Los Angeles Tech Blog

What Does a Verizon iPhone Mean to an AT&T customer?

2011-01-16T08:15:00.001-08:00

After an incredible amount of speculation, the rumors are over. The Verizon iPhone is out and people are flocking to the new carrier. Some people are wildly excited while others are disappointed; expecting more. At first sight, it’s the same iPhone 4 we all know and love. However, the differences are in the software and in the inside of the device.

Because of the nature of Verizon’s network (CDMA) you cannot do some things such as use internet of any kind while on a call or go to other countries and use it there. Before I get any trolls I would like to point out you can, in theory, go to other countries and use it; provided they have a CDMA network of course. The problem lies in CDMA's adoption. Very few carriers use it. AT&T's network on the other hand is a GSM network. This does not have any of the limitations of CDMA that I have described. You can use data and be on a phone call at the same time. You can also use your phone in other countries confidently knowing they are very, very likely to have a GSM network.

Despite the disadvantages, there is a key advantage to a Verizon iPhone. And quite frankly, this is huge for travelers. First, you can use your iPhone as a portable hotspot. Yes, the feature on Android that so many people went nuts for is now on the Verizon iPhone.

It’s also important to point out that a Verizon iPhone will likely cause Verizon’s network to flounder; especially since they are offering mobile hotspot functionality. Since Verizon is much better a voice than at data, it will be interesting to see how Verizon’s network reacts to this sudden load.

Baby Steps to an iPod Nano Jailbreak

2010-12-29T12:59:00.001-08:00

The iPod Nano touch 6th generation (the touch screen one) has recently been hacked. It allows for blank springboard icons, similar to iBlank on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Although this is very minor it is actually a big leap forward knowing that the iPod can be bypassed. Somepeople have began to call it jailbreaking or saying that a jailbreak can't be far behind. If it is indeed jailbroken it will allow for some wanted features such as changing the wallpaper. However, the iPod nano's screen size and lack of Wi-Fi will make it very complicated to do things that are worthwhile. Regardless of how and if the iPod nano will be jailbroken here is the progress so far:

FCC says u get 2 txt 911 [21st century 911]

2010-11-24T12:14:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday November 23, an FCC chairman announced their plans to revoloutionize the nation-wide emergency response, 911. Their plans include broadband, being able to text 911, and MMS 911, and devices being able to dispatch emergency services.

Why Texting?

Texting 911 can prove to be a life-saving option. If you are in a position were talking can jeopardize your well-being, such as hiding in a hostile situation, sending a text message can be the most helpful option. Also, this can help the deaf or hard-of-hearing in requesting emergency assistance.

Why MMS?

MMS will a great tool that can help law enforcements "catch the bad guys". If there was a robbery you can take a picture of it and send it to 911. You might even be able to record suspicious activity and send it to a dispatcher.

Greenpois0n iOS 4.2.1 jailbreak coming your way...

2010-11-23T17:29:00.001-08:00

The Tweet

A tweet by @p0sixninja says that the Greenpois0n will be updated to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 within the next couple of days. Sadly, this is not going to be an untethered jailbreak. The good news is it will be a tethered or semi tethered jailbreak. Semi-tethered should be enough to entice those discouraged by a tethered jailbreak.

What is a Semi-Tethered jailbreak?

Contrary to an untethered jailbreak that you can turn your phone on and off without any problems a semi-tethered jailbreak will allow you turn your phone on but you will not be able to use or launch any jailbreak tweaks, themes or applications. This is also contrasted to a tethered jailbreak that will not allow you to use your device at all until you rerun the jailbreaking software on your computer if you reboot.

The Tweaks your App Switcher Has Been Begging For

2010-11-21T20:49:00.001-08:00

There are many tweaks for the iPhone's App Switcher such as remove recent. However, 2 tweaks can prove to be especially useful; app switcher brightness, and app switcher rotator. The latter has proved to be something that iOS 4 should have had from the beginning.

