iThinkDifferent » iPhone

Instagram 2.1 Released with Lux feature, Updated UI and Sierra Filter

Imran — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:46:37 +0000

Instagram 2.1 Released with Lux feature, Updated UI and Sierra Filter

The guys behind Instagram slowly but gradually keep working on their iOS app to add new features and filters every now and then. One of the most significant features that they had recently added was tilt shift effect and how users could easily manipulate it with multi-touch for the desired effect. If done right, it can easily fool users into thinking the image is taken through a pro camera. But now, the team behind Instagram has taken things one step further by introducing a feature already available in rival apps called Lux.

Think of Lux as an HDR effect. It brings out the hidden details such as in a normal photo of a sky, you might miss out the clouds but Lux enhances the look of the app and modifies the midtones, shadows and highlights in an image to provide more details and clarity. For all Camera+ users, this is similar to the clarity feature available in their app.

Lux can be accessed by tapping the button that looks like the sun at the bottom left of the viewfinder.

The second (but really, should be the first considered that this is what everyone will notice at first glance), is the updated UI. There are updated icons all over and the toolbar at the bottom now looks similar to what you would find on Tweetbot.

Looks much better now in our opinion!

Third, they’ve added a new filter called Siera. Looks good and very retro!

Last is an update to how notifications work. Now when you tap a new Instagram push notification, it directly takes you to that photo or comment in the app. Much needed feature.

If you haven’t been using Instagram yet, you can download it from the App Store. You can follow me at @imhassan

P.S. a must read if you’re a fan of Instagram: How the tiny Instagram startup works by Gizmodo

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Apple Airs Two New iPhone 4S Commercials Showing Off Siri’s Capabilities

Imran — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:30:20 +0000

Apple Airs Two New iPhone 4S Commercials Showing Off Siri’s Capabilities

No matter how you look at it, Apple has changed the mobile landscape once again with Siri, the digital assistant that understands natural language and the context of the conversation. It’s only after Siri was launched on the iPhone 4S, alternates started popping up on competing platforms such as Android and Windows Phone 7. But, no surprises there when you realize that none of them are even close to what Siri offers in terms of intelligence and integration with iOS.

Still in beta, Siri has been shown off in ads previously as well by Apple. So showing how Apple knows Siri is the future, they’ve published two new commercials on YouTube showing Siri’s navigational capabilities as well as how it can help one polish their talents and become a rock star.

Siri not only lets you find locations on a map and places near you, it also lets you find out what the weather is, send and read incoming text messages and emails, make phone calls, set reminders and calendar events, find information on the web and Wolfram Alpha and much more. Check out both advertisements below:

Rock god

This commercial shows a young man buying a guitar, learning chords, inviting friends over for a gig and telling his iPhone to call him ‘rock god’ all through Siri.

Road Trip

Road trip shows how Siri helps friends navigate through a road trip, find out about their points of interest and information about them and even find out where they are all with just voice interaction.

Apple might expand the capabilities of Siri with their next iOS release, iOS 5.1. We expect Apple to introduce maps navigation through Siri someday down the road as it’s one of the features that its still missing out on when compared to Android which ships with the free Google Maps Navigation software. Apart from that, Apple could do great by officially opening up the API to third part developers. Some developers are already doing wonderful stuff through Cydia by making translator tweaks, providing Twitter integration and much more.

No matter how long these things would take, Apple is bound to keep making Siri more amazing.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

Quickly Close All Running Apps on iPhone with Weekillbackground Tweak for iOS5

David — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:00:49 +0000

Quickly Close All Running Apps on iPhone with Weekillbackground Tweak for iOS5

iOS 5 is by far Apple’s greatest OS yet. However, since the release of iOS 4, Apple has began to include multitasking as a feature. As nice as this is, it can sometimes cause your phone to start to slow down or you notice the battery is draining more than normal. Before, you would have to hit your home button twice, hold down on one of the apps, and close each one individually. Now, in iOS 5 we have the Notification Center, which allows us to see our important information with just a swipe down on the top bar. Weekillbackground is a jailbreak tweak that adds a quick way to close all your apps running in the background right from the notification center.

Using wekillbackground, you can close all those apps in just one push of a button. The tweak is available for jailbreakers via Cydia, in the Big Boss repo. The tweak requires that you are running iOS 5 as well.

There are two versions of this tweak available : the regular version is available for free while the pro version includes features such as customization, app exclusion and more. In the pro version, you have the option to exclude apps from being closed in the background and you can also change the appearance options of the app itself. All these settings can be changed in the default Settings app in iOS. Another option you have is setting it to close all apps when you open or close notification center. This can make the process much easier, as you don’t have to press anything to close your apps. A final option is the ability to set a timer to close apps after a certain amount of time. Once the timer runs out, the app will close all running background apps.

The Pro version costs $.99 but may be worth it for those who want the full experience. Either way, another great tweak from Big Boss and a must have for any jailbroken iOS 5 device.

