The Truth About the iPhone 4 Siri Port [Updated]

A few hours ago a video was posted by esteemed jailbreak developer chpwn (Grant Paul) and Steven Troughton-Smith. Multiple stories from different sources have been published on a Siri port for non-iPhone 4S hardware, and this most recent video demonstrates the software running on an iPhone 4 and 4th generation iPod touch.

There have been multiple parties working on a Siri port on and off for weeks now. It’s not a new fact that the Siri UI can be run on non-4S hardware. The real magic happens when Siri is able to talk back to you…

As you can see in the above videos, Steven and Grant have been able to get Siri connecting with Apple’s server. Performance is smooth and Siri responds very quickly.

The first public evidence for a Siri port to the iPhone 4 was posted by Steve Troughton-Smith weeks ago in conjunction with Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac. A second video was posted showing performance enhancements, but Siri would still not connect with the device. Only the Siri UI had been ported, not the full package.

It’s all changed since then.

Any type of Siri port for the public is very much not ready for prime time. There’s still a lot of work to be done.

Update: This article has been heavily amended to better respect all parties involved.

[Via: idownloadblog]

“Siri, Will You Marry Me?”

This may be taking it too far. We’ve seen some pretty ridiculous stuff involving Siri, but this new comedy short may just take the cake.

What would happen in an alternate dimension if you asked Siri to marry you?

As Cult of Mac points out, the Siri Operating Manual says, “Siri is a learning computer that adapts to your environment and personality, answering your requests as it identifies your wants and needs.”

Hey, a life partner can qualify as one of those “needs.”That's COOL ~

[Via: idownloadblog]

iPhone 4S Now Available in 22 More Countries

Apple’s iPhone 4S has already proved to be a huge success across the globe, so long as you happen to live in one of the seven initial launch countries. International Apple lovers fear not, for Apple’s iPhone 4S has now gone on sale in 22 more countries.

Two weeks after the US launch, the iPhone 4S is now available in Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway, Mexico, Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Austria and Denmark…

Despite websites, forums, and social networks seemingly full of Apple fans who were upset at the lack of a redesigned iPhone, the 4S has sold like crazy, with AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint experiencing huge sales. Judging by demand across the world, there is no reason why other carriers won’t also see huge sales numbers, just as they seem to with each and every iPhone release.

If you’re currently in one of these 22 countries, you can pick up an iPhone 4S in one of two ways. There’s the usual carrier route, which will probably mean a two-year contract in exchange for a lower up-front cost, or the often-preferred option of buying the handset outright.

Capacities and colors are exactly the same as elsewhere, too.

Stay Tuned for Malaysia...

[Via: idownloadblog]

Dev Team Posts Video of iPad 2 Jailbroken on iOS 5

Hot on the heels of MuscleNerd’s status update on the iPhone 4S jailbreak, a short video of the iPad 2 has surfaced showing the tablet jailbroken and running Cydia on iOS 5.

No ETA has been given for the iOS 5 untethered jailbreak, but we can only assume that a jailbreak will be released for all devices at once, meaning that you’ll be able to jailbreak A5 devices like the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as well as older generation iDevices…

Remember, the Chronic Dev Team is still working on a jailbreak, too. It’s not a race to see who finishes first, but we have to congratulate MuscleNerd and the Dev Team for making such progress.

We’ll let you know when more develops. In the meantime, don’t believe anything you see about an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak unless it’s from a trusted source.

[Via: idownloadblog]

MuscleNerd Gives Update on iPhone 4S Jailbreak Status

Ever since Apple unveiled its latest version of the iPhone earlier this month, we’ve all been wondering one thing — when would it be jailbroken? And now that some of us have had the device for two weeks, we’re definitely ready to start hacking.

Tweaks are being updated with iOS 5 compatibility, and new utilities are being introduced that are specific to the new software. So how long must us iPhone 4S users wait until we can access this stuff? Luckily, MuscleNerd has some info for us…

The Dev Team frontman gave up some details on his Twitter account late last night regarding the status of the iPhone 4S jailbreak. The good news is, the Team has managed to exploit Apple’s latest smartphone and install Cydia.

