Apple iOS 4.1 beta 2 now available for developers
Developers, developers, developers: Apple is now seeding the second iteration of the iOS 4.1 beta your way. It’s been just shy of two weeks since beta 1 hit the scene, which is about on par with the pace of revisions for previous beta releases. We haven’t had a chance yet to dive in and see what changes are afoot, but we’re downloading now and will be sure to let you know if we notice anything.
[Thanks, Brad]
Apple iOS 4.1 beta 2 now available for developers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone 4 for Canada gets unlocked price: freedom is far from free
Sure, we in the US are pretty much stuck with AT&T when it comes to iPhone 4 indulgence, but Canada gets to pick — for a price. We knew the of the option up north but not how much, and according to CBC News, that’ll be $659 for 16GB, $779 for 32GB, and $549 for the 8GB iPhone 3GS. All Canadian dollars, of course — the US conversion would be about $637 / $753 / $530, respectively. Carriers are still offering it up for a discount on contract, and to be perfectly honest, we think that’s probably the route most people will take anyway. All the same, gotta love having a choice.
iPhone 4 for Canada gets unlocked price: freedom is far from free originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Library of Congress adds DMCA exception for jailbreaking or rooting your phone
This is a wild one, and we’re still parsing through the announcement, but on the surface it looks like the Library of Congress has added new anti-circumvention exceptions to the DMCA that, among other things, allow people to tweak their handsets for the purpose of installing legally obtained software — known as jailbreaking in iOS land, and rooting in the Android / webOS world. Check out the full statement from the Librarian of Congress, which is mostly an update of existing exceptions on record, after the break, but here’s the primary excerpt:
Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset.
Now, before all you EFFers go all totally wild (although it’s undoubtedly a win for the EFF line of thinking on this issue), you should know that this in no way requires Apple to jailbreak your phone for you, or lay down its arms in this ongoing fight. Basically, they just can’t sue you for the specific act of breaking their protections, but there’s nothing stopping them from putting those protections in there in the first place, or for suing you for an infringement not covered in this exception — like distributing Apple code in a non-Apple-approved way, or installing illegal or pirated software. Not that any of you jailbreakers would ever do that. What’s more, the DMCA still broadly forbids distributing to the public any “technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof” that’s primarily designed to break access controls, so Apple can always go after the Dev Team directly — and we’d still keep those dreams of opening Joe’s Jailbreak Hut on ice for now.
On a more minor note, the language pertaining to unlocking a handset to work on another wireless network has also been expanded from “firmware” in 2006 to “firmware or software” in the 2010 revision. Also, and very exciting for the YouTube set, the section pertaining to cracking a DVD video and excerpting scenes for commentary or criticism has been expanded beyond educational use into documentary and non-commercial applications.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Continue reading Library of Congress adds DMCA exception for jailbreaking or rooting your phone
Library of Congress adds DMCA exception for jailbreaking or rooting your phone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CP Design’s iPhone Game Pad prototype does Donkey Kong Country right (video)
With the iControlPad seemingly slipping further and further from reality, iPhone gamers with an affinity for buttons have fewer reasons to get out of bed in the morning and face the world. If that’s you then it’s time to wake up, Sunshine, because the iPhone Game Pad is here to bring a little light to your life. It’s a somewhat chubby slip-on case that, as of now, works only with the original model iPhone. (There’s a 3G/3GS model to come.) On the face it offers four primary control buttons plus a D-pad, what appears to be Select and Start buttons, plus a pair of shoulder buttons atop. This combination should make it perfect for emulation hounds or any ‘ol heathen who values tactility over design purity. As of now it’s just a prototype, but if you have the resources to bring this thing to production the folks at CP Design who crafted it would surely love to hear from you.
Continue reading CP Design’s iPhone Game Pad prototype does Donkey Kong Country right (video)
CP Design’s iPhone Game Pad prototype does Donkey Kong Country right (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Switched On: Of guiltlessness and giveaways
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Beyond an opportunity for a lucky few to visit the surreal and sophisticated wireless testing labs buried deep within the Apple campus, the Steve Jobs “Antennagate” press conference had few surprises in terms of using a tool at Apple’s disposal — its own Bumpers (augmented by those of third parties) — to address a vulnerability of the iPhone 4 antenna design. The difference between the iPhone 4 and other devices is the clear marking of the spot at which physical contact causes the signal to degrade. Optimists could consider this a visual reminder to avoid contact while pessimists could see a constant reminder of imperfection. Regardless, at its press conference, Apple added - and continues to add — visual verification of its assertion that multiple handsets (or at least smartphones) can fall victim to a strategic grasp.
Beyond that, the only muted revelation of the day was that AT&T is reporting that the iPhone 4 is monitoring dropped calls on the iPhone 4 at a rate ever so slightly above that of the 3GS. However, the 3GS did not have a reputation for being particularly tenacious at holding on to a call. Indeed, were it not for all the heat the previous iPhone took at AT&T, perhaps Apple would not have had to push for so radical an antenna redesign. Therefore, it would have been interesting to know how the iPhone 4 compared to the AT&T smartphone average (skewed as it is to iPhones anyway), especially given the earlier Apple demonstration of how other smartphones can suffer from attenuation.
