Apple has finally confirmed rumors of an upgraded MacBook Pro family by introducing new versions featuring next-generation processors and graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime HD camera, replacing the old iSight.
According to the Cupertino giant maker, the new MacBook Pro line is up to twice as fast as the previous generation thanks to the latest dual-core and quad-core Intel Core processors.
Specifically, the 13-inch model features Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors up to 2.7 GHz and Intel HD Graphics 3000.
The 15-inch and the 17-inch versions of the MacBook Pro have quad-core Core i7 processors clocked at up to 2.3 GHz, and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors with up to 1GB of video memory.
The 15-inch and 17-inch systems are aimed at high performance gaming, pro-video editing and graphics intensive applications, Apple said.
Confirming a recent hot rumor, new MacBook Pros all have a new I/O port - ‘Thunderbolt’.
Known as Light Peak technology, it was developed by Intel in collaboration with Apple to enable expandability. It is implemented as ‘Thunderbolt’ on MacBook Pro computers.
It features two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to 10Gbps each, delivers PCI Express directly to external high-performance peripherals such as RAID arrays, and can support FireWire and USB consumer devices and Gigabit Ethernet networks via special adapters, Apple explains in today’s official report.
The Thunderbolt port also supports Apple’s Mini DisplayPort connections. Apple expects Thunderbolt to be adopted widely.
“The new MacBook Pro brings next generation dual and quad Core processors, high performance graphics, Thunderbolt technology and FaceTime HD to the great design loved by our pro customers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
“Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro.”
Prices for the new MacBook Pros remain unchanged, with the base 13-inch model starting at $1,199 for a 2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 processor and a 320GB hard drive.
A new batch of MacBook Pro leaked images have surfaced, this time with their sources confirming the existence of a 13-inch model with the rumored ‘Thunderbolt’ (Light Peak technology), a 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with a 3MB shared level 3 cache, an optical drive and more.
Debated over at the MacRumors forums, the pictures seem to corroborate some recent claims that Apple’s new MacBook Pros have Light Peak technology built right into them through a “Thunderbolt” port.
What isn’t quite consistent with recent rumors is the list of technical specifications found on the system’s alleged box.
Early rumors said Apple would ship new MacBook Pros equipped with dual-storage solutions.
One would be SSD-based for the OS, the other HDD-based for the user’s files.
If these rumors are true, at least the 13-inch model appears to have a single 320GB hard disk drive spinning at 5400-rpm. Whether or not its bigger siblings are equipped with additional storage options remains to be seen.
The new laptop is said to ship with 4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM as standard, and an Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor with 384MB SDRAM shared memory.
The screen has a 1280x800 resolution, and there’s a built-in “FaceTime HD” camera now, which should mark the end of iSight as we know it.
Going by the same list of hardware specs, Apple is holding on to the optical drive still.
The same 8x slot-loading SuperDrive that exists on current generation MacBooks is listed in the purported imagery of Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Finally, the Thunderbolt port supporting High-Speed I/O and Mini DisplayPort connections is mentioned.
Apple is expected to unveil the new systems soon. The company has confirmed a special event for next week, though the focus appears to be the iPad.
As NewzCore readers should well know by now, the Chronic Dev Team has released Greenpois0n 1.0 RC5, an update to their jailbreak utility which, in its current state, can effectively provide an untethered jailbreak to iOS 4.2.1 devices. The jailbreak tool also does not require developer saved SHSH blobs of 4.2b3.
Those who enjoy the benefits of rocking a jailbroken iOS device should be aware that there are certain people in Cupertino, California that don’t condone the practice and even make a habit out of voiding warranties if they find out that folks jailbroke their unit.
Then again, a vocal group called the Electronic Frontier Foundation once said it was legal to jailbreak.
So it’s ultimately your decision, and your decision only. Softpedia assumes no responsibility should anything happen to your iOS device during the process of jailbreaking, or thereafter.
Plus, you have our disclaimer at the bottom of this guide, just to make sure we’ve made everything crystal clear for you.
Also note that Greenpois0n 1.0 RC5 will not provide a carrier unlock and will, in fact, break it.
This guide is for Mac OS X users only.
The same steps should apply for Windows and Linux users when Greenpois0n 1.0 RC5 becomes available for those platforms as well.
Without further ado, jailbreaking iOS 4.2.1 with Greenpois0n 1.0 RC5 is done as follows:
1. Backup your iPhone / iPod touch / iPad using iTunes, just in case anything goes wrong and you need to restore your firmware to a stock IPSW.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions and proceed to timely press the buttons on your iOS device as instructed: - Press and hold sleep button for 2 seconds; - Continue holding sleep, press and hold home button for 10 seconds; - Release sleep button, continue holding home button.
