Christian Zibreg, Author at VR World

Apple, Companies

Verizon iPhone Finally Has an Untethered Jailbreak of Its Own

Following the release of untethered iOS 4.3.2 jailbreak two weeks ago for GSM-based iPhone 3GS and 4, iPad 1 and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch that run iOS 4.3.2, a hacker that goes by the nickname "iH8Sn0w" has updated the Sn0wbreeze tool for Windows to version 2.6.1 with support for Verizon iPhones running iOS 4.2.7. This is an untethered jailbreak, meaning you aren’t required to connect your device to a computer each time it’s restarted (you can imagine how inconvenient that is). The updated Sn0wbreeze tool works only on Windows and it requires a copy of iOS 4.2.7 firmware. A handy jailbreaking guide can be found

Business, Hardware, Software Programs

Nokia Thinking Different About an iPad-killer

You would normally assume Nokia would be first to come out with a tablet immediately following the iPad launch in April of last year. Alas, the Finnish cellphone giant has bigger worries on its mind. However, with former Microsoft executive Stephen Elop at Nokia’s helm, the company is considering its tablet options as we speak. They wanna avoid me-too approach so they’re thinking different about so-called iPad killers. Even though competitors have shipped more than 200 slates in all shapes, sizes and price points, right now iPad is reaping all the profits. Elop told Finnish news organization YLE that Nokia is "in a hurry to

Apple, Business, Companies

What Should Apple Do With Its Billions?

Apple is a mean money-making machine. The company ended March quarter with nearly $66 billion in cash, a whopping $6.1 billion increase over the quarter-ago period. Apple’s cash pile has ballooned more than ten times in size between the fourth quarter of 2005 and the latest quarter. Not bad for a computer maker that was on the verge of bankruptcy just fifteen years ago. In the 1996-1997 timeframe Apple was bleeding cash on all fronts, posting quarterly losses that had surpassed $700 million. Today, Apple’s cash pile is worth more than the combined market capitalization of Nokia, Research In Motion and Motorola Mobility. That’s more

Apple, Companies

iPad 2 Arriving in 13 More Countries Next Week, a "Very Large Number" Promised

Apple is gearing up to launch iPad 2 in thirteen new countries as early as next week. Operations chief Timothy Cook, who is covering for Jobs, made that information official in a conference call with Wall Street analysts following the release of first quarter earnings: We are shipping to an additional 13 countries next week, and we’re planning to add even more countries through the quarter. The statement echoes Apple’s last iPad 2 press release which promised "additional countries in April" and "many more countries" around the world in the coming months. Cook also revealed Apple tried to settle issues with Samsung out of court before

Apple, Business, Companies

Another Reason Why Apple is Right to Sue Samsung: Splashy Marketing

As you know, Apple is suing Samsung for copying the look and feel of the iPhone and Samsung threatened counter-actions. Apple is Samsung’s second-largest customer after Sony and they provided Apple in 2010 with $5.7 billion worth in parts. Apple’s filing mentions three things: Their technology (A4/A5 chips manufactured by Samsung), user interface (Android ripping off iOS) and "innovative style" stemming from Jony Ive’s signature design. At least two of those are likely to be true, but I’d add one more thing to Apple’s list – marketing. Compare Samsung’s television commercials from the pre-iPhone era to their latest communication style and you’ll immediately realize what

Hardware

Lenovo Challenging Apple With a 23-inch "Tablet"

It doesn’t get any crazier than this. Deciding it cannot possibly compete with the iPad juggernaut in the 9.7-inch space, Lenovo has gone all out to impress watchers with a 23-inch thing they’re calling a "tablet". It should be out this year and will be based on Lenovo’s all-in-one computers. It’s a "home" tablet, Lenovo’s senior marketing specialist William Cai tells TechRadar. He then launched into the sales pitch: We think that there is potential for a 23-inch tablet. We’d have to take care of battery life and we are working to get the weight down. It’s obviously not for full mobility use, but it