App Switcher Rotator
This is a particularly useful tweak when you are in landscape mode. When you are in landscape mode the icons rotate to be easily readable in landscape orientation. The great thing is, it rotates the icons only and the icon drawer changing very little. Also it provides a bit an animation when the order of items in the drawer changes. After which the icons slide back into their new places.

App Switcher Brightness
This is a useful app similar to App Switcher Volume. Beneath the play, pause, next, and previous buttons it displays a slider that controls your screens brightness. This is a nice way to do so in an integrated way as opposed to SB Settings that requires: activation, entering a sub-menu, and then changing the brightness. It is important to not that this will conflict with App Switcher Volume. Right now, App Switcher Volume seems obsolete unless you have broken volume buttons.

Whatsapp Update

2010-11-13T19:26:00.001-08:00

The Update

The crossplatform messaging app for iPhone, Blackberry, and Nokia phones. You wont see a huge UI change but it comes with numerous improvements and features. Many you wont be able to notice immediatley such as the new message tone not playing while on a call. Some features, such as searching your messages and being able to edit and trim videos that are too large to send can prove to be very useful.

To see Whatsapp's description of everything new about the upgrade, scroll down.

What's New In This Version:
- message history search: you can now search you previous conversation history based on keywords
- copy image from buffer into conversation
- scroll bounce inside of the text input. also fixes text input issues for asian languages
- allow in-app video editing for videos which are too large to send
- generate and display thumbnails when sending video
- dismiss camera when application is moved into background
- tap and hold on "arrow up" icon
- tap and hold on individual conversation message to Delete or Forward that message
- accept audio/video media from Email and possibly other external apps (tap and hold on video or audio file in the Email app)
- generate high-res thumbnails when sending maps and pictures from iPhone 4
- don't play new message tone when phone call is in progress
- handle "low disk space" issues when trying to use Camera
- full localization updates
- index bar should now work with any alphabet
- voice notes recorder localization fixes and retina display updates
- you can now cancel multimedia download and upload in progress by tapping on the X icon in the progress bar
- network connection fixes and improvements
- add Dutch translation
- remove Facebook support
- preview picture before sending

You can purchase WhatsApp Messenger from the App Store for $0.99.

Bump now updated for sharing Music!

2010-11-13T12:22:00.001-08:00

The popular iPhone and iPod Touch application, Bump, for sharing photos and contact contact information has been upgraded to share music. Yeah, it's easy-to-use: simply select what you want to share and bump phones with who you want to share it with. Apart from sharing music you can perform other actions such as: becoming instant Facebook friends, transferring money via PayPal and follow each other on Twitter.
Take all of these great features into account combined with what is cross platform capabilities and what do you get? A revolutionary service for sharing information that could be quickly become a standard on all smart phones.

iOS 4.2 Jailbreak on its way; Cydia now iOS 4.2 compatible.

2010-11-11T17:16:00.001-08:00

iOS 4.2 jailbreak has been held back due to the fact Cydia is not compatible with this new firmware. However Cydia has recently been made compatible with iOS 4.2. This means that the iOS 4.2 jailbreak is on its way. A tweet by @chpwn confirms this.

MyOS, Safely Enable and Disable iOS Features without a plist.

2010-11-05T16:14:00.001-07:00

Today a new app on Cydia was released. It is called MyOS and allows you to safley enable and disable iOS 4 fgeatures on your iPhone or iPod Touch. After installing go to Settings and select MyOS, modify it to your liking, and then press the respring button. To date, this is the most elegant and effective way to safley turn services on and off. Here are the features you can toggle.

● Multitasking - Gives you the user the option to turn Apples native multitasking feature on and off at will.
● Homescreen Wallpapers - The ability to enable and disable Apples own implementation of backgrounds in SpringBoard on and off.
● Unified iPod - Whether you like iPod.app on your iPod Touch or having Music.app and Video.app on your iPhone, this gives you the choice.
● AppStore - Don't like what the official AppStore has to offer, or want to prevent people from using it? this gives the ability to turn off the AppStore.
● Contacts (iPhone models only) - Stand-alone contacts make no sense when you have the Address Book in Phone.app? using this option you can turn it off.
● HDR (Requires hardware camera) - Enable HDR on unsupported devices or disable it from your iPhone 4, the decision is yours.
● GameCenter (iPhone 3G only) - Enable GameCenter on your iPhone 3G.
● Camera.app (Requires hardware camera) - Disable the camera on your device.
● Voice Control (Voice control capable devices only) - Disable Voice Control on all supported devices.
You can purchase MyOS from the Cydia Store for $.99.