The bad news is, that seems to be as far as they’ve gotten. MuscleNerd posted this message, “VERY preliminary 4S JB. (Huge missing pieces prevent public release. LOTS of work left),” along with these screenshots:

Keep in mind that we saw Comex‘s jailbroken iPad 2 months before a public release was available, so the hard part is yet to come. But it’s still good to see that the device has been jailbroken. These guys have once again proved how talented they are.

Do the community a favor and don’t bug the Dev Team or other developers working on the project. It only irritates them and slows things down. If you really want to know what the latest is on the iPhone 4S jailbreak, just keep tuning on @BlogAboutEverything's — it’s what we do.

[Via: idownloadblog]

More details on the iPad 3′s 2048×1536 resolution display

CNET’s Brooke Crothers has heard some information about the iPad 3′s upcoming 264PPI display. As we’ve heard a lot in the past, it will be a 2048×1536 resolution display as long as the Korean display manufacturers, Samsung and LG, can produce them in large numbers. According to his source, there could be some problems building it in the monstrous quantities that Apple demands.

The closest that iPad display manufacturers like LG Display and Samsung can get is 2048×1536 resolution display, according to the source. That’s a PPI of 264, twice the 132 PPI on the iPad 2. But whether manufacturers can make them in volumes that Apple demands is the question. “They have production plans for 2,048×1,536 displays. Starting in November. But those are only plans at this point,” said the source, referring to LG and Samsung. “It’s not a question of making just one. That, of course, can be done. The challenge is making lots of them,” the source said. “This is a quantum leap in pixel density. This hasn’t been done before.” If manufacturers are not able to hit the volumes necessary for the higher resolution, there is an interim option of 1,600×1,200, according to the source. The display is also expected to have a brightness of 550 nits. That’s pretty bright, as the typical laptop display panel tops out at about 350 nits.

 I don’t think it is as easy as dropping the resolution down to 1600×1200. Apps don’t scale that easily even if the aspect ratio is the same. If for some reason, they can’t pump out the 2048×1536 in sufficient numbers (and Samsung is already testing better ones), Apple will continue with the same resolution….or wait until they can produce enough high resolution displays.






[Via: 9to5mac]

Boeing 787 Rides Like a Dream

Boeing's latest and greatest, the $193.5 million 787 Dreamliner, is expected to change long-haul air travel just as much as the 707 and A380 Airbus models that preceded it. Here are just a few of the new systems and conveniences on board.

The first thing passengers are likely to notice are the huge new windows—30 percent larger than the norm—that don't require one to squish his face against them to see the ground below. They're so big that even the folks in the center aisle will have a decent view. And instead of those ghetto plastic sliding shades, electrochromic glass will darken within 30 seconds to minimize glare.

Passengers will also notice how cavernous the overhead storage area is—the 787's overhead bins are the largest ever. They're reportedly large enough to fit a store a carry-on bag from each of the plane's 240 passengers. What's more, the bins are angled increase the perceived space in the cabin. What they probably won't notice is that the plane's hull is composed of composite material rather than the traditional aluminum, which saves weight and better resists corrosion.

Once in flight, the flight's luxuries can really be seen. During long flights, the interior lights gradually adjust color to minimize jet lag. The cabin air is also more moist than other airlines—16 percent humidity vs. the normal eight and it will be pressurized to only 6,000 feet—2,000 less than other planes.

The 787's engines reduce both interior and exterior noise thanks to a specially-designed wave pattern around the exhaust. And, due to the hull's weight reduction, additional sound dampening has been added to quiet the in-cabin noise even further. And to compensate for turbulence, an accelerometer in the nose cone measures for sudden altitude drops and signals an adjustment to the wings—reducing potential dips by as much as 60 percent.

These are fine and good improvements, but they still miss the biggest problem most people have with flying—the oversized account executive from Cleveland in the seat next to them who smells of stale cheese and won't stop SNORING.