Continue reading Switched On: Of guiltlessness and giveaways
Switched On: Of guiltlessness and giveaways originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple keeps antennagate alive with Droid X’s ‘kill switch’ (video)
We had a feeling Apple wasn’t done showing off the apparent reception woes of its competitors — after all, the company already updated once this week with the Nokia N97 mini. Now it’s going after Motorola’s celebrity of the moment (and known iPhone 4 bully), the Droid X. You can see Cupertino’s results in the video after the break, but unlike Apple’s other videos, we can’t seem to recreate this one as easily with our Droid Xs. But hey, it’s not like anyone’s gonna buy a big phone anyway, right?
Continue reading Apple keeps antennagate alive with Droid X’s ‘kill switch’ (video)
Apple keeps antennagate alive with Droid X’s ‘kill switch’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Blackbox i10 noise cancelling earbuds tap into iPod / iPhone dock connector for power, pleasure
Oh, sure — you’ve got at least 893.1 options (at last count, anyway) when it comes to noise cancelling headphones for your iDevice, but do any of those plug directly into the dock connector instead of requiring a separate battery? Exactly. That’s the claim to fame for Blackbox’s i10, a new set of earbuds that rely on power from your iPod or iPhone in order to achieve that active noise cancelling action that the youngsters are so crazy about these days. According to the company, these will filter out 92 percent of background noise using Phitek Systems’ ANR technology, and the inline remote makes it easy to adjust volume and the like. They’re available today for £79.99 ($123) over in the UK, but only heaven knows when they’ll mosey over to North America.
[Thanks, Sharmee]
Blackbox i10 noise cancelling earbuds tap into iPod / iPhone dock connector for power, pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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OnStar expands smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup
It’s safe to say that General Motors is struggling for relevancy these days and, while the Chevy Volt could be a huge step into the modern era for the company, that still leaves every other car looking a bit — traditional, technology-wise. OnStar is going to help, expanding its Volt-specific controls to the entire 2011 lineup of GM cars. When we saw OnStar’s Volt app earlier this year we loved how it not only let you control recharging but also unlock the doors and monitor system specs from anywhere. While monitoring recharging status obviously won’t be much good if you’re rocking a good ‘ol ICE vehicle, you will still be able to start the car remotely, unlock doors, and also monitor stats like tire pressure and oil level from your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android handset, as demonstrated in a video after the break. Yes, you’ll need to be an OnStar subscriber to use the app, with rates currently starting at a somewhat steep $18.95 per month. Now, if only there were an app that could help us to afford a new ZR1.
Continue reading OnStar expands smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup
OnStar expands smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now
Well, there’s nothing like masking bad news with good news, right Apple? Just moments after quietly announcing that the white iPhone 4 is now scheduled to ship sometime between tomorrow and your New Year’s Eve party, the company has also fired up its iPhone 4 Case Program. Just as Jobs promised last week at an emergency press event, this program will ensure that anyone who purchases an iPhone 4 prior to September 30th will be able to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or select third-party case from the company at no charge. ‘Course, you need to be located in a country or territory that Apple actually ships to, but if that’s all squared away, feel free to hit up the App Store to download the iPhone 4 Case Program app. Once there, you’ll need to sign into your iTunes Store account, select your Bumper or case and wait oh-so-patiently (read: “3 to 5 weeks”). Better hurry — wouldn’t want the servers to get overloaded, now would we?
Oh, and if you happened to have already purchased a Bumper, the company should be hitting your credit card with a full refund (including any applicable taxes and shipping) momentarily. As for the case / Bumper choices? Every single option is available in any color you like… so long as it’s black, of course. There’s a black Apple Bumper option, an Incase Snap Case, Belkin Shield Micra, Griffin Motif, Griffin Reveal, Speck Fitted and Speck PixelSkin HD, but again, don’t go in hoping to select your favorite hue. Yeah, you’re free to bicker about free things — we won’t judge.
Update: If you’re one of those wise guys who purchased an iPhone 4 right away just to sell it, you can forget about getting a free case for the handset you no longer own. Apple has arranged this so that only one case can be ordered per iPhone 4, so even if you ordered two under your account name, you’ll need two phones to place both of those orders. Check out the error message below if you still don’t believe us.
Gallery: Apple iPhone 4 Case Program app
Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won’t ship until ‘later this year’
Man, there’s about a zero percent chance that Steve Jobs and company are happy about this. Just days after shocking the market with higher-than-expected profits and revenues, Apple is having to grit its teeth once more with yet another iPhone 4 problem. This time, the elusive white iPhone — yeah, that one that we toyed with at the WWDC announcement keynote — is being delayed again. The new due date? Sometime “later this year.” Here’s the full, and unsurprisingly brief, announcement:
“Statement by Apple on White iPhone 4White models of Apple’s new iPhone(R) 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.”
Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won’t ship until ‘later this year’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.