It seems like we are not too far off now from a public release of an untethered jailbreak for both iPhone 4S and iPad 2. Pod2g, who is the genius behind this iOS 5 exploit for both A4 and A5 devices, has posted a video on his blog which shows jailbroken iPhone 4S running Cydia, on iOS 5.0.1, fully untethered.


Pod2g posted on his blog:

My friend @DHowett made a video of an untethered 4S iPhone 4,1 running iOS 5.0.1 some days ago.
@DHowett is a famous iOS developer and a member of the Chronic Dev Team.
Only a few to wait now.

Earlier today, a member of the so called “Dream Team”, the legendary iPhone hacker PlanetBeing, tweeted out some more progress on A5 jailbreak (for iPhone 4S and iPad 2), confirming unsigned code running successfully on his iPhone 4S.

@planetbeing: Finally got unsigned code running on my 4S with the stuff that will go into the new jailbreak!

While there is still no official ETA from either of the Dev-Teams for this most awaited jailbreak in recent times, but if the “hint” in Pod2g’s blog post is anything to go by, it is only a matter of few more days now before we can all get our hands on jailbreak for both iPhone 4S and iPad 2.
In the meantime, if you still haven’t upgraded your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to iOS 5.0.1 yet, it is highly advisable to do so now as Corona untethered jailbreak exploit has been reportedly patched by Apple in the latest iOS 5.1 Beta. You MUST upgrade your device to final version of iOS 5.0.1 now before iOS 5.1 is released to public. This is important because once final version of IOS 5.1 is out, you wont be able to downgrade your device back to iOS 5.0.1 and hence will be out of luck for any jailbreak until the next one pops out – which probably wont be available anytime soon.

And those of you who are sporting A4 devices, you can follow our complete step by step guide posted here to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 untethered on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, and iPod touch 3G/4G using Redsn0w.

It’s finally here folks, today is the when Apple has flipped the switch on iOS 5, and millions upon millions of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches are in the process of being updated to the latest and greatest mobile operating system to come out of Cupertino.

This fifth iteration in the iOS saga is perhaps the biggest change that Apple has made to the software that runs on all our iDevices, since the implementation of the App Store. We’ve been playing with iOS 5 for quite some time now, and we’re sure you’re going to like what you see when you have finally installed iOS 5.
In order to give you an idea of what to expect, what has changed and what to look out for when your iDevice restarts post-update, we’ve put together a video showing just what Apple has added to iOS this time around, and there’s quite a bit.


The vide covers everything we could think of: there’s iMessage, the new messaging service that Apple believes is on a par with the likes of BlackBerry Messenger, offering instant messaging for free across all iOS devices running iOS 5.
Then there is the vastly improved Notifications Center, improvements to Camera app, the all new Reminders and Newsstand apps, Twitter integration, and lots more. Mail client has also got a significant update! It now supports rich text for adding bold, italic or indentations to your emails. Flagging messages is also now part of Mail in iOS 5 too, something that many Exchange users have been crying out for recently.
The list of changes goes on and on. Possibly the most trivial, yet something that we still can’t quite believe has taken Apple five versions of iOS to get working, is the landscape calendar. Yes, it’s finally there, and, well, it’s your calendar, but sideways. No surprised there, then.
We could go on forever talking about the new additions to iOS 5, but the best way to get the lowdown is to watch the video.

We have got some really sad news. Steve Jobs has passed away at 56. He truly changed the way we live our lives each and every day.




CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, has sent an email to all Apple employees regarding passing of Steve Jobs:

Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing
human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Tim

Steve’s family has also issued a statement:

Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

Apple has also set up an email address, rememberingsteve@apple.com, for condolences and memories.
We, at Redmond Pie, are lost for words here. Thank you Steve for being an innovator and sharing your genius with the world. You will be truly missed. Rest in peace.

UPDATE x1: Robert Scoble has posted a picture of Apple HQ in Cupertino with all flags at half-mast.



