Forbes identifies 19-year-old behind JailBreakMe.com

Forbes has identified the hacker behind the popular jail breaking site JailBreakMe.com as 19-year-old Brown University student, Nicholas Allegra.

Yet Allegra has managed to find a path around those locks. In JailbreakMe 3, Allegra used a bug in how Apple’s mobile operating system iOS handles PDFs fonts that allows him to both locate and repurpose hidden commands. That critical flaw allowed a series of exploits that not only gains total control of the machine but leaves behind code that jailbreaks it again every time the device reboots –all without ever even crashing the operating system. “I spent a lot of time on the polish,” Allegra says with a hint of pride.

Source: Meet Comex, The 19-Year-Old iPhone Uber-Hacker Who Keeps Outsmarting Apple

Open Source: Cross Platform iOS/Android 2D Game Framework Using The Squirrel Language

Not too long ago I mentioned the open source Moai SDK 2D game development kit that uses the Lua scripting language.

I’ve been watching another framework for some time that uses the Squirrel scripting language, and it was a bit rough around the edges.  Today however, an update was just released, and in my testing appears to work extremely well on iOS devices (can’t say I tested it on Android yet).

The Squirrel language looks very interesting – similar looking syntax to Lua, but fully object oriented so it may be easier to swallow if you are used to object oriented programming languages.

The framework boasts quite a large feature support supporting Box2D physics, tilemap support, sprite animations, animation tweening the ability to run on both iOS and Android, and more.

The framework is known as emo and here’s a video demonstrating some of emo’s functionality:

You can find the emo framework homepage with full documentation here.

You can download emo from Google code here:
http://code.google.com/p/emo-framework/

You can find more information about the Squirrel language here.

With these great new open source frameworks the number of excuses for not writing a game on iOS are definitely running out.

Will be added to the Open Source iOS game engines list along with the Moai SDK as soon as possible.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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Tutorial: Dynamically Coloring Art In Cocos2D – Turn One Game Character Into Hundreds

I remember the very first time I tried out the Cocos2D game engine for the iPhone.  This was less than a year after the app store had been opened, and I was very impressed by the demo projects that came with the engine.  A couple of the features features that I really liked were those that allowed you to manipulate sprites in both shape and coloring.

I’ve come across a tutorial that demonstrates how to use the setColor method of CCSprite taking one character and effectively turning it into hundreds of different characters.  Not too complicated, but an incredibly cool effect that can save a lot of time.

Here’s a screenshot showing one white game character colored to look like many different characters:
The tutorial is from Brandon Trebitowski and can be found here:
Dynamically Coloring Sprites

Brandon also shows you how to make those cute bitizens used as characters in his tutorial Creating and Customizing A Bitizen.

Some good tips if you are wondering how you can populate a game with unique characters.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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To launch Launchpad of Lion with a headrest shortcut or a key function

“Hi to everybody, does a keyboard shortcut exist for launching Launchpad?”.

It is possible to access Launchpad of Mac OS X Lion through the relative icon (a spatial nacelle in brushed metal) in the Dock or in the briefcase Applications, pinching with three or four fingers (according to the formulations in Preferences of System / Trackpad / Other actions), or bringing the cursor of the mouse in an angle of the monitor (shaping the option active Angles from the panel Desk and Screen saver or of Mission Control of the Preferences of System).

In more, in few clicks it is possible to shape Launchpad to launch him/it with a headrest shortcut or a key function. It is enough to open the panel Keyboard of Preferences of System, selzionare Dashboard and Dock in the column of sinsitra, therefore in the panel to the right to put the sign of sprouts to “Show Launchpad” and cliccare to the right of the name and digitare the combination of keys that is preferred or a key function I free (F5 or F6, for instance).

To migrate the backup of Time Machine on the new Mac with Lion

Time Machine of Lion has earned some new functions, but it is one of it that can return particularly useful: now it is possible to use a preceding hard disk of Time Machine with a new computer and to inherit the historian of the backup of the old Mac.