Software Programs

Opera 11.10 Is Out, Pokes Fun at Apple, Microsoft and Google

Opera Software announced Opera 11.10, the latest and greatest version of the browser that some folks say is the most featured and accomplished out there. The latest stable build enhances the Opera Turbo feature that compresses web pages so they load faster on mobile devices. Opera Turbo, which relies on Google’s WebP project, should work even faster. There’s couple of more under-the-hood tweaks plus a nice promo footage that pokes fun of Apple, Microsoft and Google. Take the Speed Dials feature, which now you put as many sites on the new tab page as you like. Additionally, you can set the number of columns and the

Software Programs

Firefox 5 Arrives June 21 With Silent Updating

Love how the Chrome browser keeps itself up to date by automatically downloading and installing emergency updates without any intervention on your part? Mozilla, open-source organization behind the Firefox browser, says it will add silent updating to Firefox 5, the next major release following the final Firefox 4 release last month. Mozilla fell victim of its slow development schedule (Firefox 3 and 4 were about a year in development each), allowing Google to take the lead with Chrome in terms of new features and software releases. To rectify the situation, they have a new release schedule that supports rapid releases, with Firefox planned for a

Apple, Companies, Software Programs

For Angry Birds Fans, a Bunch of Updates

Rovio Mobile, the brains behind the Angry Birds franchise, has revealed in a series of tweets that all three games – the original Angry Birds, Seasons and Rio – are due for updates, in addition to a brand new social Angry Birds game which is on track for a May release on the Facebook platform. A major Easter-theme update to Angry Birds Seasons is up next, a tweet promises. New game features will be previewed "soon" and before the game goes live ahead of Easter which falls on the last Sunday of April, or April 24 of this year. Seasons was last updated with 15 new St. Patrick’s Day-themed

Apple, Companies, Hardware

IDC Readings Spell Trouble for iPhone, Bright Future for Windows Phone

Look, we all know profit matters in this game, not the often deceiving market share measured by units. Look no further than the iPhone which last December accounted for more than half the industry’s profits based on its miniscule four percent market share of the global handset market. Of course Android’s availability on hundreds of phones sold by dozens of carriers help a lot, making it the most popular smartphone platform in the world. Let’s not forget that Android doesn’t cost a dime because Google is after mobile ads. According to IDC, Apple’s handset will enjoy more or less flat growth in the coming years,

Software Programs

Chrome 12 Gets Multi-Tab Selection, New Interface for Firefox 5

The latest developer release of Chrome got new tab management features and smartphone apps screen while Mozilla mulls a new design for Firefox 5. Last week, Google updated its developer release of Chrome to version 12.0.712.0. A new feature was spotted that lets you select multiple tabs at once by holding the CTRL key to perform common operation on the group, including closing, reloading and moving tabs. A brand new smartphone apps screen is also available on the new tab page. Meanwhile, Mozilla, which recently released Firefox 4, is toying with some user interface tweaks for Firefox 5, the next major version of the browser.

Apple, Companies, Hardware, Rumors

Striking Infographic Rounds Up iPhone 5 Rumors

It’s hard to stay sane with all the hoopla surrounding a fifth-generation iPhone. Per usual, the blogosphere is playing the guessing game and recycling wild Apple predictions coming out of the rumor mill. For non-technophiles contradicting reports make it difficult to separate wheat from chaff. Big media isn’t helping either. Historically, there has been little credence in speculative reports based on "sources familiar with the matter" that, need I say, prefer not to be named because "they were not authorized to speak publicly" on the matter. Don’t take it all to heart. This is infotainment-based society and we readily accept rumor mongering as part of our

Apple, Companies, Hardware

Amazon Book Listing Hints at June 30 Launch for iPhone 5 (UPDATED)

If an iPhone 5 book listing spotted on Amazon is an indication, Apple could launch its iPhone 5 by June 30, 2011, when a publisher slated its book that promises to teach folks how to master their new phone. Entitled iPhone 5 Made Simple, the $20 manual aims to provide "over 1,000 screen visuals and clear-cut instructions guide you through both basic and advanced features of the iPhone 5, from email and calendar tips to navigating the App Store and understanding Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks", according to author Martin Trautschold, the founder and CEO of Made Simple Learning. This is interesting, but we’re not holding our breath. Anyone

