Sony
Can you get the camera and computer divisions together to have a pow wow or two? Seems to me that the new Nex series camera's are showing Sony style and innovation. Very cool and performers. The big tablet would be cool if it were super thin and light, with iPhone 5 like innards (light and fast). Then your tablet would be the best...Try harder please. Your turning into GM. Class leading is not class following. Look at your phones, close but...
PS. I miss that killer OLED screen you had a few years back. Killer except the price....
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sony, PlayStation and its future.
As a note: Sony needs to stop playing that corporate game of discovering the next big thing and become an engineering company again. Without that special sauce of enthusiasm and innovation, it will forever play catchup. If that new big screen tablet is anything to go by...
Time To End All This Doom And Gloom Over Sony And The PlayStation
Sony may be struggling, but the company and its PlayStation brand are a long ways from calling it quits.
One thing I’m absolutely sick and tired of hearing is how Sony is toast, doomed to failure, at the end of the proverbial line.
It’s the hip thing to do, apparently, to predict the end of the PlayStation brand or claim that because the PS3 sold a couple million fewer units than the Xbox 360 (despite its shorter overall run) that the next console from Sony will surely be its last or will come stillborn.
The latest in this long chain of gloom is a piece from Joel Taveras at DualShockers.
Taveras argues that it’s time Sony got out of the hardware business and started focusing on its software.
All those great PlayStation exclusives could get some extra love and Sony would publish all its games on, presumably, Microsoft and Nintendo hardware (and the PC.)
This would put an end to one third of the pesky exclusivity. Xbox owners the world over could finally play God of War and Uncharted.
Of course, Sony exiting the hardware business might cripple their ability to continue making great titles. It might lead to their exit from video games altogether.
Or it might just make Sony the next Sega. You remember them. They used to make consoles, too. Now…
There is a steady spate of articles predicting Sony’s decline and demise, and maybe these are prescient and true. But I very much doubt it.
Sony did quite well with its PS3, selling nearly as many units as Microsoft in a shorter span of time and releasing a healthy number of exclusive IPs, with more on the way.
With the next PlayStation just around the corner, and with more quality Vita games in the works, it’s hard to see Sony in as weak a position as so many believe.
Nor is it likely that Sony would acquire Gaikai and then ditch its hardware. Even though the cloud service will apparently stream games on non-Sony devices, it seems likely that there will be advantages to using Sony devices in some form or another. If Sony can seriously push the quality of games through a combination of new and updated hardware plus some server-side juice, they could make a big splash in the next-gen console wars.
Abandoning that ground, on the other hand, would almost certainly be a disaster. Sony would need to compete on software alone and would suddenly be competing with dozens of other publishers in a turbulent market.
Of course, nobody can predict the future including your humble narrator. But I don’t see doom and gloom when I look at the console market. I think rumors of the deaths of consoles are great exaggerated, and the myriad hopes placed in the F2P and MMO models to be extremely overblown.
I’ve been wrong before, but I have a good feeling that Sony will pull through this – bumped and bruised, perhaps, but intact.
They may just need to ditch their TV business in the process, or find some new way to make that division profitable again.
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here.
Time To End All This Doom And Gloom Over Sony And The PlayStation
Sony may be struggling, but the company and its PlayStation brand are a long ways from calling it quits.
One thing I’m absolutely sick and tired of hearing is how Sony is toast, doomed to failure, at the end of the proverbial line.
It’s the hip thing to do, apparently, to predict the end of the PlayStation brand or claim that because the PS3 sold a couple million fewer units than the Xbox 360 (despite its shorter overall run) that the next console from Sony will surely be its last or will come stillborn.
The latest in this long chain of gloom is a piece from Joel Taveras at DualShockers.
Taveras argues that it’s time Sony got out of the hardware business and started focusing on its software.
All those great PlayStation exclusives could get some extra love and Sony would publish all its games on, presumably, Microsoft and Nintendo hardware (and the PC.)
This would put an end to one third of the pesky exclusivity. Xbox owners the world over could finally play God of War and Uncharted.
Of course, Sony exiting the hardware business might cripple their ability to continue making great titles. It might lead to their exit from video games altogether.
Or it might just make Sony the next Sega. You remember them. They used to make consoles, too. Now…
There is a steady spate of articles predicting Sony’s decline and demise, and maybe these are prescient and true. But I very much doubt it.