 [Via: Gizmodo & Fox News - Top image courtesy of the AP]

Bloomberg TV for iPad Streams Live TV

If you're one of them business people or finance dudes that care about financial and business news, Bloomberg is now streaming Live TV with their Bloomberg TV app. And it's completely free! [Download Here]

The app will stream live TV 24 hours a day and have on-demand content like Game Changers and TechStars and interviews and more. On top of that, you can even download videos to watch offline. Dollars and cents, y'all.

 [Via: Gizmodo]

The Real Reason Steve Jobs’ Benz Didn’t Have a License Plate

We've always wondered why Steve Jobs' Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG didn't have a license plate. Did he think he was above the law? Was he doing it to be different? Maybe! But how did he get away with it? Easy. His cars were leased.

According to Jon Callas, CTO of Entrust, and someone who has done senior security roles for Apple before, Steve Jobs found a loophole of sorts in California license plate laws. If you had a new car, you could drive plateless for 6 months (of course, you still had to register). So Jobs, being rich beyond belief, decided he would just lease a new car every 6 months. He came to terms with a leasing company and switched out his 'old' Mercedes SL55 AMG for a 'new' Mercedes SL55 AMG twice a year.

It's a hilariously logical rich man way of thinking to side step the law. Or a crazily convoluted way to stay different. 

[Via: Gizmodo & iTWire via Jalopnik]

Advancement in Umbrella Technology

There are some inventions—think umbrellas or nail clippers—that have been somewhat serviceable but hardly perfect. Why can't we find something more effective? Did we all just give up? Athanasia Leivaditou didn't. She wants to create a raincoat with an umbrella hoody.

The problem with umbrellas? You have to freaking hold them. That ties up a hand! Leivaditou's umbrella coat combines the basic raincoat with waterproof pants and an umbrella. You're 100% protected from rain drops and both of your hands are free to do whatever they may please. Carry your groceries. Open your door. High five a stranger. Whatever

Sure, if the wind is blowing, your umbrella hoody might collapse like so many umbrellas do on a rainy day but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Leivaditou's concept looks like it'd be fairly easy to put on too (though I don't know how easy it'd be to store) and covers every inch of your body. Plus, it's sort of prison garb/insane cult stylish, no?

 [Via: Gizmodo & Yanko Design]

Apple Building Massive Solar Energy Farm to Power iCloud Data Center

Apple believes in iCloud. This is evidenced by the fact that the company has begun work on a massive 174 acre solar farm to harness energy for its data center in Maiden, North Carolina.

Codenamed “Project Dolphin Solar Farm A Expanded,” this new solar farm will be a huge source of green energy for Apple in the future.

Charlotte Observer reports:

“Apple has quietly begun work on a solar farm that apparently could help power its sprawling data center in southern Catawba County.

Permits issued by Catawba County show that the Cupertino, Calif., company has been approved to reshape the slope of some of the 171 acres of vacant land it owns on Startown Road, opposite the data center, in preparation of building a solar farm.”

 Apple is known for being very energy efficient. It has plants in Texas, California, and Ireland that are 100% run on renewable energy.

If you’re curious about the odd codename, Apple’s $1 billion data center in North Carolina was codenamed “Project Dolphin” originally. Such a data center can create a huge footprint with servers and cooling systems, and Apple is doing the right thing by building a solar farm to offer clean and renewable energy.

A lot of companies like to talk about adopting clean energy, but few have made the strides to actually embrace it like Apple. Such a facility also reaffirms Apple’s focus on its cloud services moving forward.

[Via: idownloadblog & GigaOM]

How to Get Emoji Icons on iOS 5 [No Jailbreak Required]

Up until now, the only way to get Emoji icons on your iPhone or iPad was to employ some workaround that either required a jailbreak or an app from the App Store.

Workarounds are great, but native solutions are even better. iOS 5 has made this much easier since it is now letting you use an Emoji icon keyboard on a stock iDevice. No jailbreak and no download required…

To activate your Emoji keyboard, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > International Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Emoji.

Now when you want to use Emoji, simply hit the little “globe” icon on your keyboard and it will bring up your Emoji icons. From there, you can choose from several Emoji categories.

