I recently watched the documentary, “Earthlings“. It is a harsh look at the poor treatment of animals in the various ways we, (humans), use them to our advantage. Although I have been aware of these practices before watching this film, I still chose to consume animals and their bi-products. I’m sure many others are the same. So, why do humans knowingly continue to contribute to such horrid acts against animals, knowing fully the pain and suffering the animals have gone through? I wish I had an answer, but my theory is, our society, as a whole, has been conditioned for so long to include meat in our diets, that anything else seems “wrong”. Animals have long been a source of food, clothing, currency, and entertainment. Can we really hope to have it any other way?
Drastic change has to happen. While I understand why vegetarians and vegans stop using animals for personal gain, this really only removes them from the equation, and doesn’t actually solve any problems. The economic impact of removing meat from our diets would be devastating to the planet. The economy would crash. The planet would be wildly over populated with millions of animals that humans slaughter everyday. These animals could possibly eat all our food, then us, and then each other. While I feel I do need to make changes in my own life, I do not believe it will fix the bigger issue.
The current state of our society and government is so incredibly broken, I can’t imagine any other way to fix it than tearing it all down and starting over. I know this a broader issue than the unethical treatment of animals, but I think this is where the problem starts. Being realistic, let’s say that there is no way to fix our society the government that “runs” it. In any country where there is democracy, we have to say we fucked up, and it is broken. It’s a ‘we’ve made our bed and now we have to lie in it’ kind of situation.
So, accepting the state of the world, the way it is, what does being vegan really do for the world? In my opinion, nothing, unfortunately. Being vegan is a personal choice to remove oneself from the various industries that use animals for profit. I fully support this choice, and I believe I am headed down that road. I just feel that maybe there are misconceptions that being vegan can change the world. I know this is a bleak outlook, but sometimes we have to look reality in the face and accept that we may not be able to change it.
As earthlings, we are doomed. We can only choose to make the best of what we’ve done to ourselves, and hope that any further generations may follow in our new footsteps to try to make this a better place. I have vegan friends and I have friends who go out in the wilderness to murder animals for food. They are all good people with good intentions, thinking they are doing the right thing for themselves and for their families. They have opinions that should be respected, whether others agree with them, or not.
There are a lot of disgusting humans in this world. We see it in the news everyday. For some reason, it is in our nature to destroy ourselves and the world around us. I can’t presume to change human nature by choosing to make some lifestyle changes that really only affect me. This is my opinion.
I challenge anyone to watch this film and not feel something. It contains very graphic images of animals being treated poorly. Just picture humans being treated the same way, and see how you feel.
Before I was ever writing for www.iPhoneinCanada.ca, I was writing here. Mostly about iPhone stuff. From the first day I had my first generation iPhone, i was jailbreaking it. From that point on, I wanted to share what I was figuring out how to do, and I started Green Candy, which is what this blog used to be.
Every once in a while, I stop by the old blog here, and see what’s up. It seems this blog is sneaking up on half a million hits. Thanks to everyone who keeps coming back here, even though I don’t. Most likely, Google it to thank for this, but what ever. 😛
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing
human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
I had pretty much abandoned this site, but it some how still receives a lot of traffic, every day. Thanks to every one who visits, and find something useful here.
You have probably noticed that I let me old domain, http://www.grncndy.com expire, and I’m back to the default WordPress url. I was going to shut it down, altogether, but it seems to be still useful for some of you.
So, there you have it! I may post here every once and a while, but don’t expect to see me here very often. I’ve updated the look of the site, and have renamed it, simply, “RoryPiper”.
Well, on to yet another venture. The founder of iEvolution has acquired www.iJailbreak.com, and this is where I will be writing all me jailbreak posts, from now on. The site has been launched for about a week, and it’s already off to an amazing start. Hope you all join me there.
I went down to Seattle for the launch of the Apple iPad, and while waiting in line I did a short interview with Nancy Wilson, on CBC, over Skype, from my MacBook.
Hey everyone. So, you may have noticed I haven’t been posting anything here in a while. Well, due to some changes in my life, I’ve been trying to figure out what the hell I really want to be “when I grow up”. It turns out I really like this writing thing, and want to keep doing it, full-time. The thing is, this is a tough business to get into, and be successful, so I decided I cannot do it alone.
I have been writing for iPhoneinCanada.ca for a while now, posting articles on Sundays. Well, I’ll be writing more stuff over there, and hopefully make that a daily gig, reviewing apps and games.
Also, I have joined forces with another iPhoneinCanada.ca local, Dusty Reron. He started up an Apple news blog called iEvolution.ca, and invited me to join him. Together, we will be reporting on all things Apple touch screen related. iPhone, iPod Touch, and now, the iPad. This is pretty exciting, as we are both like-minded in that we love this tech stuff, and anything pertaining to Apple, in general.
