Redsn0w 0.9.6b4 has been released for download by the iPhone dev team, and it allows you to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1, but there’s a catch; not all hardware get an untethered jailbreak. Redsn0w 0.9.6b4 only supports the following devices for untethered jailbreaks: iPhone 3G, older iPhone 3GS, and older iPod touch 2G models. All other iOS devices will have to be plugged into your computer with redsn0w launched each time you reboot the device (or your battery dies). For this reason, I would recommend most people wait on trying to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 until another untethered solution is available.

Download Redsn0w 0.9.6b4

You can grab the latest redsn0w release for Mac or Windows:

• redsn0w 0.9.6b4 for Mac – click here
• redsn0w 0.9.6b4 for Windows – click here or (Mirror 1)

Note about unlocking iOS 4.2.1
If you plan on unlocking your iPhone, do not update to iOS 4.2.1 and do not use redsn0w for now because it will update your baseband. Unlockers should save SSH blobs from their current firmware (iOS 4.1 or earlier) and wait for a PwnageTool update so that you can upgrade to iOS 4.2.1 without updating the devices firmware. If you update to 4.2.1 you risk losing the ability to unlock your iPhone.

Update about unlocking iOS 4.2.1
You can get the redsn0w 0.9.6b5 download which will work to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 and allows you to unlock iOS 4.2.1 with ultrasn0w for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Update 2: redsn0w 0.9.6b6 download is now available and helps to resolve battery drain issues with unlocked iPhone 3GS and 3G models.

Update 3: Redsn0w 0.9.6rc8 is out.

Just in time for the holidays, Civilization 5 for Mac has been released and is now available for purchase!

Civ 5 has been one of the years most hotly anticipated gaming titles to come to the Mac platform, and it’s here at least.
Read more »

Sometimes a little fun is needed, and this time we’re sharing a goofy iPad picture of some LEGOS doing the sweeping rounds on an iPad to brush off a dirty display – well, at least that’s the fantasy.

Now this is obviously a goof, but I gotta admit I wish I had some Stormtrooper Legos to clean up my iPad screen with. If only it worked! Maybe one day they’ll be automated little robots to do so with… maybe….

On a more serious note, you can learn properly how to clean the iPad screen if you haven’t already. There are proper procedures to do so to prevent the screen from being damaged in the process.

The above picture was sent in by Tavis from Flickr.

If you have any fun or light hearted stuff to share our way, consider posting in the comments below or sending us an email.

IPSW stands rather simply for iOS Software, and IPSW files are basically just individual firmware downloads for specific iOS devices. These files can be used to update iOS devices manually with the help of iTunes or Finder. If you’ve recently downloaded an iOS IPSW file, you might be curious how to use it to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Using IPSW is often considered advanced but it’s actually pretty easy, just follow along with these directions and you’ll be along your way.

Before using a firmware file to update, you will want to backup the iOS or iPadOS device to be safe.

Read more »

Hot off the heals of a public release of the iOS 4.2.1 update, the iOS 4.2 SDK pack is now available for developers to download. Unlike the beta releases, any registered developer can download the new iOS 4.2 SDK without paying the $99 yearly membership fee, which is nice if you just want to explore the development environment without a membership commitment.

You’ll need an Apple Developer Login, and you can grab the SDK from iOS Developer Center, the download weighs in at a hefty 3.5 GB and is packaged with Xcode 3.2.5.

You can download iOS 4.2 directly from iTunes 10.1, but if you’d prefer to use a direct download link, here they are from Apple:

iOS 4.2.1 Direct Download

These are direct download links from Apple’s servers. It’s best to right-click on the file and then “Save As” to prevent any problems downloading the IPSW.
Read more »

The highly anticipated iOS 4.2 update for iPad and iPhone has been released for public download. This update is particularly enticing to iPad owners because it brings the full iOS 4 feature set including multitasking support and folders to the iPad. iOS 4.2 includes AirPrint for wireless printing, and AirPlay for wireless content streaming to all compatible devices. Additionally, owners of newer iOS hardware will gain free access to “Find My iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch” which helps to locate missing hardware.