Sony did quite well with its PS3, selling nearly as many units as Microsoft in a shorter span of time and releasing a healthy number of exclusive IPs, with more on the way.
With the next PlayStation just around the corner, and with more quality Vita games in the works, it’s hard to see Sony in as weak a position as so many believe.
Nor is it likely that Sony would acquire Gaikai and then ditch its hardware. Even though the cloud service will apparently stream games on non-Sony devices, it seems likely that there will be advantages to using Sony devices in some form or another. If Sony can seriously push the quality of games through a combination of new and updated hardware plus some server-side juice, they could make a big splash in the next-gen console wars.
Abandoning that ground, on the other hand, would almost certainly be a disaster. Sony would need to compete on software alone and would suddenly be competing with dozens of other publishers in a turbulent market.
Of course, nobody can predict the future including your humble narrator. But I don’t see doom and gloom when I look at the console market. I think rumors of the deaths of consoles are great exaggerated, and the myriad hopes placed in the F2P and MMO models to be extremely overblown.
I’ve been wrong before, but I have a good feeling that Sony will pull through this – bumped and bruised, perhaps, but intact.
They may just need to ditch their TV business in the process, or find some new way to make that division profitable again.
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here.
Pheed
If you're a smartphone user, you probably like to send texts, take photos, and perhaps shoot a few videos. And you probably have a different app for each of those things, which you might then share to any one of dozens of social networks. It's a lot to keep track of, and can quickly clutter up your phone's real estate.
Pheed, a new social network that launches a web version today with an iPhone app on the way, is attempting to bring all of that piecemeal content creation into one simple platform. On Pheed, you create your own "channel" from which you can share text, photos, videos, voice-notes and audio clips, and live broadcasts. You can get updates from the channels you follow either as it happens, like on Facebook's News Feed, or based on what kind of content it is, such as just photos, or just audio clips.
Cofounder O.D. Kobo and his team cherry-picked their favorite features from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, SoundCloud, and other social networks, some of which Kobo says he felt had hit a stalemate, such as Instagram.
"In the past five years I haven’t seen anyone do anything as masterful as them," Kobo tells Fast Company. "But after two years I kept thinking, Why can’t I do more? Why didn’t they introduce video? Why can’t I upload an album? Wouldn't it be interesting if Instagram offered text? Would Twitter have been shaking in their boots a little bit? Maybe it was necessary for other platforms to come about."
Kobo, of course, wants Pheed to be that platform. Celebrities, such as Chris Brown, David Guetta, and Ashley Tisdale, are one way he's trying to attract users. A monetization feature that allows you to charge followers for your content is another.
A channel owner on Pheed can choose to charge for content either through a subscription-based monthly fee or a pay-per-view model, with the latter mostly suited for the live broadcast feature. You get half of the gross revenue you make, and a portion of Pheed's half goes toward third-party processors. That's how it plans on making money, at least initially, though Kobo says down the road it will probably introduce some kind of advertising.
Much as music services like Rdio and video services like Vimeo are beginning to test out different compensation models for content creators, Kobo says it was important to offer at least the option for monetization to users that was about giving people more for their buck than a simple song, or a video.
"That whole model where people pay x amount for a video or song is a bit outdated," he says. "What social media is today is about selling bits and pieces of peoples' lives. It’s not necessarily selling that one song, it’s selling access to me."
After Pheed's app goes live next week, Kobo--whose team of 7 invested their own $2.5 million to launch--says he'll be going for the long tail. He throws out a 10-million user number in discussing critical mass. It's certainly lofty, but Kobo is hoping that Pheed will follow the legacy of the social network upstarts that improved upon their predecessors and won over users in the process.
"The wheel had to come about before the car," he says. "There are stages, like how Friendster came, then MySpace, then Facebook, each one improving on and adding to the format. There was Twitter and now Pheed--the evolution of a genre."
Pheed, a new social network that launches a web version today with an iPhone app on the way, is attempting to bring all of that piecemeal content creation into one simple platform. On Pheed, you create your own "channel" from which you can share text, photos, videos, voice-notes and audio clips, and live broadcasts. You can get updates from the channels you follow either as it happens, like on Facebook's News Feed, or based on what kind of content it is, such as just photos, or just audio clips.