Note that Emoji icons are not cross platform, which means that you can only use them between iOS devices. If you send an email with Emoji to someone who doesn’t read that email on an iPhone or iPad, this person won’t be able to see the icons.

[Via: idownloadblog]

Secret Apple Television Project

Rumors have been bouncing around for years regarding Apple and its secret TV project. No, I’m not talking about the $99 media box. I’m talking about a full-blown television set with the words “Made in Cupertino” printed on the back.

Thanks to a quote from Steve Jobs in his recently-released biography, the speculation has regained some traction over the last couple of weeks. Pundits are now reporting that we could see an Apple-branded TV set as early as next year…

Bloomberg added fuel to the fire yesterday by providing more “evidence” of the product’s existence:

“Apple Inc. is turning to the software engineer who built iTunes to help lead its development of a television set, according to three people with knowledge of the project. Jeff Robbin, who helped create the iPod in addition to the iTunes media store, is now guiding Apple’s internal development of the new TV effort, said the people, who declined to be identified because his role isn’t public. Robbin’s involvement is a sign of Apple’s commitment to extending its leadership in smartphones and tablets into the living room.”

If the iPhone 5 rumors taught us anything, it’s that these sources with “knowledge of the project” can’t always be trusted. We don’t doubt that Apple has looked into making TV sets, but will the idea ever make it out of the R&D labs? We don’t know.

However, there seems to be a lot of people who believe that we’ll see an Apple-flavored TV set within the next 24 months. We’d love to see Apple do for TVs what it’s done for smartphones computers, and tablets.

[Via: idownloadblog]

iPhone’s Camera Has Improved Over the Years

The iPhone 4S’ all-new 8MP camera is one of the handset’s standout features. Other than Siri, the improved camera is likely the biggest motivator for folks to upgrade to Apple’s latest smartphone.

But iPhones haven’t always sported class-leading camera hardware — it’s come a long way in 4 years. Gizmodo demonstrates this with a side-by-side comparison of photos taken with each of the 5 iPhone models…

As you can see, camera quality wasn’t really a priority for Apple with its first two smartphones. It was more of a me-too feature that helped keep its handset on par with the competition. After the iPhone 3G, however, the camera has improved with every model.

The camera in the iPhone 4S is one of the best we’ve seen in a smartphone, hands-down. It eliminates the need to carry around a second point-and-shoot camera, something you couldn’t have necessarily said about previous iPhone models.

[Via: idownloadblog]

Siri Co-Founder Leaves Apple At the Peak of Its Glory

Dag Kittlaus, co-founder and former CEO of the Siri company that was recently bought by Apple, has left the project he helped start at the height of its glory. As reported by All Things D, Kittlaus’s departure had been planned for quite some time.

Although Kittlaus leaves at a peculiar time, he apparently parted ways with Apple on friendly terms. Siri will continue to be developed by what is purportedly the largest team at Apple…

“There were several reasons for the departure, which was amicable and has been planned for a while, sources said. They included Kittlaus’s family being in Chicago, a desire to take time off and an interest in brainstorming new entrepreneurial ideas.

Kittlaus has led the speech recognition efforts for Apple since Apple bought Siri in April of 2010. He had been Siri’s CEO since 2007. Before that, the Norwegian-born Kittlaus was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Stanford Research Institute and had also worked at Motorola.”

Kittlaus left right after the iPhone 4S launch. His Siri creation was (and still is) the most publicized feature of Apple’s newest smartphone.

Most of the original Siri team will assumedly keep working on the technology at Apple — the product is still in beta. While Kittlaus’s departure will undoubtedly be felt internally at Apple, the company’s vision for Siri will likely not change at all.

It was rumored that Apple bought Siri for a cool $200 million last April, so we’re sure that Kittlaus has plenty of funds to cushion his pockets. (Siri started as a free App Store app that worked in nearly the same way as it does now on the iPhone 4S.)

The iPhone 4S has already sold over 4 million units, putting it on track to become the fastest-selling consumer technology product in history. Siri is a, if not the, staple feature of the 4S. Imagine what Siri’s reach will be when it’s available on more iDevices. 





[Via: idownloadblog]