Download iOS 4.2

The free iOS 4.2 update will be available first through iTunes, if launching iTunes doesn’t automatically alert you of the software update, you can do the following:

• Plug your iOS device into your computer
• Launch iTunes
• On the iOS device summary screen, click on “Check for Update”
• Follow the instructions to download and update to iOS 4.2

Remember to backup your device before proceeding. The release of iOS 4.2 is actually iOS 4.2.1 as build 8C148. If you are having problems with the iTunes update, you can use iOS 4.2.1 direct download links from Apple instead.

iOS 4.2 Compatibility

The iOS 4.2 update is compatible with the following hardware: iPad, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 2nd gen, iPod touch 3rd gen, iPod touch 4th gen. Missing from the list is AppleTV, which will get a modified iOS 4.1 update that includes AirPlay. You will need iTunes 10.1 to download and install the iOS 4.2 update on your device.

I have agonized for years over this one and surely you have too. If you’ve ever had that burning question of “how on earth do I pick up and carry my iMac G5” then you’re in luck.

In what is undoubtedly the single most useful support document to ever exist in the entire universe, Apple answers this amazingly complex technical question with the following ground breaking advice (brace yourself):

Pick up the iMac G5 by grasping both sides of the computer. Carry it to wherever you wish.

Grasp… both sides of the computer… and… carry it… to… whereever I wish????? Holy Moly. This changes everything! I never knew this was possible, imagine the possibilities.

OK enough sarcasm.
Read more »

This is a really cool trick that is not well known; many documents are a bit interactive in the Finder of Mac OS X, without ever having to open the file in another application, or even having to use Quick Look. In this case, a PDF file that is multiple pages long can be flipped through, right in the Finder, even if the icon size is set to really small.

All you need to do is hover the mouse cursor over any multi-page PDF file within the Finder to reveal a set of arrows.

The two navigational arrows pop up over the documents icon, one pointing to the left, and one pointing to the right, and if you click these arrows, you can flip through the entire PDF right on your Macs desktop.

Read more »

Facebook is a great way to stay connected to people and has plenty of benefits, but that’s not why we’re here, we’re here to block access to Facebook. Why? Well, there are many reasons to block the site, companies often block the site to prevent employees from accessing it on company time, and parents may want to block Facebook to keep their young children away from some of the more mature content.

Then there are people like me, you like the site but you find Facebook to be an enormous distraction when trying to be productive. Sometimes the easiest way to eliminate the distraction is by forcibly blocking a site along with others that are blackholes of time. I actually have Facebook and a handful of other sites permanently blocked on my work machine, it has kept me free from distractions and I’m sure it helps my productivity. Without further ado, let’s find out five different ways to block Facebook.
Read more »

Want to check mountain conditions right from your iPhone? The appropriately titled Snow and Ski Report app by REI offers an easy way to check on snow conditions and ski resorts from anywhere, and it’s free.

Snow and Ski Report gives you snow information for the past 72 hours, total snow depth, the number of trails and lifts that are open, access to the mountains webcams, a five day forecast, and it also follows a resorts Twitter feed so you can get up to date information directly from the operator. You can easily add multiple resorts to follow and have push notifications tell you when any of them get new snow.

The app is a free download available through the iTunes App Store, click here to grab it.

If your winter free time revolves around snow conditions and what’s going on at your local mountain, this app is for you. For the price of free, you just can’t beat it.

Knowing your Mac’s IP address is important for setting up a network or sharing files, here’s two different ways to find your IP address in Mac OS X; an easy way through the GUI and a more technical approach with the command line. These methods will be the same whether you are connected via ethernet or wireless.

Read more »

The download of iOS 4.2.1 GM just became available to developers, but the jailbreak community has moved quick and determined that existing versions of redsn0w can indeed jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 GM. The downside is that the existing version of Cydia crashes on a jailbroken iOS 4.2.1, meaning you’d have to install apps through SSH. Unless you’re determined to be on the cutting edge of iOS and jailbreak releases, it’s probably best to avoid trying to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 for now and wait for a new version of Cydia to be released.

If you are looking to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 use redsn0w 0.9.6b4 instead.

The process to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 GM with redsn0w 0.9.6b2 has been confirmed by RedmondPie to work on an iPhone 4, and while it’s a little screwy it does work. You will need iTunes 10.1 before getting started, here are the directions:

• Download redsn0w 0.9.6b2 for either Mac and Windows
• Download iOS 4.2.1 GM and iOS 4.1 IPSW (here are iOS 4.1 IPSW downloads if you need them)
• Update/restore to iOS 4.2.1 GM firmware using the IPSW
• Launch redsn0w 0.9.6 and direct it to the iOS 4.1 IPSW file
• Select that you want to Install Cydia, and click Next
• Turn off your iPhone and make sure it is plugged into your computer
• Follow the directions to place your device into DFU mode so that redsn0w can install the jailbreak
• When finished, the device will auto-reboot and it will be jailbroken on iOS 4.2.1 GM

While it’s exciting that the latest update has already been jailbroken, the lack of a functioning Cydia app makes it impractical for most iPhone and iPod touch users.