Cofounder O.D. Kobo and his team cherry-picked their favorite features from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, SoundCloud, and other social networks, some of which Kobo says he felt had hit a stalemate, such as Instagram.
"In the past five years I haven’t seen anyone do anything as masterful as them," Kobo tells Fast Company. "But after two years I kept thinking, Why can’t I do more? Why didn’t they introduce video? Why can’t I upload an album? Wouldn't it be interesting if Instagram offered text? Would Twitter have been shaking in their boots a little bit? Maybe it was necessary for other platforms to come about."
Kobo, of course, wants Pheed to be that platform. Celebrities, such as Chris Brown, David Guetta, and Ashley Tisdale, are one way he's trying to attract users. A monetization feature that allows you to charge followers for your content is another.
A channel owner on Pheed can choose to charge for content either through a subscription-based monthly fee or a pay-per-view model, with the latter mostly suited for the live broadcast feature. You get half of the gross revenue you make, and a portion of Pheed's half goes toward third-party processors. That's how it plans on making money, at least initially, though Kobo says down the road it will probably introduce some kind of advertising.
Much as music services like Rdio and video services like Vimeo are beginning to test out different compensation models for content creators, Kobo says it was important to offer at least the option for monetization to users that was about giving people more for their buck than a simple song, or a video.
"That whole model where people pay x amount for a video or song is a bit outdated," he says. "What social media is today is about selling bits and pieces of peoples' lives. It’s not necessarily selling that one song, it’s selling access to me."
After Pheed's app goes live next week, Kobo--whose team of 7 invested their own $2.5 million to launch--says he'll be going for the long tail. He throws out a 10-million user number in discussing critical mass. It's certainly lofty, but Kobo is hoping that Pheed will follow the legacy of the social network upstarts that improved upon their predecessors and won over users in the process.
"The wheel had to come about before the car," he says. "There are stages, like how Friendster came, then MySpace, then Facebook, each one improving on and adding to the format. There was Twitter and now Pheed--the evolution of a genre."
Google vs FB. Another point of view.
Why Google Ads Work & Facebook Ads Don’t
13TH OCTOBER 2012 BY SEAN CLARK
Facebook a Marketeers Dream
Facebook is a marketeers dream.
With over 1 billion users logging in worldwide each month it is one of the largest closed marketing channels in the world.
It’s no wonder that the shares were oversubscribed when the company went public in May 2012 with a peak market capitalization of over $104 billion.
The business potential was too great to ignore.
Although more and more companies are finding it increasingly difficult to get commercial leverage and obtain an ROI from marketing activity on Facebook.
Around the same time as the IPO, General Motors pulled their ads due to a lack of return. And they aren’t the only ones to find Facebook is not laying the promised “Golden Egg”.
Facebook is Broken
Facebook is a social platform, it’s a place where friends and family exchange photos, jokes and have semi-private discussions. You go on Facebook for entertainment and social interaction, when doing so you leave behind a trail of data that identifies your likes, dislikes, wants and wishes. From what music you listen to, to your favourite breakfast cereal.
Marketing companies can then tap into this data, known as the Opengraph, and attempt to show you relevant ads or posts. The problem being that that decision is usually being made by a human, based on wide assumptions that a person liking A and connected to B will like product Z.
Combine this with the intent of the visitor, on Facebook it’s largely to interact with friends and family, then getting them to divert them from their original goal can be difficult.
This is interruption marketing but without the big glossy ads.
Google is Intelligent
If ads don’t work on Facebook why are similar ads, ones that don’t even have images, so effective on Google? The key difference is intent.
Yes marketeers are still making decisions about where their ads appear, relevance, but now it is based on search phrases rather than complex data mining.
With Google Ads, intent is the key ingredient, and intent is determined by the phrase used by the searcher. Match your relevant ad with intent, and achieving an ROI is a lot easier.
Facebook knows this and is playing catchup by introducing it’s ads to it’s own search results, although I fear the intent of a search on Facebook is going to be very different from that of one on Google.
The “Cheap Red Rucksack”
If you have cheap red rucksacks to sell, all you need to do on Google is to get your ad to display when this phrase is used, and with decent copy you stand a good chance of a click. If the ad then leads to a page with cheap red rucksacks on it’s likely you will sell one.
