The "one-and-only" source for news and future reading for technology.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Download the iOS 4 GM Seed / iPhone OS 4.0 GM AND iTunes 9.2 beta here!
READ THE ENTIRE POST BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING!
*Note*
If you plan on taking these links and using them on your own site (or something), then please link to us as a source. Use this link: http://bit.ly/9iaZOa
*IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL*
You DO NOT have to have your UDID registered for this to work, but you DO need iTunes 9.2 beta for it to work, which is currently Mac only. Sorry Windows users! You’ll have to wait for iTunes 9.2 beta, or you can use somebody’s Mac for half an hour. BUT THEN, you’ll still need iTunes 9.2 to sync your device (most likely), so it’s probably best to wait for the Windows version of iTunes 9.2 beta.
*How To Install*
It’s quite simple. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the iTunes 9.2 beta for Mac OS X as well as downloading your firmware for your device, simply ALT+Click on the “Restore” button in iTunes (make sure you click on your device once in the left sidebar), and find the IPSW file you’ve downloaded. Let it restore, and within 10-15 minutes, you’ll be on 4.0. Why do you have to restore? Ask Apple. Maybe there’s too many differences in 3.0>4.0? And don’t ask when the Windows version will be out. Nobody knows, but I think that it’ll be on on June 21st along with the public release of iOS 4.
*Follow me on Twitter*
iTunes 9.2 Beta, 69.62MB
iOS 4 GM seed – iPhone 3GS, 377.81MB
iOS 4 GM seed – iPhone 3G, 292.3MB
iOS 4 GM seed – iPod Touch 3G, 356.53MB
iOS 4 GM seed – iPod Touch 2G, 308.74MB
Remember: Use these at your own risk!
Enjoying iOS 4? Follow me on Twitter and add me on Game Center (Valorgu). Also, don’t forget to buy the iPhone 4 when it comes out on the 24th!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
What the iPhone 4 Tells Us About the iPad 2
Now that iPhone 4 is official, it's clear where the iPad is gonna be heading. Steve Jobs even gave us a couple clues.
Cameras
First, it's obvious that the next iPad will have a front-facing camera. Steve said that "Apple will ship tens of millions of FaceTime devices this year so there's going to be a lot of people to talk to." But wait, Steve! Isn't the iPhone 4 the only FaceTime device in existence?
This isn't confirmation that a new iPad with a front-facing camera will be coming by year's end—although with Apple you never know. But come next spring, a year from the iPad's launch, we'll certainly have an iPad with at least a front-facing camera on board.
Better Screen
iPhone 4's fancy new "Retina" high-density screen is sure to make the jump as well. Just imagine how crappy that otherwise very nice iPad screen is going to look in the Apple Store when compared to the insane density of the iPhone 4. That won't last for long. A beefed-up screen is practically guaranteed to make the jump into the next iPad.
With a little back-of-envelope math, I figure that an iPad screen with the iPhone 4's pixel density would have a resolution of 2660x1774 pixels. Fantastic—and terribly unlikely. (It seems too much for even a faster version of the A4 processor to power, especially with iPad's low system memory.) But it doesn't rule out the possibility that a higher-density panel could be included that splits the difference.
Why weren't they included in the first generation? It's likely a bigger version of that Retina display was too costly—or simply not available at the time. (Apple surely commissioned the iPhone 4's LCD panel itself.) But no front facing camera seems like a bald ploy to make the 2nd generation more desirable or—at best—an attempt not to spoil what ended up becoming the "One More Thing" reveal for iPhone 4.
Memory
Because, really, what else are they going to add? More memory and a faster chip, probably, although the iPad isn't really begging for faster performance yet. With the multitasking that's coming in June with iOS4 the small amount of RAM on board will become even more noticeable, but just juicing up the memory doesn't seem worth buying a whole new tablet.
But add in a front-facing camera and a denser screen? I'm sure I can still get, like, $100 for my first-gen iPad on eBay when that comes out, right??
9 Hands On the New iPhone
Most of the media is getting their hands on the iPhone 4 for the first time right now. So what do they think? The screen seems like the biggest standout feature. (MORE IMPRESSIONS AS THEY COME IN.)
Gizmodo
"As a person who never really liked the round mound of a back in the 3GS, the sleeker, flatter, squarer design is super welcome. It feels sturdier than the 3GS, and much less plasticky. The metal buttons give it a heftier feel-less of a toy-than all previous generations. The closest analog to it would be the original iPhone, which is more square and heavy than its newer brothers."
Engadget
"We'll hand it to Apple, the phone is so thin it's kind of mind-boggling. The 3GS by comparison looks bloated."
MacLife
"Fingerprints on both sides, sigh."
Forbes
"It feels solid. Also: the screen resolution makes it very easy to read. Other than that, it works like an iPhone."
TechLand
"...the first thing I noticed was how dense the pixel count is on the screen. Comparing Apple's weather icons on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 make it very apparent how much better the screen on the 4 actually is."
The Huffington Post
"The new Retina display is indeed impressive...the display on the big monitors in the hall looked great as did the phone when I held it in my hand."
Recombu
"All the demo models were running iOS4, which works extremely well. Multitasking works as expected - double tap the home button to bring up carousel of apps to switch to."
Ars Technica
"As for speed, the iPhone 4 is fast. It's hard to perceive the differences between an iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, but it's definitely on the speedy side, on par with the iPad."
The Loop
"The iPhone 4 is very snappy when using apps. For instance, switching between the front-facing and rear cameras is instantaneous. I dare say if you tried that with the 3GS you would see some delay."
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