If you are using the final version of iOS 4.2.1, a better solution would be to download redsn0w 0.9.6b4, but it provides a tethered jailbreak for most devices.

A picture has surfaced that claims to be a White Verizon iPhone 4. The image is particularly interesting because it shows no SIM card slot on the side of the iPhone, which would be inline with a CDMA iPhone. There is also a solid frame with no antenna separation like existing iPhone 4 models, which would suggest there is a redesigned antenna in the device.

Apple has said the white iPhone 4 release date will be sometime in Spring of 2011, and rumors suggest that the iPhone will come to Verizon around the same time. If those two pieces of information remain true, then Apple probably does have CDMA iPhone’s being tested in the wild, and it might look similar to the device pictured.
Read more »

Here’s a great setup that includes the best of all worlds: an iMac, iPad, iPod Touch, MacBook Pro, with a Windows 7 VM on the left and a Linux machine on the right. It looks like there’s a Magic Trackpad in there too. Great setup, and thanks for the submission John!

If you’re looking to upgrade your MacBook Pro hard drive, Amazon is offering the Seagate Momentus XT 500GB SSD Hybrid Drive for $114.99 with free shipping, this is a discount of 22% from the MSRP.

The Seagate Momentus XT 500GB is 2.5″ and will fit in the Mac Mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro. The hard drive comes highly recommended for it’s very fast performance, which is achieved through a unique hybrid model that offers an onboard SSD drive that seamlessly caches frequently accessed data from the spinning 7200 RPM drive. The result is performance that is close to that of an SSD drive, but you gain significantly more disk space and pay a fraction of the price of a standard SSD drive. For comparison, most Mac portables ship stock with a 5400 RPM drive.

I have been eyeing these drives, I recently upgraded my MacBook Pro to 8GB of RAM and found it to be a very worthwhile performance upgrade. I imagine pairing 8GB of RAM with one of these Momentus XT hybrids might make the ultimate MacBook Pro upgrade combo for the price, and both would only be around $250. This is a steal considering Apple charges $400 to upgrade the MacBook Pro RAM to 8GB and another $50-$100 to upgrade to a 500GB 7200 RPM drive.

If you’re interested, head over to Amazon to get the $114.99 price with free shipping.

One of the big Apple news stories of the past two days is that two US retailers, TJ Maxx and Marshalls, are selling the base iPad 16GB model for a somewhat shocking $399, a full $100 off the retail price. The question everyone is now asking is how are they getting away with such low prices, here’s my thoughts on the matter:

• Free Advertising – the $399 iPad has sent shockwaves through the tech world and it might be the gadget deal of the 2010 holiday shopping season. How often do you hear about TJ Maxx or Marshalls otherwise? The result of the huge price cut is that TJ Maxx and Marshalls are getting enormous amounts of free advertising and promotion, and suddenly the two stores are the hot destinations for anyone who wants an iPad this holiday season.
• iPad for $399 as a Loss Leader – margins on electronics are slim in comparison to clothing and household goods, if TJ Maxx and Marshalls lose roughly $50 on each iPad sold but they can get people into their stores and buying other goods with better margins, they’ll likely more than make up the difference. The big-ticket item loss leader is a pretty standard model for retailers on Black Friday, the iPad just happens to be extra popular and worthy of more press.
• Companies Aren’t Stupid – you can bet that TJ Maxx and Marshalls did a lot of math before setting the $399 price, they aren’t going to sell something that isn’t ultimately beneficial to their bottom line.

Word is that neither store is an authorized Apple reseller, and they probably obtained the iPads through another channel. I’d bet that Apple isn’t thrilled with the drastically reduced pricing, but I’m sure both of these retailers phones are ringing off the hook right now with people trying to track down the cheap iPad.

Regardless of the price, the iPad is expected to be one of the most popular electronic gifts this holiday season, and it appeared high on a recent study of childrens Christmas wish-lists for 2010, just below the iPhone 4 and iPod touch. If the iPad is on your shopping list, you might want to call your local TJ Maxx or Marshalls before they sell out.

Microsoft has released Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac, an app that allows any Windows Phone device to sync with a Mac, allowing for copying of movies, music, pictures, podcasts and the other data you’d like to sync to a Windows Phone from OS X. The app is technically in beta but it seems to work reasonably well as Microsoft continues to update it.

Read more »