6. With your iOS device now in DFU mode (or so it should be at this point), click on the “jailbreak” button. Now Greenpois0n will inject its ‘poison’ in your iOS device, jailbreaking it.
7. Allow your iDevice to reboot. At this point, you are already jailbroken.
8. Once your device is up and running again, you can install Cydia by tapping on the “Loader” icon which should be present on one of your home screens.
That’s it!
This article has a purely informational purpose and doesn't, in any way, suggest that you should hack your Apple device.
Using hacks may render your device unusable, or may reduce the quality of your experience employing the respective device.
If you choose to download and install jailbreak tools, you will do so at your own risk. Unlocking / jailbreaking your iPhone / iPod touch / iPad / Apple TV may violate your warranty or the EULA with Apple and / or your cellular-service provider.
NewzCore Will Not Be Responsible For Any Damage whatsoever.
For as long as U.S. residents will continue to use their iPhones on AT&T’s buggy network, now that Verizon has entered the scene, the operator has prepared a Connect Audio Conference Monitor app which allows users to join and monitor an AT&T Connect Audio Conference using their iPhone.
According to the U.S. provider of telephony services originally chosen by Apple to carry its iPhone in 2007, AT&T Connect Audio Conference Monitor permits hosts and participants to attend an audio conference from virtually anywhere in the world.
“AT&T Connect Audio Conference Monitor makes mobile access to conferencing easy with the Call Me feature,” the operator explains.
The application provides updates on who else is on the conference and which participant is talking, as soon as the users hits “join”, AT&T informs.
The company elaborates: “When you receive an email or calendar invitation to a meeting that contains an Audio Conference Monitor URL, just click on the ‘Click here to join Conference Monitor’ link.”
At this point, the app will launch to join the Audio Conference while the user can select if he / she is a ‘Guest, or a ‘Host’ of the conference.
“You can join by dialing in or via ‘Call Me’ where the conference bridge can dial you (if your company has this option enabled),” AT&T’s how-to continues.
“With this single click, AT&T Connect automatically prompts you into an audio conference,” the iPhone carrier concludes.
The key features of AT&T Connect Audio Conference Monitor are listed as follows:
Features • Call Me and Dial In features that simplify audio setup • Automatic prompts guide you into an Event • Invite others by email • As a meeting host/presenter, you can invite others by phone, mute/un-mute other users, rename a user, expel a user, set entry/exit tones, record the audio conference, lock the conference or end the conference • Interactive participants list: See/hear the other participants in the conference. • Mute or unmute
AT&T Connect Audio Conference Monitor calls for any iPhone running iOS 3.0 and higher, and an active 3G cellular network or WiFi connection.
The AT&T Connect Audio Conference Monitor Mobile application does not function in airplane mode.
As Apple launched its highly-anticipated Mac App Store yesterday, some found that replacing the receipt and signature files in some paid apps with the receipt from a free one allows the app to run in full mode.
This apparently works only for some apps, while the paid application actually needs to be downloaded from a third-party site.
However, once the app is cracked, Apple’s Mac App Store will foolishly serve any subsequent updates for free, provided that the developer had released the update as a free one.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball is vocal on the matter. In a recent blog post, he begins by quickly enumerating the steps needed to crack an application:
“Copy the App Store receipt from any legit Mac App Store download — including from any free app — and paste it into a bootleg download of Angry Birds, and it’ll run.”
He claims the vulnerability exists only in apps that don't follow Apple's app validation advice.
“This isn’t true for all paid Mac App Store apps. For apps that follow Apple’s advice on validating App Store receipts, this simple technique will not work.”
Some applications are known to check only for a valid receipt. Others check whether the receipt matches the app's bundle ID, this kind of system being more difficult to crack.
The Apple pundit firmly upholds that Cupertino “should test for this in the review process, and reject paid apps that are susceptible to this simple technique.”
Apple’s Mac App Store is available for all Mac users running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
The service requires the user to download Mac OS X 10.6.6, the latest incremental update to the Snow Leopard operating system.
The update contains the Mac App Store, as well as a few system improvements.
It may be too early to speculate further than what these pictures purport to show, but readers are more than welcome to share their impressions with us in the comments.
The source of these images is reportedly GlobalDirectParts.com.
Comparison between the alleged iPhone 5 (assembled) and the current-generation iPhone (4) “We have carefully examined and scrutinized these components and have confirmed 100% that these are born from an Apple iPhone not yet released,” the PDA and smartphone parts supplier said.
“Could it be parts for the CDMA Apple iPhone 5 for Verizon Wireless or simply a reworked Next Generation Apple iPhone 5 or Apple iPhone 4 for AT&T that will be released ahead of Apple’s Traditional June Launch?” GlobalDirectParts.com asks.
