iThinkDifferent » iPod

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.

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

Corona A5 Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Latest Updates – Release Only A Few Hours Away!

Imran — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:00:44 +0000

Corona A5 Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Latest Updates – Release Only A Few Hours Away!

Musclenerd, member of the iPhone Dev Team and part of the ‘Dream Team’ (iPhone Dev Team + Chronic Dev Team) that’s working on the Corona A5 jailbreak for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S on iOS 5.0.1, has posted an update on the iPhone Dev Team blog regarding its status. According to him, and the news making rounds on Twitter, the untethered jailbreak release is near is final stages and they’re testing for any remaining bugs in the apps.

While they would try to release a bug-free version, the method to inject the Corona A5 jailbreak has never been done before and a public release might reveal more bugs that would be fixed by the team.

The team recommends that data is backed up before trying the jailbreak tool when it’s released to avoid any kind of loss.

The jailbreak isn’t too far away now and we will keep you updated on the release!

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

Apple Releases iTunes U App for iPad and iPhone

Ace — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:31:25 +0000

Apple Releases iTunes U App for iPad and iPhone

iTunes U has been Apple’s attempt at providing educational institutes to publish content in the iTunes Store which can be downloaded for free. iTunes U contains over 500,000 free lectures, videos, books and other resources spanning across a huge variety of subjects. Distinguished educational institutes such as Stanford, Yale, Oxford and the likes have published content in iTunes U.

Apple announced the free iTunes U app yesterday for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch which allows access to all courses and their material in a single place. From Apple’s iTunes U page:

Right in the app, they can play video or audio lectures. Read books and view presentations. See a list of all the assignments for the course and check them off as they’re completed. And when you send a message or create a new assignment, students receive a push notification with the new information.

iTunes U app integrated with iBooks, iCloud and other apps to allow students to stay up to date with their courses. iTunes U syncs all documents, notes, highlights and bookmarks across multiple devices and keeps them up to date. Courses can be built through the iTunes U Course Manager which is a web-based tool accessible through a browser. Courses can include quizzes, handouts, syllabus and much more. All this content is hosted by Apple and available to anyone taking that course. This makes it amazingly simple to distribute course material across a large number of students.

Apple released the iTunes U app yesterday along with iBooks 2 and iBooks textbooks at their educational event in New York. Apple has always been keen in trying to improve education through their products but this one has simply raised the bar for all technology companies to match.

Download iTunes U from App Store

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

Show Album Art in App Switcher on iOS with this Cydia Tweak

Imran — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:17:23 +0000

Show Album Art in App Switcher on iOS with this Cydia Tweak

Normally when a music or video app is running, its icon shows in the application switcher tray in iOS. A few examples of such apps are the Music (formally iPod), YouTube and Vevo. How cool would it be if instead of the icon, the album art of the currently playing son shows instead of the Music app? Well, we aren’t sure since that’s not one area we see often, but you can find out by installing AlbumArt in AppSwitcher tweak from Cydia.

Available in the BigBoss repository, this free tweak does simply what it name says. There are no options to configure so all you need to do is fire up Cydia, search for AlbumArt in AppSwitcher and install it. Make sure you have album art associated with the songs you play else you won’t get the desired result.

Of course, you would need a jailbroken iOS device to be able to use Cydia and install this tweak. We tested this tweak with iOS 5.0.1 and it worked like a breeze.

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

Apple Introduces Replacement Program for First Generation iPod Nano Due To Overheating Problem

Imran — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:22:17 +0000

Apple Introduces Replacement Program for First Generation iPod Nano Due To Overheating Problem

iPod nano was first launched in September 2005 and sold from that time onwards to December 2006. 5 years later, Apple has introduced a replacement program for iPod nano sold during that time as the batteries in these devices may overheat and pose a safety risk ( in rare cases ). To avoid any such issue, the program will get you a replacement unit without any battery defect.

The process works in the following manner: you would have to visit this link, chose your country and enter your iPod nano serial number to verify if you’re illegible for this program. Once verified, you will receive a replacement unit ( 1st generation ) in approximately 6 weeks.

We at iThinkDifferent know quiet a few people who still use their first generation iPod nano because it’s just so slim and darn beautiful. So hopefully, this replacement program will keep them safe from any sort of safety incident.

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

Facebook Messenger Updated to Version 1.5 – Shows Online Friends, Typing Indicator and More

Imran — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:37:01 +0000

Facebook Messenger Updated to Version 1.5 – Shows Online Friends, Typing Indicator and More

Facebook has updated their Messenger app for iPhone and iPod Touch with support for iOS 5 and turned it into more of a chat/messaging app hybrid. It was initially just a simple messaging app but has now gained status indicators to show which contacts are online and which are on mobile. During a conversation, typing indicator is also shown making it essentially a stand alone Facebook chat app as well as a quick way to access your inbox.

While composing new messages, friends you contact frequently are shown at the top before rest of the online contacts list making it easier to stay in touch with whom it really matters.

Here’s the complete change log of Facebook Messenger app version 1.5:

• Support for iOS 5
• Ability to see who’s online and who’s mobile
• Ability to see when the other person is typing
• A faster way to compose new messages to the people you message most
• Various performance improvements
• Support for 12 additional languages

Weirdly, Facebook Messenger’s website still shows it as coming soon even though it’s available since some time now for both iOS and Android. Let’s see when they’ll add on video chat to this app.