Skyfire "Sold Out" due to overwhelming user response

2010-11-03T21:14:00.001-07:00

The sky fire app browser has recently been pulled from the app store because it apparently sold out due to incredible response from users. The browser plays flash by downloading it onto it's servers and rendering it into an HTML 5 video playable on any iPhone or iPod Touch. The servers were overwhelmed in a couple of hours. So they announced that they will temporarily stop selling this application until they can take this kind of serve load. To put into perspective the kind of strain that their servers are taking, within five hours this application became the highest grossing app, the overall top paid app and the top in utilities

AlwaysOnPC

2010-11-03T17:39:00.001-07:00

The AlwaysOnPC app is a great app that allows you to have your own personal workspace; a complete desktop equipped with FireFox, oppenoffice and many other vital apps. And because its your own workspace, you can save documents and keep your browsing history and bookmarks even when you log out. I am currently writing this blog post through this application. I works very well and handles flash well too It works fantastic on the iPhone 3G proving low battery and recourse usage. A for people who need to use their iPad as a computer there is simply not a better choice than this application. This application costs $20. But that is a fair price for what it does. If you like to "try before you buy" than you can use installous.

AlwaysOnPC
Version 1.8 3.0 MB
VoicEcho

iPhone QR Code

Super Simple Guide for First time Jailbreakers

2010-11-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

After you've jailbroken you might be wondering what to do. For first time jailbreakers here's a super simple guide to help you guys started. It includes one tweak, one app, and a theme. Let me know how it all turns out or if you would like to remove any of the below.

1. Open Cydia, go to "manage" then "sources" and add the source "sinfuliphonerepo.com"
2. Search "android lock" You should see something like "Android Lock XT cracked" Select that but make sure it's "cracked"
3. Install "Winterboard" It is a program that allows you to install cool themes. Here is where select the themes you have downloaded.
4. Install "Neuroline". It is a moving wallpaper similar to the Google Nexus One. After installing it go back to winterboard and select the theme like so:

Definition of cracked: an app that normally costs money but is a pirated version of that app.

Things you can't sell in the Mac App Store

2010-10-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Apple has announced the Mac App Store, similar to the one on the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. This brought forth tons of mixed feelings about this new feature. There are definitely some great upsides to this. Developers who choose to participate in this app store will no longer have to deal with credit card processing, or paying for hosting and bandwidth. Also, developers will get higher app exposure and updates can be rolled out to consumers in a much easier way. However large companies like Adobe wont want to sell their software on the app store when Apple can charge up to $510 per copy for "upkeep". Another complaint is Apple's control over this App Store. Apple has already made a whole list of apps they will not be allowing on the app store. These are a few of they're guidelines.