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Absinthe for Mac Version 0.2 is Now Available for Download

Imran — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:36:49 +0000

Absinthe for Mac Version 0.2 is Now Available for Download

Quick heads up – Absinthe for Mac version 0.2 is now released. It fixes some issues such as no reboot after activating VPN or launching the Absinthe app. The white icons after jailbreak have also been fixed.

If you’re already jailbroken, no need to do it all over again but if you ran into issues, just re-run this updated version over your current jailbreak on iOS device.

Download links update in original post here.

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How to Jailbreak iPad 2 and iPhone 4S using Absinthe A5 on Windows [Guide]

Imran — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:18:00 +0000

How to Jailbreak iPad 2 and iPhone 4S using Absinthe A5 on Windows [Guide]

Absinthe A5 Jailbreak tool was earlier released for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on iOS 5.0.1 but it was only for OS X. The windows app took at bit more time and it’s finally here. Follow our instructions and download links below to jailbreak your A5 iOS device.

Supported Firmware

iPhone 4S ( iOS 5.0 and iOS 5.0.1)
iPad 2 ( Wi-Fi only, CDMA and GSM supported. iOS 5.0.1 only )

Note: Back-up your data before you proceed. The jailbreak tool is new and could contain bugs. iTD wont be responsible for any issues caused. In case of issues, follow our guide here. Also:

Do NOT have a pass code set when jailbreaking.
Do NOT have your own VPN setup when jailbreaking.

Instructions

Download the Absinthe A5 untethered jailbreak from the links below

Unzip the file and run the tool.

Select your iOS A5 mobile device ( either iPhone 4S or iPad 2) and that’s it!

If you face any issues, check out our handy guide on fixing them here

If you’re on OS X, follow our guide here for instructions and download links to jailbreak your iOS device.

Download links:

Download Absinthe A5 Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 (Windows)

Alternate Download Link (Faster!)

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Jailbreak iPhone 4S or iPad 2 using CLI on Windows

Imran — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:32:55 +0000

Jailbreak iPhone 4S or iPad 2 using CLI on Windows

As earlier covered by iTD, the iPhone Dev Team released a CLI (command line interface) for Windows and OS X that lets users jailbreak iPhone 4S or iPad 2 with iOS 5.0.1 The purpose of the CLI is to help in debugging and jailbreaking iOS devices. While we would suggest users to go for Absinthe if they are on OS X ( Windows version isn’t available yet ), for those of us who are on Windows, there’s no other option such as redsn0w available yet.

So, for users who want to enjoy the jailbreak goodness on their A5 processor iOS devices, here’s a guide aimed towards Windows users. Make sure you back up all your data before proceeding.

Download CLI from here
Extract the file’s contents.
Fire up the command line by typing in cmd.exe in the search bar in Windows.
Navigate to the folder where you extracted the contents.
Plug in your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to the computer and type in the following:

cinject.exe -i payloads/jailbreak.mobileconfig

On your device, you’ll see the profile displaying, waiting to be installed. Just tap install, don’t put a VPN password, tap next and you’re done.
Back to the command line again. Type in the following:

cinject.exe -j payloads

Once the back up is complete, type in the below in the command line:

cinject.exe –w

Now go to Settings > General > Network > VPN on your iPhone 4S/iPad 2. Toggle it on. When it shows the error, tap OK and wait for the device to finish rebooting.
Once this is done, your device is finally jailbroken and since it’s an untethered jailbreak, you can restart your device without any worries.

This guide is not for those who require an unlock for their iPhone 4S. This only jailbreaks the device.

If you have any questions, leave a comment on our Facebook page or Google+ page.

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Absinthe Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Updated with Database Connection Error Fix

Imran — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:20:55 +0000

Absinthe Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Updated with Database Connection Error Fix

Absinthe has been updated to version 0.1.2-2 with a fix for the database connection error that users had been reporting which occurred due to server overload. We’ve updated our guide here with newer download links.

Also check out the CLI tool released by the iPhone Dev team for Windows and OS X.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

iPhone Dev Team Releases CLI To Untethered Jailbreak iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on Windows and OS X

Imran — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:51:28 +0000

iPhone Dev Team Releases CLI To Untethered Jailbreak iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on Windows and OS X

The awesome ‘Dream Team’, comprised of the iPhone Dev Team and the Chronic Dev Team rolled out the public release of Corona A5 jailbreak tool for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Chronic Dev Team was the first to roll out an app called Absinthe which lets users quickly jailbreak their A5 processor iOS devices. Initially released on OS X only, with the Windows version to follow, this app lets you jailbreak your device without even putting it in DFU mode. We’ve already extensively covered Absinthe with fast download links, guide on how to jailbreak your iOS device with it as well as a trouble shooting guide in case you can’t figure out why something’s going wrong.

The iPhone Dev Team has incorporated Corona A5 jailbreak in a CLI to help advanced users to not only jailbreak their iOS device but help debug specific issues as well. It includes around 20 advanced options so that those who know what they’re doing can tinker around with it. The best thing about this is that it’s available for both Windows and OS X making it the first jailbreak tool for the PC world to untethered jailbreak A5 devices.