On Facebook you have to work out who may be interested in cheap red rucksacks. Someone that goes camping or to festivals or is about to go on holiday perhaps?
Even if you know they fit one of these criteria, you have no idea about the colour, price preference, or if they even need for a rucksack. So good copy in this type of ad on Facebook may result in a click, but that is just as likely to be out of curiosity as it is out of intent to buy.
Social Advertising Needs to Grow Up
As the social platforms look to find ways to monetise themselves their advertising models are adapting but they are still stuck in interruption mode. The issue is that interruption advertising is exactly the opposite dynamic that makes social media marketing work so effectively.
It may be no coincidence then that Google hasn’t yet introduced Adwords on to Google+. It would be very easy to do, instead it has adapted Google Places into Google+ Local and integrated Zagat reviews, a much softer approach.
Social platforms are for building authority, trust and relationships. For interacting with colleagues, friends and family. A boon for niche interest groups and activists. Above all “social” is one of the best ways to reach potential customers and build long term loyalty, using technology for the co-creation of value.
We can’t continue with the same ad models, in a space that doesn’t support them; a solution is out there, it just hasn’t matured yet, or has it?
If you need help with your online marketing then please get in touch, for a free initial consultation call Sean today on 07850957506.
13TH OCTOBER 2012 BY SEAN CLARK
Facebook a Marketeers Dream
Facebook is a marketeers dream.
With over 1 billion users logging in worldwide each month it is one of the largest closed marketing channels in the world.
It’s no wonder that the shares were oversubscribed when the company went public in May 2012 with a peak market capitalization of over $104 billion.
The business potential was too great to ignore.
Although more and more companies are finding it increasingly difficult to get commercial leverage and obtain an ROI from marketing activity on Facebook.
Around the same time as the IPO, General Motors pulled their ads due to a lack of return. And they aren’t the only ones to find Facebook is not laying the promised “Golden Egg”.
Facebook is Broken
Facebook is a social platform, it’s a place where friends and family exchange photos, jokes and have semi-private discussions. You go on Facebook for entertainment and social interaction, when doing so you leave behind a trail of data that identifies your likes, dislikes, wants and wishes. From what music you listen to, to your favourite breakfast cereal.
Marketing companies can then tap into this data, known as the Opengraph, and attempt to show you relevant ads or posts. The problem being that that decision is usually being made by a human, based on wide assumptions that a person liking A and connected to B will like product Z.
Combine this with the intent of the visitor, on Facebook it’s largely to interact with friends and family, then getting them to divert them from their original goal can be difficult.
This is interruption marketing but without the big glossy ads.
Google is Intelligent
If ads don’t work on Facebook why are similar ads, ones that don’t even have images, so effective on Google? The key difference is intent.
Yes marketeers are still making decisions about where their ads appear, relevance, but now it is based on search phrases rather than complex data mining.
With Google Ads, intent is the key ingredient, and intent is determined by the phrase used by the searcher. Match your relevant ad with intent, and achieving an ROI is a lot easier.
Facebook knows this and is playing catchup by introducing it’s ads to it’s own search results, although I fear the intent of a search on Facebook is going to be very different from that of one on Google.
The “Cheap Red Rucksack”
If you have cheap red rucksacks to sell, all you need to do on Google is to get your ad to display when this phrase is used, and with decent copy you stand a good chance of a click. If the ad then leads to a page with cheap red rucksacks on it’s likely you will sell one.
On Facebook you have to work out who may be interested in cheap red rucksacks. Someone that goes camping or to festivals or is about to go on holiday perhaps?
Even if you know they fit one of these criteria, you have no idea about the colour, price preference, or if they even need for a rucksack. So good copy in this type of ad on Facebook may result in a click, but that is just as likely to be out of curiosity as it is out of intent to buy.
Social Advertising Needs to Grow Up
As the social platforms look to find ways to monetise themselves their advertising models are adapting but they are still stuck in interruption mode. The issue is that interruption advertising is exactly the opposite dynamic that makes social media marketing work so effectively.
It may be no coincidence then that Google hasn’t yet introduced Adwords on to Google+. It would be very easy to do, instead it has adapted Google Places into Google+ Local and integrated Zagat reviews, a much softer approach.