UPDATE x2: An excerpt on death from Steve Jobs’ commencement address at Stanford (June 12, 2005)



When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes. I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now. This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. UPDATE x3: Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Eric Schmidt on Steve Jobs’ passing: Barack Obama (President, United States of America) Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it. By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world. The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him. Bill Gates (Founder, Microsoft): I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely. Mark Zuckerberg (Founder & CEO, Facebook): Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you. Eric Schmidt (Chairman, Google) Steve Jobs is the most successful CEO in the U.S. of the last 25 years. He uniquely combined an artists touch and an engineers vision to build an extraordinary company… one of the greatest American leaders in history.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

UPDATE x3: Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Eric Schmidt on Steve Jobs’ passing:
Barack Obama (President, United States of America)

Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.
By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.
The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.

Bill Gates (Founder, Microsoft):

I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

Mark Zuckerberg (Founder & CEO, Facebook):

Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.

Eric Schmidt (Chairman, Google)

Steve Jobs is the most successful CEO in the U.S. of the last 25 years. He uniquely combined an artists touch and an engineers vision to build an extraordinary company… one of the greatest American leaders in history.

With the announcement of the iPhone 4S, it was never going to be too long before the comparisons with other smartphones on the market began to surface. A comparison chart thrown up by ThisIsMyNext (aka TheVerge) puts everything into perspective by comparing Apple’s latest iPhone with its predecessor, along with Samsung’s Galaxy S II.



The iPhone 4 has been Apple’s most successful yet, so its hardly surprising that expectation is extremely high once again this time around. Samsung’s Galaxy S II is a powerhouse of features, so how does it measure up to the latest from Cupertino?


The introduction of Apple’s A5, dual-core chip first seen in the iPad 2 enables the 4S to really compete in terms of power. Having said that, whilst the A4 processor is only single-core, it has still been a performance marvel during the course of the last 16 months, and could hardly be criticized for being slow.
One of the key features of the iPhone 4S is the ability for both GSM and CDMA users to roam worldwide on one device. The iPhone 4 launched as GSM only, and it wasn’t until the start of this year that Apple finally introduced a CDMA iPhone, allowing Verizon users to hop onto the iPhone bandwagon.
The 4S’ much-improved camera matches the Galaxy S II in terms of megapixels, although it’s hard to tell which is better until we’ve seen some actual shots from the yet-to-be-released device. Once suspects that Apple has done its homework on its friend/foe Samsung, and the improved light sensitivity could mean the latest iPhone’s snapper will be the best on the market.
On the topic of storage space, the 4S doubles the possibilities of its older brother by including a 64GB model. The Galaxy S II, although limited to a maximum of 48GB, does have the overt advantage a microSD slot – a freedom which consumers would love – but don’t expect – to see present on any iDevice. Ever.
Siri assistant, one of the main talking points of today’s keynote, is one of those features that could separate the iPhone 4S from all of its rivals – including the iPhone 4. Although voice control is not exactly a new idea, Siri covers most aspects of the device through voice alone. If adopted by the mass

Did we all enjoy today’s Apple event? We know we did. With Apple unveiling a whole new iPhone, refreshed iPods and more iCloud and iOS 5 info, it’s been a rather eventful day so far.
While live blogs and photos are a good way of keeping up with the event by proxy, there’s nothing quite like watching the event unfold live before your very eyes, but Apple has just given us the next best thing – a video of their ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ right on their very own website.



The event can be watched in all its streaming glory right here, and although there isn’t currently a downloadable version, we’re keeping an eye out on Apple’s Keynote Podcast feed, as that’s usually where the company posts the full HD versions of all its live events. Don’t expect that to appear until later today, or tomorrow, though.
Those who have been hiding under a rock, or, perhaps, an oversized Android phone, here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect to see in the event video.

• iCloud recap – watch as the Apple team take us through iCloud once again, highlighting document syncing, iCloud backup and all the other funky little features we can expect from this free replacement for MobileMe.
• iOS 5 refresh – one half of the new iPhone experience, iOS 5 re-imagines the whole iPhone experience. New, much improved notifications are present, as are a host of new camera features.
• New iPods – an update for the iPod nano sees a selection of new watch faces, with Apple almost admitting that more people use the nano as a watch, than a music player. New iPod touch as well, with a white model being added for good measure.
• iPhone 4S – Twice as fast thanks to twice the CPU cores, twice the graphics cores and more memory. iPhone 4S also includes Siri, Apple’s new digital assistant that promises to change the way we interact with out iPhones.