The process of migration is rather easy: it needs to connect the old disk of Time Machine to the new computer and to open the panel Time Machine of the Preferences of System. Lion will remember that a disk of backup has not been selected and it will show a dialogue box with a button to open the Preferences of Time Machine and a new option: It uses preceding disk. Cliccando this last will be visualized a list of the unities climbed on with the backup of Time Machine.

Once selected the old disk of Time Machine, another choice you/he/she will be given: to create entirely a new backup or “to inherit” the historian of the backup of the old disk. In this last case, the backup of Time Machine of the old computer will be migrated on the new computer. And’ the case to underline that if the migration of the backup of Time Machine effects him on the new computer, not on it will be able to use him/it more with the old Mac.

It deals with a notable footstep in before, in comparison to Time Machine of Leopard and Snow Leopard. In precedence, in fact, when a new Mac was purchased, it was possible to migrate the data from the backup of Time Machine to shape the new computer, but later, the existing backup were not recognized by Time Machine. The practice was created a new backup, losing so the historian.

It is possible to maintain the continuity of the backup through now more computers, so that to never lose the old data.

Essential: Quicksilver for Snow Leopard and Lion (freeware)

The development of QuickSilver, the popular one and apprezzatissimo it continues launcher for Mac OS X, despite his/her dad, Nicholas Jitkoff, in 2009 is passed to Google for realizare Quick Search Playpen (the alter ego of QuickSilver).How Butler ($20), Quicksilver. it is an excellent utility, that allows to quickly launch applications, documents, URL, songs of iTunes, preferred of the browsers etc. You automatically loads to the start of the Mac, he/she works in background and you/he/she can be recalled with the keyboard combination that of default is ctrl-space

The operation is simple: writing in the dialogue box the letters po, it for instance appears as first result pa.ges, the application of the suite of iWork of Apple. Pressing the key arrow on it is possible to visualize a list of file connected to the effected search. Thanks to the extreme ductility of Quicksilver, selecting from this list the application Paparazzi is possible to make him learn with the time that pa means Paparazzi (it is the application that I use for photographing a whole Web page).

With a click with the right key of the mouse on the icon of the application or the looked for file, the contextual menu of Action that shows various options appears: You open, Show, Glues etc. what you/he/she can subsequently be personalized in the preferences of Quicksilver. It deals above all with a particularly useful option for actions of routine. Must for example send a determined document every time that is required for e-mail, it is possible to add the action Email to. In this way, digitando the in partnership letters to the file to be sent away mail electronics, once that you/he/she has appeared in the window of Quicksilver it will be enough to choose the Action Email to send him/it by e-mail..

On-line they are available of the plug-in free for good part of the applications of the Mac OS X (Adium, Automator, Entourage, iPhoto, Mail, Transmit etc.).

Finally, always in Preferences / Triggers it is possible to combine a keyboard combination to quickly perform even more one determined action.

Quicksilver b60 is comatibile with Snow Leopard and Lion, and from the site of the developer it is possible to also unload the versions for Tiger and Leopard, and even for Panther.

Critique: sharing screen of Mac OS X Lion

The sharing screen of Lion has been notably improved. To start, is now not only possible to visualize the desk of another Mac, but also to share the screen for every account of the Mac, even if somebody else is using him/it with a different account.We for example suppose, that a remote Mac has two accounts consumer, Stephen and Alessandra. Stephen is currently working on the Mac with his/her account. From another Mac, Alessandra can select the Mac that appears under the voice “Shared” in a window of the Finder, to make click Shares screen and digitare his/her name consumer and the password in the resultant dialogue box. When he makes click on the button Connected, another window of visualization of selection it appears with two options. to ask to share the screen or to connect to a virtual desk. In the first case, a message appears on the other Mac that to Alessandra it would like to share the screen. If Stephen accepts the sharing of the screen, Alessandra can see what on the screen of Stephen is as also to check him/it.