Social platforms are for building authority, trust and relationships. For interacting with colleagues, friends and family. A boon for niche interest groups and activists. Above all “social” is one of the best ways to reach potential customers and build long term loyalty, using technology for the co-creation of value.
We can’t continue with the same ad models, in a space that doesn’t support them; a solution is out there, it just hasn’t matured yet, or has it?
If you need help with your online marketing then please get in touch, for a free initial consultation call Sean today on 07850957506.
What is Google up to?
It’s “Top Heavy 2″ As Google Rolls Out Update to Its Page Layout Algorithm, From Search Engine Land
Yes, you read that right. Google just rolled out another algorithm update. In fact, this is Google's fourth update in two weeks. To sum up the changes, first was Panda Update 20 on September 27th, then the EMD Update 1 on September 28th, next the Penguin Update 3 on October 5th, and now Top Heavy 2 has rolled out, as of October 9th. If you don’t recall the original Top Heavy update, the long and the short of it is that Google will penalize pages with too many ads “above the fold,” also known as Google’s ‘Page Layout’ algorithm.
Matt Cutts, head of Google’s web spam team, announced on Tuesday that this is a minor change but will noticeably affect about 0.7% of English-language queries. So why, if this isn’t a huge alteration, would Google feel the need to announce this? Because webmasters have consistently been asking for more frequent 'weather reports' related to Google’s algorithm updates. As a result, Google has promised to provide this type of information about updates more frequently. Of course, over the past two weeks, this new protocol has become a great challenge for busy marketers wishing to keep up with Google’s updates. So if you’d like to learn more about Top Heavy 2, you can read the full story here.
YouTube Changes Its Search Ranking Algorithm to Focus on Engagement, Not Just Clicks, From TechCrunch
With all these Google algorithm changes, it’s only natural that Google’s subsidiary, YouTube, would go through some changes too.
Here's the deal: YouTube’s video discovery features previously rewarded videos that attracted clicks, rather than the amount of time a user stayed watching. But when clicks are the only metric being taken into consideration, users simply need a captivating title and thumbnail to be in good shape. But now, users are being judged on hang time, which means they need to pump up the value and optimize for engagement. This seems like a logical, natural direction for YouTube to move toward.
Of course, YouTube isn't just changing its algorithm to benefit users -- its changing it to benefit advertisers, too. In the past, when you saw an interesting thumbnail on YouTube and clicked on it, you could have exited out before an ad even began to play, yet that 'click' would still have counted for the video, contributing to higher rankings. With this new change, however, users will need to actually sit through the ads in order for the video to rank higher. Do you think this was a smart update?
Yes, you read that right. Google just rolled out another algorithm update. In fact, this is Google's fourth update in two weeks. To sum up the changes, first was Panda Update 20 on September 27th, then the EMD Update 1 on September 28th, next the Penguin Update 3 on October 5th, and now Top Heavy 2 has rolled out, as of October 9th. If you don’t recall the original Top Heavy update, the long and the short of it is that Google will penalize pages with too many ads “above the fold,” also known as Google’s ‘Page Layout’ algorithm.
Matt Cutts, head of Google’s web spam team, announced on Tuesday that this is a minor change but will noticeably affect about 0.7% of English-language queries. So why, if this isn’t a huge alteration, would Google feel the need to announce this? Because webmasters have consistently been asking for more frequent 'weather reports' related to Google’s algorithm updates. As a result, Google has promised to provide this type of information about updates more frequently. Of course, over the past two weeks, this new protocol has become a great challenge for busy marketers wishing to keep up with Google’s updates. So if you’d like to learn more about Top Heavy 2, you can read the full story here.
YouTube Changes Its Search Ranking Algorithm to Focus on Engagement, Not Just Clicks, From TechCrunch
With all these Google algorithm changes, it’s only natural that Google’s subsidiary, YouTube, would go through some changes too.
Here's the deal: YouTube’s video discovery features previously rewarded videos that attracted clicks, rather than the amount of time a user stayed watching. But when clicks are the only metric being taken into consideration, users simply need a captivating title and thumbnail to be in good shape. But now, users are being judged on hang time, which means they need to pump up the value and optimize for engagement. This seems like a logical, natural direction for YouTube to move toward.