“Perhaps these parts belong to an Apple iPhone 4 CDMA Version that will be released on Verizon Wireless Only? One thing is for certain, these parts are new and internals for a yet unreleased Apple iPhone Handset,” the company concludes.
It is possible, some claim, that the new design pertains to an improved version of the iPhone 4, perhaps the one rumored to emerge on the Verizon CDMA network.
And while the clearly visible SIM card tray would indicate otherwise, it is also possible that Apple is going for a universal design with the upcoming iPhone model, be it an improved version of the current-generation handset, or the 5.0 iteration of its insanely popular smartphone.
Perhaps it is worth noting that Apple pundit John Gruber (of the Daring Fireball) calls the news “Crazy.”
He adds: “My guess is that these are parts from N92, the upcoming (but as yet still unnannounced) CDMA iPhone 4. But why a SIM card slot? World compatibility?”, he writes.
Features:
Thinner! With shiny glass back piece – 9.3 mm thick.
Face recognition
Face Time (Video Chat) access on 3G AND 4G
Custom SMS tones
Custom E-mail alerts with ability to assign different tones to each email address
A new, sleeker body design.
OLED screen.
Scratch proof and shatter proof screen
Wireless sync with iTunes
32G (basic) and 64G of memory. You’re sure to never run out.
Extended battery life = 14 hours talk time on 3G and 7 hours on 4G. Standby 600 hours.
Recently, web and voice services supplier me2me AG announced the launch of a new software for smartphones, namely Frisbee Pro 2.0, which is available for users of iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices.
me2me AG claims that Frisbee Pro 2.0 would offer smartphone users a nice range of features including easy-to-use digital dictation software, along with speech recognition capabilities, and with workflow management.
Frisbee Pro 2.0 also features full compatibility with the new Frisbee Smart application, which was released for devices powered by the aforementioned mobile operating systems.
Through Frisbee Smart, users have the possibility to record various reports while on the go, while also being able to add them to a typing queue. Administrative staff that need to turn spoken text into structured documents would certainly enjoy the features list of the new application.
Frisbee Smart enables users easily stop, re-wind, fast-forward, overwrite or insert dictation at any point, the company claims.
The new application was already made available for download on the aforementioned smartphone platforms. According to the company, the app would sport a price tag that is only a fraction of the cost of competing professional dictation solutions.
“Dictation apps are available, of course, but ours is the first that combines an enterprise leading professional standard service at price point that opens up dictation services to the mass market,” said Peter Hauser, CEO and COB me2me AG.
“We are the first company in the world to come to market with full dictation services and features service for workstation and server based dictation with fast-forward, rewind, insert and more features integrated into smartphones.”
We are extremely excited by the launch of our first direct to consumer offering on leading smartphone platforms iPhone,BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.”
The company also announced that the new Frisbee Pro 2.0 offering would run next to me2me’s traditional web and voice services, so that wireless carriers and services providers would be able to retain existing users and attract new ones on their side.
Apple and several third-party application vendors have been hit with lawsuits over disclosing customer information, such as age, gender and whereabouts, without the latter’s consent, reports said this week.
One suit, brought by KamberLaw on behalf of a California resident, alleges that the companies cited are violating federal privacy laws, including the wiretapping act, for their financial gain.
KamberLaw specializes in consumer class-action suits and digital privacy, according to The Washington Post.
The paper mentions a second suit led by Dallas lawyer Majed Nachawati of Fears Nachawati, which represents consumers in Texas and California.
Similar allegations are present in this suit, according to the report.
Specifically, the suits say that the personal information negligently disclosed by Apple and third-party application vendors included users' ages, gender and location alongside a unique device identifying number, referred to as UDID.
The paper notes that Apple assigns a UDID to all iPhones and iPads, but forgets to mention the iPod touch.
An investigation carried out this month found that many popular iOS apps distributed sensitive data to third-party advertising networks without consumers' knowledge or consent.
At times, this was in violation of Apple's own privacy policy, the report claims.
"We are in a world where every pixel that appeared on a screen could be under the control of a different party, and that really made everything much more complicated," said Marty Abrams, executive director for the Centre for Information Policy Leadership, an industry-funded think tank.
"Users ought to have control over the amount of data that is sent of their activities," said Jeremy R. Wilson, a lawyer with Wilson Trosclair & Lovins who is working with Nachawati on the case. "It's an invasion of their privacy, and it's done without their consent.”
Hackulous, a community dedicated to plundering Apple's DRM and indexing unprotected iOS software, has announced an important achievement - the upcoming Mac App Store is cracked!