 

 

If, he makes click instead, to connect to a virtual desk, you/he/she can be chosen to visualize and to check all the accounts to which access is had on the other Mac. You is able, for instance, to select the account Alessandra, to introduce the password, and the relative account will be launched in background on the remote Mac. The only indication that Stephen will have of what is happening you/he/she is the appearance of the icon Sharing screen in the menu bar of the Finder. Alessandra can work then with the Mac in remote, while also Stephen uses him/it.

 

 

Besides, Sharing screen now offers two formalities of visualization, Hardware and virtual Desk. The hardware is the formality of visualization to which has gotten used. When you/he/she is connected to another Mac through the sharing of the screen, you/he/she is shown the image of the remote Mac and in a panel also of the really. When the virtual desk is chosen, the image of the remote Mac is seen, but in this last the window appears than log-in grey with the accounts. The person that was seen the remote Mac, whether to introduce his/her own password to take back the control of the computer.

 

There is also a new formality it Observes (available also from the menu it Approves) that it allows to look at whatever action on the remote computer without interfering. The sharing of the screen has a toolbar personalizzabile and is possible to add the button Control / it Observes for a more rapid access. Ago his/her debut also another function, Instant screen, that together to it Observes you/he/she has directly been taken in loan by Remote Desktops of Apple, that allow to effect a screenshot of the Mac in remote.

 

 

Always from the new toolbar it is (or from the menu it Approves) possible to activate Proper for the window and to care or to send the Notes of the Finder.

As the other applications of Lion, also Sharing screen supports the formality to all screen.

Final considerations

Someone uses the version server of the Mac you mine to check more Mac, I use the application instead Sharing Screen. With Lion some useful and elegant improvements have been introduced, mine preferred is the possibility to connect as consumer on a remote Mac, while another person is locally connected. I like the idea to enter my iMac to house and to use some files without forcing who is using him/it to go out before.

Alfred earns the support for the extensions, Grow and a new theme Lion

It seems that all the consumers Mac have a preferred launcher, the three that they go for the greatest I am LaunchBar (€ 24), Butler ($20) and Quicksilver. But if you have not found the yet “pitcher of applications and file” ideal or is thinking about trying of of it new, I suggest you to free unload Alfred for Snow Leopard and Lion from the Mac App Store.

 

 

Alfred 0.9.9 allow to start the applications and search on the Web, Amazon (in Preferences / General it needs to point out the Country where it is us to get results “located”), and still more the all pressing few keys. A combination of keys (of default is Option-bar spaziatrice) can be assigned, to visualize the relative box of search, and then digitare the first letters of the application that it is desired to launch, or a key word to effect a search on the Web. Alfred will show a list of results. If the first one is what he is looking for, it is enough to press the key Dispatch and the application you/he/she will be launched or the open document. If what is looking for is not the first one of the list of the results, Alfred very kindly it assigns a specific combination of keys to every result to quickly (those of deafult are .-2, .-3 and so street) select them.


If is thinking about passing to one of these launchers, you keep in mind that Alfred is currently in beta, and the search works in different way in comparison to Quicksilver (greatest difference is that it deals with a rigorous textual search, therefore if you press “ff” you won’t find Firefox).

Alfred has profited of an important updating that introduces new functionalities as the support for the extensions, the integration with Growl and a new background inspired to Mac OS X Lion, besides it resolves the usual long list of bug.

Alfred 0.9.9, that it requires at least OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or OS X 10.7 Lion, can free be unloaded by the Mac App Store

Apple announces the prices of the storage of iCloud

Apple has disclosed great details around its service of synchronization iCloud, included the prices. Steve Jobs had in precedence declared that the consumers of the devices Apple would have had 5GB of storage title free iCloud, it is possible to add others 10GB (that more other five gigabytes of free space ten, for a total of 15GB) for 16 European a year, 25GB for 32 European, or 55GB for 80 European a year.

 

It is interesting to compare these prices with the popular service of cloud-storage of Dropbox, that offers 2GB of free storage, 50GB for $120 to the year and 100GB for $228 for year.

