Tag: iOS

iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak almost complete, few days away

Two days after Christmas all non-A5 iDevices received an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 from pod2g. The hacker worked for two months before announcing the release of the jailbreak solution dubbed Corona.

However, as it was earlier known that all A5 chip based devices, namely the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S, did not get a jailbreak solution primarily because of unavailability of a valid exploit. But, good news was announced by pod2g , confirming that he has almost completed the exploit and that it should be available shortly.

I made a step today for the A5. With some luck we could expect a release in a week”.

-pod2g, iPhone Hacker

Now it just seems like a matter of days before people with iPhone 4s’ and iPad 2s will be able to enjoy the ~~benefits~~ add ons from jailbreaking, cydia et all.

January 7, 2012
iGyaan Holiday Guide : Extreme Phones 21,000 and UP

The end of the year is upon us, and what better way than to look at the amazing phones of 2011, the top list, or the commercial giants. Here is a list of Smartphones which we think make sense in the Bracket from 21-40 thousand. Of course we only list our favorites.

Missed the Other Guides ? Check them Out:

Best Phones in Rs. 20,000/-

Best Phones in Rs. 15,000/-

Best Phones in Rs. 10,000/-

Android

Possibly the largest category in this guide we have literally more than 15 phones that can fit in this price range, so we take out what we think is the best of the lot.

Samsung Galaxy Note (Rs. 32000) : Phone? Tablet? Relax its a Galaxy Note! The best Android device money can buy today in India. The Note features a massive 5.3 inch screen with an awesome Super Amoled Display ( beautiful), it also has a S-Pen which is a capacitive pen with more features than a stylus ever had before : Detailed here. The Note also has a fast 1.4GHz processor, 16 GB storage, Android 2.3 with confirmed ICS. 8MP camera + front camera with Video calls. Check out our Unboxing and Hands On : Review is out Shortly!

Motorola Razr XT910 ( Rs. 33990) : The slimmest phone in the Android Series, Motorola has revived the Razr brand, with just a 7.1mm thickness for a smartphone. The device is powered with a 1.2 GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor, the RAZR also packs in 1 GB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU. A 4.3 inch super AMOLED advanced display make for the best viewing with a qHD resolution. 8MP camera allows great pictures and Full HD video recording 1080p. Our Review Out Shortly!

HTC Sensation XE ( Rs. 32000) and XL ( Rs. 37000) : While we really recommend HTC phones simply because of brilliant build qualities, we feel that they are overpriced and thus they share the third spot in the Android Lineup. The XE packs Beats audio and iBeats , 1.4 GHz processor a great 4.3inch qHD screen and Sense UI on top of Android 2.3.4. Our Review covers it in-depth. The XL is just a bigger version of XE with a much bigger price tag. The specs are strange, a 480x800px resolution, a 1.5GHz processor and Android 2.3. Its a way to express that you love HTC phones and thats it. Need we say our review is out shortly!

HTC Evo 3D (Rs. 35000) : Want to jump on the 3D bandwagon? this is the device to choose. The LG Optimus 3D is a cheaper alternative, but we feel that the HTC is a better device. Specs include 1.2 GHz dual core processor, an Adreno 220 GPU based on a MSM 8660 chipset and 1 GB of RAM. An auto-stereo-scopic Display makes 3D viewing without 3D glasses possible. The 4.3inch display has a qHD resolution and the device has HTC Sense on Android 2.3 – to be upgraded to ICS and newer Sense in 2012. Our unboxing and Video Review cover the Evo 3D extensively.

Samsung Galaxy S2 (Rs. 28,000) : The best selling Android Premium smartphone in 2011, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is truly an amazing device. An upgrade to the Galaxy S, the S2 brought a lot of firsts for Samsung. An 8 MP camera with stunning pictures and full HD video, a beautiful Super AMOLED Plus display which hosts Android 2.3 with Touchwiz – flick and tap. A large in-built memory of 16 GB and is expandable up to 32 GB, good battery life and a gorilla display. This device truly answered all questions that buyers had in 2011. Check out our Full Review.