Of course, YouTube isn't just changing its algorithm to benefit users -- its changing it to benefit advertisers, too. In the past, when you saw an interesting thumbnail on YouTube and clicked on it, you could have exited out before an ad even began to play, yet that 'click' would still have counted for the video, contributing to higher rankings. With this new change, however, users will need to actually sit through the ads in order for the video to rank higher. Do you think this was a smart update?
Dev-Team releases a major update for RedSn0w.
Dev-Team Releases Major RedSn0w Update, Allows Easy Restore To & From iOS 5.x Firmwares.
Published on October 14th, 2012
Written by: Usman
The Dev-Team has today pushed a major update to its iOS jailbreak tool RedSn0w, taking it to version 0.9.15b1 that introduces a bunch of new features including the option to restore to older firmwares (including iOS 5.x) which are no longer being signed by Apple. Other new options include untethered 6.0 jailbreak & hactivation on old-bootrom 3GS, hactivation on any iPhone 4, direct restore for pre-A5 devices to earlier firmware and much more.
Below is a list of new features as detailed by Dev-Team on their official blog:
Restore from any 5.x iOS to any other (up, down or the same) 5.x iOS on all devices as long as you have the correct blobs (see more below)
Cydia now included in the tethered 6.0 jailbreak on A4 devices
automatically “Just Boot” tethered when qualifying A4 device connects in DFU mode
untethered 6.0 jailbreak on old-bootrom 3GS
untethered 6.0 hactivation on any 3GS or iPhone4
directly restore pre-A5 devices to earlier firmware — no more complicated 15-step how-to’s with stitching, iTunes errors, and “hosts file” concerns
fetch new signed blobs for any IPSW (present or future — no redsn0w update required) using Extras->SHSH Blobs->New
block the BB update for any 3GS or iPhone4 restore (past, present, or future — no redsn0w update required) using Extras->Even More->Restore
deactivate any iPhone, useful for testing your “official” unlock status through iTunes. (Please only deactivate your own iPhone!)
activation status shown on “Even more” page
significantly more (very nerdy) info returned by “Identify” button when device is in Normal mode
tethered jailbreak of ATV2 supported (but the only thing available for it is the SSH2 custom bundle availablehere — no Cydia yet. Must use “Select IPSW” for tethered boot of ATV2 for now).
auto-exit WTF mode for older devices with broken buttons.
Any time a set of blobs is fetched remotely (from Apple or Cydia), redsn0w also saves them locally (and will check there first if you click “Local”)
for your future restoring convenience, you should also submit all of your past and present TinyUmbrella blobs to Cydia if you haven’t done so yet. Resubmitting is okay and won’t cause conflicts.
Here are more details on the iOS 5-to-iOS 5 restores for A5+ devices (Note: pre-A5 devices don’t have these restrictions):
RedSn0w now lets you restore an A5+ device from any iOS5 to any other iOS5 as long as you have correct 5.x blobs for the starting (current) and ending points of the restore
You DO NOT QUALIFY for iOS 5-to-iOS 5 restores if you got to your current 5.x via an OTA update.
Unlike the A4 devices, redsn0w can’t (usefully) prevent the baseband updates of A5+ iPhones and iPads.
iPad2 owners (all three models) with saved 4.x blobs can use those instead, even from 6.x.
Ultrasn0w isn’t yet updated for 6.x
As always, redsn0w lets you “Fetch” the SHSH blobs currently flashed onto your pre-A5 device.
If you’re in the Melbourne, Australia area, MuscleNerd (and another anonymous long-time Dev Team member) will be giving some talks at the Breakpoint conference http://www.ruxconbreakpoint.com this week.
Published on October 14th, 2012
Written by: Usman
The Dev-Team has today pushed a major update to its iOS jailbreak tool RedSn0w, taking it to version 0.9.15b1 that introduces a bunch of new features including the option to restore to older firmwares (including iOS 5.x) which are no longer being signed by Apple. Other new options include untethered 6.0 jailbreak & hactivation on old-bootrom 3GS, hactivation on any iPhone 4, direct restore for pre-A5 devices to earlier firmware and much more.