Apple, Companies, Software Programs

Pro-Gay Apple Mum on Petition to Ban Homophobic App Aiming to Cure Homosexuality

Before you hit comments: The above image ridicules the headline rather than imply anything. Apple and Christian group Exodus International have found themselves under fire from gay rights group Truth Wins Out over an app released last Tuesday that aims to steer people away from homosexuality. Designed to be "a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders," the free program dubbed Exodus International is basically a glorified web browser that links to online resources available on their website. It has immediately sparked controversy and prompted Truth Wins Out to start a petition at Change.org and demand that the iTunes store "stop supporting homophobia

Business

Duopoly in America as AT&T Acquires T-Mobile, Creating the Super-Carrier

The news just broke that AT&T, the nation’s #2 carrier with 94 million subscribers, agreed to acquire T-Mobile USA, a Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless provider that had 33.73 million customers last year providing them with an annual revenue of 21.35 billion. The transaction will involve cash and stock changing hands, with AT&T paying $25 billion cash and $14 billion stock to acquire T-Mobile USA for a combined value of $39 billion. The deal has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors and is pending customary regulatory approval. A press release announcing the acquisition has been issue by both AT&T and T-Mobile USA. The new company

Cloud Computing

Breathtaking Airplane View Added to Google Maps

I’m sort of a mapping aficionado, spending countless hours in Google Maps and investigating far-flung places that I’ll never visit. I absolutely love the high-resolution satellite imagery. It makes me feel powerful – almost as if I’m an NSA operator commanding a classified reconnaissance drone. Satellite images in Google Maps used to be kinda flat so the new 45-degree view knocked my socks off. In a nutshell, this feature lets you explore locations in awesome isometric perspective. They call it the airplane view with a good reason. As you can see in the below image, the slightly tilted satellite view provides way better overview of ground structures.

Apple, Companies, Hardware

iPhone 5 Available by June 20?

Above: Purported iPhone 5 with metal back that iDealsChina allegedly obtained from a Foxconn source. This one’s a stretch but bear with me for a second. Recently Apple’s marketing honcho Phil Schiller confirmed via his verified Twitter account that white iPhone will be available this spring. He called it a "beauty" without mentioning white iPhone 4 per se. Some folks think it’s highly unlikely Apple’s bothering with white iPhone 4 this late in the game. If Schiller was referring to white iPhone 5, he then inadvertently slipped a time frame for iPhone 5 launch. Summer 2011 begins on June 21 and the last day day of spring

Software Programs

Rupert Murdoch Bringing The Daily to Android in Weeks

News Corp.’s digital newspaper The Daily is coming to tablets driven by Google’s Honeycomb software this Spring, breaking the iPad exclusivity just a few weeks following its February 2 launch. Author Peter Kafka broke the semi-official news on the News Corp.-owned MediaMemo blog: Sources tell me The Daily is prepping for an Android tablet launch in the second quarter of this year. Murdoch and News Corp. have been clear that they always planned on getting the Daily on as many tablets as possible, so the move isn?t a huge shock. Nevertheless, it still is a surprising departure from Murdoch’s original stance made public at the official

Apple, Companies, Opinion

Opinion: Losing Jony Ive Would Be a Disaster for Apple

Earlier today we told you about a newspaper report asserting that Jonathan Ive, Apple’s go-to guy for sexy industrial design, is allegedly at odds with the company’s board of directors over his wish to move back to England and commute to work so his twins can receive an education in their native country. The board told him "in no uncertain terms that if he headed back to England he would not be able to sustain his position with them," a friend with the family told the paper. Say Jony Ive, as those around him affectionately call him, decides to sell stock, which would net him an estimated $128

Apple, Companies

Is Design Guru Jonathan Ive Cashing In and Leaving Apple?

Jonathan Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of industrial design, could be on the verge of selling stock and leaving the company so he and his wife Heather are able to educate their twins in England. Ive was born in Essex, England, but he moved to the US in 1992 to work for Apple after spending a short time at London-based design shop Tangerine. According to a story by The Sunday Times entitled "I created the iPad and iClaim my £18m" (subscription required), Ive informed Apple’s board of directors about his plans and proposed to "commute" from his $4 million manor house in Somerset, England to the company’s