The folks at torrentfreak.com have posted a statement from Hackulous admin Dissident where he reveals that, by removing DRM from titles in the Mac App Store using a new tool called ‘Kickback,’ Hackulous will be able to offer the same kind of free download service for Mac as they do for iOS devices.
However, the folks at Hackulous are concerned that releasing Kickback around January 6th will mess things up for both developers and the end users.
So they’ll wait for when the time is right, Dissident says.
“We don’t want to release kickback as soon as the [Mac App] Store gets released. I have a few reasons for that,” Dissident said.
“Most of the applications that go on the Mac App Store [in the first instance] will be decent, they’ll be pretty good,” the admin added, according to torrentfreak.
“Apple isn’t going to put crap on the App Store as soon as it gets released. It’ll probably take months for the App Store to actually have a bunch of crappy applications and when we feel that it has a lot of crap in it, we’ll probably release Kickback,” Dissident explained.
“So we’re not going to release Kickback until well after the store’s been established, well after developers have gotten their applications up. We don’t want to devalue applications and frustrate developers.”
In related news, Apple developers indicate that a Mac OS X 10.6.6 software update tasked with adding Mac App Store support is to arrive momentarily, while a Mac version of the popular Cydia application is coming as well, Jay Freeman (Saurik) said at the 360|MacDev conference for developers.
Developed by Jay Freeman (also known as "saurik"), Cydia was originally released as an open-source alternative to Installer.app on iOS 1.1.x, but quickly became the most popular package manager upon the app’s 2.0 release.
Cydia allows users of a jailbroken iOS device to browse and download applications, themes, ringtones etc. that didn’t get Apple’s approval.
An announcement posted to the official Twitter blog reveals that the microblogging service now boasts instant notification support on Apple’s iOS platforms. A new version of the Twitter app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is now available for free download from the iTunes App Store, featuring additional enhancement, like improved display of shortened URLs, the ability to manage saved searches on the iPad, and several UI improvements.
“When you’re out and about, your phone probably isn’t always in front of you,” Leland writes on the Twitter blog.
“It might be in your pocket or purse or on a table – perhaps with the screen off. We want to make sure you see important Tweets even when you’re not looking at Twitter at the moment. To help with that, today we’re launching push notifications for @mentions,” Leland reveals.
It works like this: those who use Twitter on their iOS device will immediately receive a notification whenever an account that they follow mentions them.
The benefit? “You’ll know who is talking to or about you on Twitter, and you’ll be able to continue the conversation in real-time,” Leland claims.
According to 9to5mac.com, Twitter 3.2.1 for iOS also brings support for the upcoming iOS 4.2.
Initially available on SMS and on the latest version of Twitter for iPhone, notifications for @mentions are accompanied by push notifications for Messages to Twitter for iPhone.
The developers at Twitter hope to have this feature ready for Android Windows Phone fans soon enough.
In order to turn on SMS notifications, users must visit twitter.com/devices and tick the boxes under “Text message notifications”.
“You can change your notifications settings at any time,” Leland caims.
To turn on notifications for @mentions from everyone, users must text ‘set mentions all’.
To turn off @mentions notifications, Twitter iOS users can text ‘set mentions off’.
MEA Mobile has announced the release of iGloLEDset, the first real-time, iPhone based, controller for color lights. Users control a 16’ strip of LED lights by moving the iPhone around in the air, or by touching the screen to paint the lights different colors. Lights are programmable, while the iOS application is, of course, free.
iGloLEDset is touted by MEA Mobile as the perfect gadget gift for tech lovers.
The real fun is programing your own sequences, the company claims. Still, hundreds of presets are already available with the standard iGLO LED Set application for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
According to the apps’ iTunes description, key features include:
- 16.4 foot strip - 120 x FULL COLOR lights - Hundreds of presets - Programmable Sequences - Savable sequences - Segment up to 8 sections the strip - Show different colors and patterns in each segment. - Real time controls - Chain up to 3 strips together for 49 feet of lights - App can control multiple kits - Universal power supply - Also works with iPod Touch, iPad & iPhone 4
“iGloLEDSet is the most physically engaging lighting technology since the on switch,” said Bruce Seymour managing director of MEA Mobile, “Devices controlling other devices is convergence defined. At MEA Mobile, we are excited to be a part of this eruption which is the mobile device space today.”
“Before today only limited quantities of the iGloLEDset were available. Our production is now in full swing and we anticipate robust holiday sales for Christmas lights applications and more,” said Seymour.
Beginning today, the product is shipping worldwide and is now available through Amazon.com or directly at igloledset.com. The company also confirmed availability for a Car Kit which ships with a power inverter to run the iGloLEDset inside a car.
The iGLO LED Set application requires iOS 3.0 or later and is localized in English only.