Sony Ericsson Arc S ( Rs. 28000) : No its not the best phone for the money thats why it falls under the S2, The SE ARC S is the only SONY entrant in our list, because of the beautiful Timescape UI and the stunning Bravia Engine on the display. Powered by a ~~poor old~~ 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor and Adreno 205 GPU, no this does not make this device incapable. The UI is stable and the performance is excellent from the device.

Samsung Galaxy S Plus ( Rs. 21000) : The Lowest range handset in our list, powered by the same processor as the ARC S , 1.4GHz Scorpion, The S Plus is exactly what the name says, a plus to the Galaxy S. 8GB memory and 512MB RAM, a Super Amoled Display. The funny thing is you get better specs on a cheaper device the Galaxy R ( Rs. 18800) .

The Galaxy Nexus didn’t make our list because its not officially available in India, Yes it should be at the top of the list, considering ICS is already on board and a 720 x 1280 px, 4.65 inch Super Amoled Capacitive touchscreen, a Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9, 16GB internal storage – Optional 32GB . The phone also has a 5MP camera with full HD video and a front camera for native 3G video calls. A lot more specs than we can list here. The phone enters India end January 2012, you can get it from ebay ranging 35-45k. Best of luck!

Apple

iPhone 4S (Rs. 44900) : The Apple of everyone’s eye, the Apple iPhone 4S is the flagship phone from Apple this year. With millions sold within weeks its also one of the most sold handset in 2011 (considering iPhone 4). The new iPhone 4S brings the A5 chipset with dual core capabilities, best in class 8MP camera with full HD video and Image stabilization ( 5 Lens system). The highest resolution Retina Display. But the most popular thing of 2011 is Siri, the voice activated Assistant that follows your every command. Check out our Unboxing : Review Shortly

iPhone 4 ( Rs. 32,000) : Yes two Apple devices made our list, the iPhone 4 is the taster for those unwilling to shell out big buck for the bigger brother. Still you get iOS5, iCloud and Siri after jailbreak of course. The iPhone 4 has a 5 MP rear illuminated camera, the same Retina display, Front facing camera for FaceTime calls and Millions of Apps from the iOS AppStore. The iPhone 4 is a perfect device for those with the budget and the urge to jump over to iOS while Apple unveils the next-gen iPhone sometime in 2012 for big buck. Of course we reviewed it back in the day.

Blackberry

Bold 9900 ( Rs. 31000) : The Bold 9900 is the flagship Bold from RIM. The same keyboard layout from the original bold 9000, with a new capacitive touchscreen, a super slim profile and BB OS 7 . The only disappointment is the poor fixed focus 5MP camera. The 9900 is a businessman’s powerhouse, especially if you are a previous BB user. The device has excellent mail capabilities and of course has BBM. The new OS 7 also supports a lot more new age apps and games. The phone features a 1.2 GHz processor , 768 MB of RAM, 2.8-inch capacitive LCD and 8GB storage. Our Video Here

Torch 3 / 9860 ( Rs. 28000) : Our Second BB recommendation, the beautiful screen and the full touch display make the device feel really nice in the hands. Liquid graphics on a 3.7-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen. 4GB internal storage and 768MB ram. BB OS 7 and new age emailing and messaging, excellent media capabilities and an excellent form factor. A great Blackberry for those looking for a BB – iPhone Hybrid (minus iOS) . Our Video Here

Windows Phone

HTC Radar (Rs. 23000) : Our first recommendation simply because of Price vs Features. The Radar has a beautiful build quality with WP7.5 Mango running on top of a 1 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor. The 3.8-inch Super LCD screen has a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and look great. The device has a 5MP camera and a 0.3 MP front camera no 3G video calls though. Check out our full review. If you don’t really rely on Build quality, a better and cheaper alternative is the Omnia W for 18,990

NOKIA Lumia 800 ( Rs 28900) : The Amazing Everyday, no not yet ! Yes this is Nokia’s Answer to Android, but is it the right answer? The device runs WP7.5 Mango with proprietary Nokia Apps ( not really since we ported them to HTC) but the device has a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor, 512 MB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. Lumia 800 has a 8MP camera with full HD recording, but wait! where is the second camera? Our Review and Comparison with Omnia W comes out shortly.