Besides, Apple has released also to the developers a version beta of iCloud.com, that furnishes Mac Dev to the recorded consumers to the program a preview of the applications Web “iOS like” you syncronize with e-mail, contacts, calendars, iWork, and it Finds my iPhone.

Apple has not exactly said still when icCoud will be available for the great public, but the service is strongly tied to iOS 5, that it will arrive “this autumn.”

Jailbreak iPhone 4.3.4 for iPhone 4 & iPhone 3GS (Windows & Mac)

How to Jailbreak iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS Version 4.3.4 Firmware

Note: If you would like to jailbreak any other iPhone version, visit my comprehensive iPhone Jailbreak guide.

This tutorial contains jailbreak instructions for both Windows and Mac users, using Redsn0w.

Warning: This is a tethered jailbreak, which means that you will need to redo the jailbreak each time your iPhone reboots (you will not lose your data each time.)

Windows & Mac Users

Required:

  1. iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS
  2. Firmware: 4.3.4 (check your version in Settings » General » About)
  3. iTunes 10.4
  4. iOS 4.3.4 IPSW (iPhone 4 (GSM) or iPhone 3GS)
  5. Redsn0w 0.9.8b3 (Windows or Mac)

Jailbreak Instructions

1. Open Redsn0w, click Browse and select the iOS 4.3.4 file that you previously downloaded.

2. Click Install Cydia and hit Next.

3. With your iPhone off and the USB cable plugged in, click Next.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to put your iPhone in DFU mode. Your iPhone will restart and be fully jailbroken.

5. Note: This is a tethered jailbreak, meaning you will have to redo the jailbreak each time that you reboot your iPhone. To do so, simply click the “Just Boot Tethered Right Now” option in Redsn0w.

Was your jailbreak successful? Please post questions and suggestions in the comments.

Jailbreak iPhone 4.3.4 for iPhone 4 & iPhone 3GS (Windows & Mac) is a post from Apple iPhone Review.


Jailbreak iPhone 4.3.3 for iPhone 4 & iPhone 3GS (Windows & Mac)

I recently applied this jailbreak to my iPhone 4, running iOS 4.3.3.

Note: If you would like to jailbreak any other iPhone version, visit my comprehensive iPhone Jailbreak guide.

This tutorial contains jailbreak instructions for both Windows and Mac users, using Redsn0w.

Windows & Mac Users

Required:

  1. iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS
  2. Firmware: 4.3.3 (check your version in Settings » General » About)
  3. iTunes 10.4
  4. iOS 4.3.3 IPSW (iPhone 4 (GSM) or iPhone 3GS)
  5. Redsn0w 0.9.6rc15 (Windows or Mac)

Jailbreak Instructions

1. Open Redsn0w, click Browse and select the iOS 4.3.3 file that you previously downloaded.

2. Click Install Cydia and hit Next.

3. With your iPhone off and the USB cable plugged in, click Next.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to put your iPhone in DFU mode. Your iPhone will restart and be fully jailbroken.

Was your jailbreak successful? Please post questions and suggestions in the comments.

Jailbreak iPhone 4.3.3 for iPhone 4 & iPhone 3GS (Windows & Mac) is a post from Apple iPhone Review.


The New Yorker has sold 20,000 annual paid iPad subscriptions

The New Yorker has sold more than 20,000 annual paid iPad subscriptions since Conde Nast overhauled its iPad magazine strategy in May. 20,000 readers are now subscribed to the annual US$59.99 iPad-only edition of the quintessential news, social, and literary magazine while every week another 5,000 people buy single issues of the magazine for $4.99. While this is good news for Conde Nast, it also reflects heavily on The New Yorker as a magazine and speaks to its digital distribution strategy.