Facebook Messenger app can be download from iTunes/App Store from here.

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

Apple To Release iOS 5 “Golden Master” By End Of September

Haras — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:00:53 +0000

Apple To Release iOS 5 “Golden Master” By End Of September

We’ve been waiting for iOS 5 to come to our iOS devices for a very long time. According to an analyst, Apple is looking to release a “Golden Master” build for suppliers during the week of September 23 to September 30. This build will then be preinstalled on future iOS devices to be sold.

Not only will the GM build be for suppliers, developers are also eagerly waiting to get their hands on the final version of the firmware.

If the source is to be believed, then it could mean that the iPhone will probably launch during early- or mid-October.

A release of iOS 5 to assemblers the week of Sept. 23 means its likely finalized hardware units for the new iPhone and iPod touch will begin to ship at the end of September. With an estimated 10 to 12 days for shipping, the two new devices are likely to be available by mid-October

Apple unveiled iOS 5 to the public during WWDC this year, in Moscone West, San Francisco. From the start, they have claimed that this will be the biggest update to the operating system ever. The update is expected to have over 200 new features, which include iCloud support, “cut the cord”, iTunes Match and Twitter integration.

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

Jailbreak iOS 5 Beta 6 With Redsn0w 0.9.8b6 On iPhone 4 / 3GS, iPod Touch, iPad

Haras — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:13:56 +0000

Jailbreak iOS 5 Beta 6 With Redsn0w 0.9.8b6 On iPhone 4 / 3GS, iPod Touch, iPad

Apple seeded iOS 5 beta 6 to developers several days ago, at the time Redsn0w wasn’t working very well for everyone. Days later, we reported on how to jailbreak the firmware using Sn0wbreeze. That tool did the job, however many people reported they were having problems and Mac users were left alone in the dark.

Earlier today, the Dev-Team released Redsn0w 0.9.8b6 that would be able to jailbreak iOS 5 beta 6. The jailbreak is currently tethered, meaning you’ll have to run Redsn0w every time you boot up your iPhone. Another problem is that the boot logo is currently disabled due to some issues.

The Dev-Team has advised everyone to do a clean shutdown before jailbreaking the device using Redsn0w. Other than that, you can follow our step-by-step guide here to jailbreak your iOS device running iOS 5 beta 6.

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

Jailbreak iOS 5 Beta 6 with Snowbreeze v2.8 Beta 6

David — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:25:20 +0000

Jailbreak iOS 5 Beta 6 with Snowbreeze v2.8 Beta 6

Okay, now that we told you the jailbreak was not available, then available, then not available again, iH8snow has released version 2.8 Beta 6 of Snowbreeze that supports iOS 5 Beta 6. This release of Snowbreeze also removes the UDID check and automatically activates the device once it is restored. Also, the expiration date for the beta is removed when you create the customer firmware as well. The Baseband is also preserved with the new firmware.

One thing to keep in mind again is that this is still a tethered jailbreak, unless you are using a 3GS with an old bootrom. All other devices will need to be plugged into your PC when powered on or rebooted. There is still no jailbreak available for the iPad 2 as well.

You can follow our step by step guide here to get going with Snowbreeze. All you need to do is use your iOS Beta 6 ISPW you downloaded and follow the instructions. The jailbreak is available for the following devices:

iPhone 3GS (Old Bootrom and New Bootrom)
iPhone 4 CDMA/GSM
iPod Touch 3G and 4G
iPad

Download Snowbreeze v2.8 Beta 6

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

Apple slowly taking away access to UDID for Developers!

David — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:30:49 +0000

Apple slowly taking away access to UDID for Developers!

iOS 5 is expected to be released in late September or early October of this year, and it comes with a ton of new features. Betas for the new iOS have come out almost every 2 weeks now and we can’t wait to see the final version. With all of these releases comes new features and new fixes to current bugs. However, one thing “fixed” in the most recent beta is that developers have a new way for track their users instead of your UDID, or Unique Device Identifier. How does it affect developers and you? Read on.

Most developers use this UDID to identify its users and keep track of what actions the users have taken in a specific app. Also, most mobile ad networks use the UDID to identify users and target ads to specific ones. App developers are now supposed to create their own UDID for their app to keep track of users, and may need to throw out all of their old data. The release notes read as follows:

Deprecated in iOS 5.0

uniqueIdentifier
An alphanumeric string unique to each device based on various hardware details. (read-only) (Deprecated in iOS 5.0. Instead, create a unique identifier specific to your app.)

How does this affect you though? Well, privacy for one. If a developer had access to your UDID, they could track actions on your phone and if used incorrectly, could hone in on your location and messages. However, we are still not clear if Apple will also stop using the UDID. Apples own Game Center and iAds use the UDID to track it’s users and identify them as well.

The word Deprecated just means that Apple has come up with a new way to do things. It does not mean developers can no longer access that information, it just means Apple wants them to do it a different way. When I tested this, it only threw a compiler warning and let me continue to build my app. I’m assuming Apple will start to get rid of it slowly, but for now, at least all of us devs don’t need to panic. And as for users, you should be glad that Apple is starting to worry more about its users privacy, especially before things get out of hand.

[via techcrunch]

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