December 31, 2011
Spire Installer brings Siri to any Jailbroken iOS device legally, Requires a Proxy iPhone 4S

While Apple has limited Siri usage to just the iPhone 4S, iOS hackers Grant Paul (aka chpwn), Steven Troughton-Smith and Ryan Petrich have initiated a download of Siri using Spire Installer on any Jailbroken iPads, iPhone 4, iPod touches and the iPhone 3GS considering that the device runs on iOS 5 (Interesting since an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 just came out). The Installer legally downloads a 100MB Siri installation directly from Apple and this is all legal mind you.

The Siri port to run however requires a proxy iPhone 4S with instructions available on the link below. The team reports that once iPhone 4S is jailbroken the need for a proxy device may be eliminated altogether.

[chpwn blog]

December 28, 2011
The iPad 3 Rumors starting to Pour in : Retina display & 2 GHZ Dual Core A6 Chipset

The iPad 3 Rumors are starting to our in and flaring over what is said to be the next iPad slated for a early 2012 release. Here is what the inter webs are discussing:

Launch Date

The iPad 3 is supposedly set to be launched in around the end of January with sale beginning on 24th Feb 2012 (Steve Jobs’ Birthday)

Processor

If Apple is launching a new iPad we can expect a spec bump, Rumors point to a dual core A6 chipset clocked at 2GHz with enhanced Graphics processing equivalent to gaming consoles.

Display

Apple is also said to be working on a Enhanced retina display for the iPad 3 ( or simply a higher res display than the current version.).

Camera

People complained a lot about poor cameras in the iPad 2 and Apple is said to be fixing that issue with the 5MP snapper from the iPhone 4 being installed in the iPad 3 along with FaceTime HD front camera.

Design

Apple is said to be furthering the slim profile of the iPad 2 by making the iPad 3 even thinner. The form factor will continue to remain the same and the smart covers will still work.

What will actually happen at the launch of the iPad 3, if there is one, will only be known post the launch. But the rumors point in the general direction that any company would head in. The possibilities of these changes is quite high. The only thing that we are unsure of is the shipping date.

What do you think?

December 27, 2011
Air Dictate brings Siri to your Mac, soon to a PC

A clever App from a seasoned developer Avatron Software, Air Dictate, allows users to use voice dictation on their Mac’s using Apple’s own Siri. This app does not bring the great conversation you can have with Siri off and on, but it does bring the excellent voice recognition engine to you Mac, and first reports suggest that it works great. We are downloading the App as we write this, expect a full test soon.

[iTunes]

December 24, 2011
Apple fixes AppStore bug on iOS 3.1.3, upgrades till avoidable

If you are still feeling lazy after yesterday’s news on the download block by Apple on devices on iOS 3.1.3 or prior. Apple has acted swiftly and is prompt to say that it was merely a bug that was preventing download of apps directly to devices. There is no fix or update that needs to be installed and everything should be back to normal.

[Apple Support Communities]

December 21, 2011
Still on iOS 3.1.3? Apple ends AppStore downloads for your iPhone, iPad and iPod

If you are still on an older version of iOS, namely 3.1.3, you will no longer be able to download Apps from the AppStore. For those with first generation devices that no longer support iOS updates beyond 3.1.3, they can download apps to the iTunes on their PC/Mac and transfer from there. A direct download to device is no longer possible. So its time to stop being lazy and get that update going. Seriously, you are missing out on quite a lot on iOS 5, iMessage?

December 20, 2011
App A Day : Asphalt 6 Adrenaline Free on iOS for today : iPad, iPod & iPhone

Shocker : Gameloft has made Asphalt Adrenaline 6 full version free for 24 hours on the App Store. The game is one of the most played games on both Android and iOS platforms. You can even take on friends in Online and Local Multiplayer mode for up to 6 racers. The game is only free for today so make sure you get it before the offer runs out.