Here’s what you can do with this CLI:

  Configuration profiles:
    -l             List current profiles
    -i       Install profile
    -r [] Remove all profiles, or profiles matching pattern

  AFC transfers:
    -a     Alternative afc service to use (2 is available after jailbreak)
    -u  ...  Upload file(s) via afc (add final "dir=dirname" to specify which afc directory)
    -d []     Show list of files in afc directory
    -X       Delete afc directory or file

  ROP assistance:
    -s             Compute slide
    -e             Erase existing crash logs
    -g             Get diagnostics

  Backups and restores:
    -B             Create backup
    -R             Restore from backup
    -L  List contents of an MBDB file
    -M       Modify the ipsec.plist on device
    -p       Modify the preferences.plist (requires -f too)
    -f       File to use with -p
    -H             Hide media files
    -U             Unhide media files

  Chained operations:
    -j        Jailbreak device using given payloads directory (ADVANCED use only!)

  Other:
    -v      Debug verbosity level
    -h             This help message

We would suggest using the CLI only if you’re an advanced user while novice users should wait for the Windows version of Absinthe or redsn0w update. We will have a guide up shortly to help you jailbreak your iOS device with this CLI.

Download cinject 0.4.3 CLI to Untethered Jailbreak iPhone 4S and iPad 2

Release notes here

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iPhone Dev Team to Release a CLI version of Corona A5 Untethered Jailbreak–redsn0w Update Coming Soon for iPad and iPhone 4S

Imran — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:13:34 +0000

iPhone Dev Team to Release a CLI version of Corona A5 Untethered Jailbreak–redsn0w Update Coming Soon for iPad and iPhone 4S

Now that the OS X version of Absinthe, untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 on iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, is out in the public, all eyes are set on the Windows release. Not many users would have realized that more apps are in the works namely, the popular redsn0w by the iPhone Dev Team, and a CLI version of the Corona A5 jailbreak for debugging purposes.

What’s the CLI version of Corona A5 jailbreak? Well, according to the iPhone Dev Team, they have incorporated the same user flow as in Absinthe A5 jailbreak in an alternative command line interface. The CLI has over 20 options and would let users go through the individual steps of the jailbreak manually as well as debug the errors that could pop up during the jailbreak process. Seems like the CLI is ready but it hasn’t been released yet but we’re hoping it would be out really soon.

What about redsn0w then?

Here’s what we know so far: Once the bugs are all ironed out after the public release, the jailbreak flow will be incorporated in redsn0w. The redsn0w GUI will use native Apple iTunes libraries unlike how Chronic Dev Team is handling communication with Absinthe A5. Traditionally, we’ve always had to put our iOS devices into DFU mode when we have to use redsn0w but Absinthe has been the one of the simplest jailbreak solutions ever and removes the need to do so. Will redsn0w have the same user flow and will the iPhone Dev Team back port this to A4 devices? We’re not sure yet but we’re hoping that’s the case as an easier jailbreak process would help everyone. Try explaining DFU mode to an average user and you would know what I’m talking about.

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Fixing Issues with Absinthe A5 Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2

Imran — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:37:04 +0000

Fixing Issues with Absinthe A5 Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2

Absinthe A5 Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on iOS 5.0.1 was just released and a lot of users are already complaining about some issues. We’re compiling a list of some known issues and their fixes ( or how to avoid them ). Follow our article here for download links and guide in case you haven’t jailbroken your iPad 2 or iPhone 4S yet and then follow the list of fixes below. Check them all out below after the break.

Do NOT have a pass code set when jailbreaking.
Do NOT have your own VPN setup when jailbreaking.
Absinthe crashed!

Reboot your device and try again.

Camera roll pictures deleted after jailbreak!

Yes, it happens. Always backup your data before running the jailbreak tool.

Update: Camera roll will be empty if your jailbreak is incomplete. Rerun the app once to fix and then another time to complete jailbreak.

Corona A5 loads greenpois0n.com on device during jailbreaking.

Not sure why but according to the Chronic Dev Team members, this is requires in order for the jailbreak to be triggered. Update: Use the updated Absinthe here.

Device gets stuck at ‘waiting for reboot’

Just reboot your device manually and you’ll be good to go.

The VPN connection gives an error.

This is normal. A reboot should happen a few moments after the error.

Greenpois0n website is down/isn’t loading

Start the VPN tunnel created by Absinthe on your iOS device in Settings > Network.

Toggle VPN only AFTER Absinthe says it’s done, or it will not work. VPN SHOULD error and then reboot soon. If it does not, rerun Absinthe!

Update: Use the updated Absinthe here.

Why can’t I use redsn0w?

redsn0w update will be released with Corona A5 support once the bugs are ironed out

Also try the CLI tool released by the iPhone Dev team for Windows and OS X.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.