1. Apps with "Easter Eggs:" Apps that include undocumented or hidden features inconsistent with the description of the app will be rejected.
2. No beta apps: Apps in "beta," "trial" or "test" versions will be rejected.
3. No duplicate apps: Apps that duplicate apps already in the App Store may be rejected, particularly if there are many of them.
4. No drinking/drugs: Apps that encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or illegal substances will be rejected.
5. No License Keys: Apps that require the entry of a license key will be rejected.
6. No Java?: Apps that use deprecated or optionally installed technologies (e.g. Java, Rosetta) will be rejected.
7. No auto-run: Apps that are set to auto-launch or have other code automatically run at startup or login without user consent will be rejected. Similarly, apps can't automatically add their icons to the dock or desktop.
8. No copying Apple!: Apps that look similar to Apple Products or apps bundled on the Mac, including the Finder, iChat, iTunes and Dashboard, will be rejected.
9. OS X may not be changed: Apps that change the native user interface elements or behaviors of Mac OS X will be rejected.
10. No rentals: Apps containing "rental" content and services that expire after a limited time will be rejected.
11. No RSS Readers?: Apps that are simply web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links may be rejected.
12. No data collection: Apps cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user's prior permission and providing the user with access to information about how and where the data will be used.
13. No Chatroulette clones?: Apps that include games of Russian roulette will be rejected.
14. Define "objectionable:" Apps that present excessively objectionable or crude content will be rejected.
15. No porn. Of any kind. (Porn as it's defined by "Webster's Dictionary," that is).
16. No gambling. Of any kind.
17. No file-sharing: No P2P apps - apps that enable illegal file sharing will be rejected.
18. Religious apps must be for educational purposes only: Apps may contain or quote religious text provided the quotes or translations are accurate and not misleading. Commentary should be educational or informative rather than inflammatory.

Sony Airs Google TV Ad

2010-10-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

"Introducing Sony Internet TV, the world's first HDTV powered by Google TV. Television and Internet are together at last."

Sony has begun to air their Google TV ads across the country. It seems so magical in the ad; but what is it really?

The Sony Internet TV line features TV sizes from 24 inches, all the way to a whopping 46 inches. The 24 inch cost $599.99, the 32 inch costs $799.99, the 40 inch costs $999.99, and the 46 inch costs $1,399.99.

If you don't want to miss out on Google TV but would like to keep your current TV, Sony also offers a Blu-ray Disc player with Google TV that costs $399.99. This Blu-ray player will allow users to enjoy all the features without a new TV.

Heytell

2010-10-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Heytell is a cross-platform voice messenger that It allows for walkie talk like communication, across the whole world. It functions on on EDGE, 3G, and of course, Wi-Fi. They claim it uses no more data than an email. So this does have potential for roaming. Especially if you have prepurchaed roaming data. This application includes many perks; one of them being you don't need an account. All you need is a contact entry of yourself. After that, select a friend and start talking.

Another great feature is the "map" feature or the location feature. This allows you to share your location with someone else.This feature is completely safe and you cant share your location accidentally. If the map is displayed, your location is shared, but only if you're talking to some one and it is only shared to that person.

This application is available for both iPhone and Android.

iPhone Download Android QR Code

Category: Social Networking
Updated:Oct 12, 2010
Current Version:2.1.0
2.1.0
2.5 MB
Language:English
Seller:Voxilate
© 2010 Voxilate, Inc.

Rated 12+ for the following:

Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References

Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch (2nd generation), iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

Customer Ratings

Current Version:

626 Ratings

All Versions:

5149 Ratings

Verizon to Sell iPad, Nope Not like That

2010-10-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

Beginning October 28, Verizon will start selling the Apple iPad at more than 2,000 stores across the US. The catch is (Did you really think it was going to be that easy?) they will only carry the Wi-Fi model, but they will bundle it with their mobile hotspot, the Verizon MiFi, so you can tether. Althogh this may not be as sleek and elegant as the 3G iPad, if AT&T doesn't cover your area the added bulk is better than no coverage.

This combo will cost $630 for the 16 GB, $730 for the 32 GB, and $830 for the 64 GB. Apart from that, the MiFi service will cost $20 for 1 GB of data. Like AT&T's current rates, it does not require a contract. Going on vacation for a month? Turn it off and save a cool $20.

AT&T will step up their game as well on the same day of October 28th selling iPads in their stores too. Of course, they will sell the 3G model.

"It’s interesting that Apple has allowed AT&T’s main competitor to sell the tablet, and it may hint at a newfound partnership between the two companies."

-Multitouch Fans

MyWi updated

2010-10-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

The almost famous app for jailbroken iPhones that allows you to tether your iPhone has sweetened the deal, updating Cydia's (Not Rock's, read more below) app to fully support iOS 4.1.The new version addresses iOS 4 woes through numerous issues for iOS 4.1 users as well as some other miscellaneous
fixes and improvements.