The total download is 515.4 MB so make sure you have a decent connection.

[Download here]

December 16, 2011
Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug found, requires a Hard Reset to fix

A new SMS bug has been found in the Windows Phone 7.5 devices, WP devices that receive a text containing a certain string of characters will reboot and return with a non-functional messaging client which can only be restored via a hard reset. The bug does not affect any particular device, but the OS. The funny bit is that the same bug message could be received via Facebook messenger or MSN messenger.

Android and iOS have had their fair list of SMS bugs, But never one that disables the messaging interface all-together.

December 16, 2011
Microsoft Launches Skydrive app for WindowsPhone and iOS, what no Android app?

Microsoft is going the Nokia way, where iOS is not a threat and Android is too much clutter. The company today released the Skydrive app for Windows Phone and iOS leaving out Android out of the picture, for the time being at least. The apps will bring the ability to browse all of your files, share them with others, delete them and create new folders. When sharing links you can even choose whether or not a person can edit a document or simply view it. Check out the videos below.

December 14, 2011
Google introduces Currents, its Flipboard for Android

Flipboard yesterday launched its new iOS app for iPhone and iPod, after its great success on the iPad. Google has today finally announced its Android rival, called currents, funnily enough the app is available on both Android and iOS with cross platform support from the get go. The app gives a magazine like reading experience for online feeds. The app is free and offers you a swipeable, graphics-heavy way to read material from partners like AllThingsD, PBS, Huffington Post and Fast Company, as well public Google+ feeds and RSS. You can also import our own content and add feeds like the iGyaan Rss.

For publishers, Google is providing self-service tools for customizing how their content is displayed in the app. Currents is US only for the time being. You can always head over to XDA-Dev for the hacked link for using it in India for Android only.

[Android Market]

[App Store]

December 9, 2011
Eric Schmidt says ‘Android will be bigger than iOS’

Speaking at Le Web in Paris Google CEO, spoke about why Apps were first written for iOS and then ported over to Android. The response was one that would not surprise any Android user, Schmidt claims ” In about 6 months its going to be the other way round.” He predicts that the new OS Ice Cream Sandwich will remove the device fragmentation and lead people closer to the OS, making it a preferred choice of developers.

[Engadget]

[Le Web (YouTube)]

December 8, 2011
Microsoft brings WP emulator to Android and iPhone

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]icrosoft is using a browser based demo of WP7 on Android and iOS to lure users into shifting into their new OS. The HTML5 demonstration showcases Windows Phone’s Metro user-interface and allows you to follow through and experience the operating system’s basic functionality.

The demo goes thorough basic functionality and demos some of the key features like Phone, People, Messaging, Outlook, Calendar, Family, Local Scout and Picture tiles. Just visit the link http://aka.ms/wpdemo on your Android or iOS device and enjoy the demo exploits. Its like owning the phone without owning it, Microsoft is playing those naughty games again. Trying to itch you into buying a WP7 device.

[Microsoft]

November 30, 2011
Bring Siri dictation to your favorite iDevice – Jailbreak and Siri0us required

A new package for jailbreak friendly iDevices has been released that enables Siri dictation on the iPhone 4 / 3GS and all those that run a Jailbroken iOS 5. The package is available to be downloaded from a repo that uses Siri Api (without permission) to connect to the servers that the speech recognition company hosts for apps instead. This method will allow only dictation on the iPhone and not Siri itself. We have a feeling that the package might be removed soon so get it before it goes.

Check out the demo video below.

November 29, 2011
Microsoft Lync the first to link WP7 – Blackberry – Android – iDevices

Microsoft Lync is ready to hit your portable devices in a fast and swift motion. MS Australia tweeted that they are working on a synergised app for all Smartphone OS’s software becomes available for Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone.

[Microsoft Australia (Twitter)]

November 26, 2011