Of all Conde Nast’s iPad magazines, The New Yorker has achieved the highest subscription rates by eschewing the interactive and sometimes annoying eye-candy content and navigation other digital magazines have been using in their apps. As The New York Times points out, “The New Yorker, a magazine that has always been heavy on text, took a different tack from its peers. Instead of loading its iPad app with interactive features, the magazine focused on presenting its articles in a clean, readable format.” In other words, even on a device like the iPad, the content and skilled editorial decisions of a magazine seem to matter more than distracting visual flair like page curls, flips, and transitions.

Pamela Maffei McCarthy, The New Yorker’s deputy editor, told The New York Times, “That was really important to us: to create an app all about reading. There are some bells and whistles, but we’re very careful about that. We think about whether or not they add any value. And if they don’t, out the window they go.” Good advice.

The New Yorker has sold 20,000 annual paid iPad subscriptions originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype for iPad ‘prematurely’ released, no longer available (Updated x2)

Skype for iPad has just been released on the New Zealand App Store, which probably makes it about 16 hours or so until it goes live in the United States. Typically App Store releases like this find their way onto the NZ App Store first, then roll out across time zones over the course of the day.

The app was announced over a month ago in late June, but for unknown reasons its release was delayed until now. The iPad version of Skype supports the same features as the iPhone version, and it seems that all features other than two-way video chat are supported on the original iPad. The iPad 2, of course, will have full support for video conferencing via either of its cameras.

Skype for iPad is a separate app from Skype for iPhone, but like the smaller app, the iPad version will be free and capable of making calls over either Wi-Fi or 3G. We’ll have an overview of its features later on.

[hat tip to iPhonewzealand]

Update: Looks like Apple decided to skip the timezone-by-timezone festivities, as Skype for iPad is now available in the US too, and possibly worldwide. The long wait is over, go download Skype now!

Update 2: Skype has “temporarily” pulled the app from the App Store, due to it “prematurely” going live. Not sure what was so “premature” about six weeks, but okay. If you didn’t download Skype for iPad while it was available, you’ll have to wait until Skype re-ups the app.

Skype for iPad ‘prematurely’ released, no longer available (Updated x2) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iCloud.com developer beta opens, includes full-featured web interface

Remember when I told you there would still be iCloud web apps once the service took over MobileMe, despite what some other sites were saying at the time? Not to brag or anything, but I was right. Today, Apple launched the iCloud.com beta for developers. Web apps on the service include Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Find my iPhone, and iWork.

The interface looks to be heavily overhauled from its earlier MobileMe incarnation, and iCloud.com’s design seems to have taken many design cues from the iPad’s iOS interface. Of note, if you’re not a fan of the “real object” design of iCal and Address Book on the iPad or in OS X Lion, you’re not going to like the web app design either, because it’s essentially the same.

Since many of us are under NDA at TUAW, we won’t provide screenshots but 9to5 Mac had no reservations and published a few which you can check out here.

The iCloud.com beta does require installing the OS X Lion 10.7.2 developer beta before you can use iCloud for OS X Lion beta 5, so if you’re not a developer and were hoping to check this service out for yourself, you’re out of luck for now. iCloud.com should launch to the public this fall, alongside iCloud itself and iOS 5.

Apple has also released pricing data for iCloud storage upgrades. All free iCloud accounts come with a standard 5 GB of online storage, but Apple will be offering three upgrade options:

  • 10 GB for US$20/year (15 GB total)
  • 20 GB for $40/year (25 GB total)
  • 50 GB for $100/year (55 GB total)

Before it became free to all, MobileMe was $99/year and included 20 GB of iDisk storage, so these new pricing tiers for storage are a much better deal than MobileMe was.

iCloud.com developer beta opens, includes full-featured web interface originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video App Demo: Daedalus Touch

daedalus touch

Daedalus Touch is a text editor designed for iPad and engineered to be as simple and clutter-free as possible. From what I saw, it succeeds admirably. Granted, there are lots of text editors on the App Store, but Daedalus offers a clean interface with a few nice features, like modeless search. In modeless search you can search at any time across all documents and the presentation makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. Of course, the best way to see this is to see it in action, so check out the video below to see Daedalus in action.

Video App Demo: Daedalus Touch originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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