The video is of an iPhone 4 GSM running iOS 5.1.1. The iPhone 4 is jailbroken with the new Absinthe tool, which incorporates pod2g's exploits.

Check inside for a sneak peak at the new Absinthe 2.0 in action...

The new iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak tool will likely be called Absinthe 2.0

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 20, 2012

With the iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak right around the corner, work has apparently started on packaging the exploits into a tool that your average iOS device owner can utilize.

Tools like GreenPois0n and RedSn0w take 99% of the guess work out of the jailbreaks, making it so that almost anyone can take advantage of the benefits that jailbreaking brings to the table.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that the highly anticipated 5.1.1 jailbreak will follow the same pattern. Judging from a conversation I had with an iOS hacker close to pod2g, it appears that the latest jailbreak tool in the pipeline will retain the Absinthe name.

In other words, I'd say it's totally reasonable to expect an Absinthe 2.0 iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak sometime within the next few days...

Stop struggling to plug in your iDevice in the dark with CordLite

Cody Lee ∙ May 20, 2012

Every night, as I'm going to bed, I dock my iPhone on a Sony-branded alarm clock and attempt to plug in my iPad to its USB power adapter. I say attempt because in the dark, that's not exactly an easy task.

Well, TechCrunch points to a new Kickstarter project that is looking to change that. CordLite, the product of Scrap Pile Labs, is an iOS device charging cable that provides illumination in low-light settings...

This hack sends out a push notification when the doorbell rings

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

As iDB is deeply involved in the jailbreak community, we see cool software and hardware hacks all the time. One of my favorites is by Mark Hodder, the freelance webmaster, who programmed Siri to turn his fireplace off and on.

Today, we've got another cool hack to share with you. This one comes from Clement Storck, over at Make Projects, who hacked his doorbell to send his iPhone push notifications (and doorway photos) when activated by a visitor...