Below is a list of new features as detailed by Dev-Team on their official blog:
Restore from any 5.x iOS to any other (up, down or the same) 5.x iOS on all devices as long as you have the correct blobs (see more below)
Cydia now included in the tethered 6.0 jailbreak on A4 devices
automatically “Just Boot” tethered when qualifying A4 device connects in DFU mode
untethered 6.0 jailbreak on old-bootrom 3GS
untethered 6.0 hactivation on any 3GS or iPhone4
directly restore pre-A5 devices to earlier firmware — no more complicated 15-step how-to’s with stitching, iTunes errors, and “hosts file” concerns
fetch new signed blobs for any IPSW (present or future — no redsn0w update required) using Extras->SHSH Blobs->New
block the BB update for any 3GS or iPhone4 restore (past, present, or future — no redsn0w update required) using Extras->Even More->Restore
deactivate any iPhone, useful for testing your “official” unlock status through iTunes. (Please only deactivate your own iPhone!)
activation status shown on “Even more” page
significantly more (very nerdy) info returned by “Identify” button when device is in Normal mode
tethered jailbreak of ATV2 supported (but the only thing available for it is the SSH2 custom bundle availablehere — no Cydia yet. Must use “Select IPSW” for tethered boot of ATV2 for now).
auto-exit WTF mode for older devices with broken buttons.
Any time a set of blobs is fetched remotely (from Apple or Cydia), redsn0w also saves them locally (and will check there first if you click “Local”)
for your future restoring convenience, you should also submit all of your past and present TinyUmbrella blobs to Cydia if you haven’t done so yet. Resubmitting is okay and won’t cause conflicts.
Here are more details on the iOS 5-to-iOS 5 restores for A5+ devices (Note: pre-A5 devices don’t have these restrictions):
RedSn0w now lets you restore an A5+ device from any iOS5 to any other iOS5 as long as you have correct 5.x blobs for the starting (current) and ending points of the restore
You DO NOT QUALIFY for iOS 5-to-iOS 5 restores if you got to your current 5.x via an OTA update.
Unlike the A4 devices, redsn0w can’t (usefully) prevent the baseband updates of A5+ iPhones and iPads.
iPad2 owners (all three models) with saved 4.x blobs can use those instead, even from 6.x.
Ultrasn0w isn’t yet updated for 6.x
As always, redsn0w lets you “Fetch” the SHSH blobs currently flashed onto your pre-A5 device.
If you’re in the Melbourne, Australia area, MuscleNerd (and another anonymous long-time Dev Team member) will be giving some talks at the Breakpoint conference http://www.ruxconbreakpoint.com this week.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
iPad Mini to come in Oct?
Now if only they could rid themselves of the iPad moniker...
Despite the fact that Apple just announced the newest iPad six months ago, the rumor mill has been churning out iPad mini rumors for months. Yesterday brought us photos of the device in question and today there are reports that Apple is planning a media event to launch the tablet later this month.
All Things D reports that the iPad mini launch event is 'likely' to take place on October 23. John Paczkowski cites people familiar with Apple's plans that say the company will unveil the Pad mini at an event scheduled for October 23. Though this is a Tuesday (and not the usual Wednesday, like previous Apple events), Paczkowski points out that it's three days before the launch of Microsoft's Surface (October 26, the same day as Windows 8) and two days before Apple is due to report earnings for the most recent quarter.
That week is shaping up be a pretty big one for tech. If this iPad mini event comes to fruition, there'll be the iPad mini, Windows 8, the Microsoft Surface (along with a deluge of other Windows 8 tablets/ultrabooks), Windows Phone 8 the following Monday and the rumored launch of the new Nexus handset.
Despite the fact that Apple just announced the newest iPad six months ago, the rumor mill has been churning out iPad mini rumors for months. Yesterday brought us photos of the device in question and today there are reports that Apple is planning a media event to launch the tablet later this month.
All Things D reports that the iPad mini launch event is 'likely' to take place on October 23. John Paczkowski cites people familiar with Apple's plans that say the company will unveil the Pad mini at an event scheduled for October 23. Though this is a Tuesday (and not the usual Wednesday, like previous Apple events), Paczkowski points out that it's three days before the launch of Microsoft's Surface (October 26, the same day as Windows 8) and two days before Apple is due to report earnings for the most recent quarter.
That week is shaping up be a pretty big one for tech. If this iPad mini event comes to fruition, there'll be the iPad mini, Windows 8, the Microsoft Surface (along with a deluge of other Windows 8 tablets/ultrabooks), Windows Phone 8 the following Monday and the rumored launch of the new Nexus handset.
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