All this and more, plus Tim Cook’s first Apple keynote, all available for you to watch for free via Apple’s web site.
One little tip, too – fire up Mobile Safari on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch and watch the keynote via the wonder that is AirPlay, right on your big screen TV.

Infographics. Everybody loves ‘em. They’re like great big pictures that tell a thousand, and often more words, all in a colorful and image-laden way.


The latest infographic to come out of AllAreaCodes charts the barrage of iPhone 5 rumors that started almost as soon as its predecessor, the iPhone 4, found its way into stores worldwide. The image covers a bit of that too, and mentions the much delayed, and highly anticipated release of the white iPhone 4, as well as Verizon version of the black handset just beforehand.


After that, it’s purely a rumor-fest. with all the major talking points thrown in for good measure.
Remember all those claims that the next iPhone would be a smaller, lighter handset dubbed the iPhone nano? That soon went by the wayside didn’t it? And they really had to since they weren’t backed up by solid evidence.
Talk of an iPhone sporting a new, larger screen started to gather pace as well, with an edge-to-edge screen believed to give us the larger screen without the need to increase the overall dimensions in the process. That’s a rumor we liked in particular, and we’re still holding out hope for that to turn up come the Apple iPhone event on Tuesday.
Other rumors that just won’t go away include the 8 megapixel camera, supposedly manufactured by Sony, a Sprint CDMA version of the iPhone to launch alongside AT&T and Verizon, and everyone’s favorite – will Apple launch two handsets next week?
The belief that we will see a cheaper iPhone be released alongside a flagship model is one that has come from numerous rumors from various sources over the last few months, and the iPhone nano probably started that one off. We’re not convinced about that here at Redmond Pie, with Apple usually choosing to keep the outgoing model around as its entry-level iPhone, and the iPhone 4 would make one impressive entry-level handset.
Could we be wrong? Yes, yes we could, and if we are we’ll be the first to hold our hands up.
The best thing about all these rumors? In just five days time, we can put them all to bed for once and for all. Then we can get started on the iPad 3, can’t we?

If you’ve ever dabbled with the world of jailbreaking, or even if you’re a jailbreak aficionado like so many of our readers, the chances are that at some point you’ve struggled to find what you’re looking for in Cydia.
Cydia, the official unofficial app store of sorts for jailbroken iOS devices like iPads, iPhones and iPod touches, has been around for a good few years now, and it’s improved greatly since its early days. The problem that it’s always had, and so far hasn’t really managed to rectify, is app discovery.

If you fire up Cydia right now, you’ll be faced with a barrage of different categories – some which seem oddly similar to each other – with sub-categories galore. Eventually, after drilling down further than an app-hunting mole, you’re faced with a long, long list of apps and tweaks. It’s worked so far, but the shear number of apps, tweaks and other little pieces of code that have been added to various repositories has left the system broken at its core. It needs fixing, and that’s where the Cydia Developer Directory comes in.
Put together by the lovely people of ModMyi, the directory lists developers who write apps or tweaks for the jailbreak community.


The directory lists developers, as well as their released software, and there’s even a handy little biography section so we can get to know the people behind the code. The whole thing is searchable, and developers can request to be added, should they wish.

Interestingly, there is actually a list of requirements to fulfill before a developer will be considered for adding to the directory, which shows ModMyi intends to keep the riff-raff out.

Are you a jailbreak developer who would like to be added? We are looking for developers who have released products within Cydia, whether free or paid. We look at each submission manually to ensure that high quality products are listed. Some examples of apps we don’t count are apps built purely with UIWebViews in tabs, unpolished/buggy ‘crapps’, and items which are or promote illegal activity.

If there is one argument that is often leveled the jailbreak community, it’s the seeming lack of cohesion and organization. Initiatives like this can help to go some way to fixing that, and we’re all for it.