If you don't know what MyWi is, it is an application that allows you to tether your iPhone to any device capable of Ad-hoc Wi-Fi. It creates a portable hotpot allowing for incredibly easy tethering. It costs $19.99. Many have complained of the so called "steep" price of the application. However, if you did the traditional US AT&T tethering you would have to downgrade to 2GB AND pay an extra $20! For everyone out there who is lucky enough to have US T-Mobile or anything but AT&T , count your blessings :)

4.8 Updates
● Fix for 4.1 USB users
● Fix for when WiFi is Powered Off prior to turning on MyWi
● Improved UI Switch on/off response

You can purchase MyWi from the Cydia Store for $19.99

Limera1n released today, Greenpois0n delayed

2010-10-10T08:47:00.001-07:00

Today an unexpected release of jailbreak tools occurred. Despite plans, limera1n was released today instead of tomorrow. And greenpois0n will be released until limera1n becomes obsolete to avoid using two exploits at once. This will guarantee a future jailbreak.

AT&T Updating Network Improvments

2010-10-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

AT&T has announced all over that they are making significant improvements to their network. Some of you may have even gotten letter saying that. Some have heard of their announcement for 4G. (Yes, 4G)

But, is it really true? Are they really upgrading?

To all those skepticals:
Notice "8.0" when a couple of weeks ago it was "7.0"

Secret Features of Steve Job's new house [Joy of Tech]

2010-10-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

[WARNING] Fake Greenpois0n Jailbreak Contains malware

2010-09-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Fake Greenpois0n Jailbreak Contains malware
A Fake greenpois0n jailbreak for iOS 4.1 claiming to be from the Chronic Dev Team has shown up around the internet. This jailbreak is fake and will infect your computer with malware. The trojan can steal passwords and other private data. It will not jailbreak your device. The only jailbreak for iOS 4.1 is redsn0w at the moment and it will only work for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G. When a legitimate jailbreak comes along we will post about. In the mean time please stay away from unofficial jailbreaks.

Google Docs Editing for iPad!

2010-09-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Google has recently announced that they plan to bring Google Docs editing to the iPad over the next couple of weeks. This update to Google docs will unlock the iPad's true potential for school and business in the cloud.

We demonstrated new mobile editing capabilities for Google Docs on the Android platform and the iPad. In the next few weeks, co-workers around the world will soon be able to co-edit files simultaneously from an even wider array of devices.

Times Square Don't be Evil Video

2010-09-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

A video was recently aired in The Times Square Jumbotron about Google's privacy practices. They criticized Google for it. And apparently it worked because Google is now changing their policy. They specifically said however that they're not changing the practices, and they are instead making their policy more transparent and easy to understand. Don't be Evil Video[Posted with iBlogger from my

Steve Jobs responds to iTunes icon e-mail.

2010-09-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

An e-mail is sent to Steve Jobs complaining about the new iTunes icon. It pointed out that it ruined over 10 years of instant product recognition. Some people have started to amateurish.

Apple announced the reason behind this change, however, saying that iTunes will likely surpass physical CD sales. So it's time to make CDs of thing of the past.

These changes have even triggered applications such as iTunes 109 that returns to look and feel of iTunes 9.

For those who wanted to see what he wrote.

Steve,

Enjoyed the presentation today. But...this new iTunes logo really sucks. You're taking 10+ years of instant product recognition and replacing it with an unknown. Let's both cross our fingers on this...

He simply wrote back with one of his brief, to-the-point emails:
We disagree.

Sent from my iPhone

iTunes 109

2010-09-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hate iTunes 10's new icons? Then check this out! iTunes 109 is an app that will tweak iTunes into looking like iTunes 9. It will still be iTunes 10 and have the features, such as Ping, of iTunes 10 but will have the colorful icons of iTunes 9. During installation it will ask you if you want to change just the sidebar icons or go for the whole enchilada and change all the icons.

And don't worry if you happen to change you mind. Simply run the installer and theres an option to remove any and all changes made to iTunes with iTunes 109.