We just launched a big redesigned of the site and we would love for you to come check it out. Dusty took care of the layout and overall theme of the site, while I designed and built the new logo.
We have also launched a YouTube channel, iEvolutionVideos, where we will be doing reviews and tutorials on anything iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.
Thanks to everyone for reading. From this point on Green Candy will be more of a personal web log, than a tech site. I really hope you join me in my new ventures.
There have been few few reports around the web today saying Steve Jobs replied to someone who sent him an email, asking about tethering, with the iPad. His answer, simply, was No.
Here’s the email that was sent, according to iEvolution:
I’ll keep it short.
I’m Jezper from Sweden, a long time Apple fan, currently about to replace the very last computer at home with a brand spanking new iMac i7. I’m also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question:
Will the wifi-only version somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?
Two devices, based on the same OS, with already built-in technology to share one data plan suggests a secondary contract could possibly be redundant.
From the look of your keynote, where the iPad sits well between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone, I was hoping the three of them could interact as seamless as possible.
All the best,
Jezper Söderlund
…and Mr. Jobs reply:
No.
Sent from my iPhone
This makes me laugh! I still have questions, though. Does this mean I cannot connect on my iPad, from my iPhone, or the other way around? Ideally, I would like to just buy the WiFi iPad, and use the data I already pay for on my iPhone. Jailbroken iPhone owners will have no trouble with apps like MyWi, available in Cydia, which turns your iPhone into a WiFi hotspot.
Less than a month until some lucky folks get their hands on the new device. Then we’ll really see what the thing can do!
I woke up this morning, and start visiting a few sites that I usually do, but when I get to Apple.com, something looks a little different. My eyes are still blurry from waking up, so I rub them and refocus. Something is different! There is a launch date for the iPad!!
Looks like Apple’s latest device will officially launch, in the US, on April 3rd, with pre-orders beginning March 12th. This is just the WiFi model. The WiFi+3G model does not have an official date yet, but will be available later in April.
No official date for Canada, yet, but Apple has given “late April”, as the expected time of release. Hopefully, Canadians will be able to pre-order, as well.
Pre-orders can be done at the online store, or you can reserve an iPad for pick up, from an Apple Retail Store.
There was an update to Cydia today, that made quite an increase in speed! Here’s a quick video, showing the difference in speed. On the left is an iPod Touch, without the update, and on the right is an iPhone 3G with the update.
Gelaskins have been have been a major player in the portable device “skin” market, for a while now. Today, they are introducing official Marvel Comics licsensed skins!
They have numerous Marvel designs for a lot of the devices they cover, from Spider-Man, Iron Man, and X-men, and more. The designs are brilliant, high resolution images, some taken direct from some of the most classic and iconic issues ever released.
If you’re a comic book addict, then you have to get one of these. I’m not much into comics anymore, but I used to read all the oldies. I just ordered this skin for my MacBook:
The Marvel Gelaskins range in price from $14.95 to $29.95, depending on what device you want to cover.
A great new tool was released in Cydia today, that allows you to record a video capture of your iPhone screen. It is simply called “ScreenRecorder”, and comes from developer Elton Bolzanac. There are some limitations, as video recording is a pretty intense process, but this is a great first version.
Here’s the official description, from Cydia:
This applicationlet’s you take video captures of your screen. This is extremely useful for quick tutorials or demonstrations, or when you want to show proof of a new hack you have accomplished. There are obviously many other uses for this. For example, you could use this like a “Notes” application, but with video instead of words!
Keep in mind that video recording is a very intense process, so crashing is very frequent on videos that have a capture time of more than 45 seconds.
Must be installed with ffmpeg.
Application must be quit in between two captures. (There is a quit button in-app).
New in v1.2:
-No more need for Backgrounder
-Updated to work with ffmpeg from Cydia
-Now has option to delete videos from within application.
Here’a a short video of the app in action:
I have not had a chance to try this out, but I have been waiting for something like this for a long time, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Another great reason to jailbreak your iPhone!
UPDATE: I got to use this app and thought I would share my findings with you. The quality of the video that ScreenRecorder can do, is about the same as using ScreenSplitr with Demo God. Pretty low frame rate. Here’s my video review:
I was playing around with the iPad Simulator and decided to take a few screenshots and make a new iPad desktop for my iMac. Then I thought, why not share it with the world?
This a widescreen image, 1920 X 1200. Just click the image below, then save the image from there.
Square Enix has released their iPhone ports of their classic games, Final Fantasy 1 and 2.
“Initially released in Japan in 1987, the original FINAL FANTASY amazed audiences with its rich story and stunning graphics.
Players guide the Warriors of Light as they set out on a quest to restore the crystals to their former luster. Its side view battles, choice and promotion of character classes, and sprawling world explored with fantastic vehicles quickly became standards of the series. This game set the stage for all FINAL FANTASY games to come.
This edition also contains the bonus dungeons added to later editions of the game–the Soul of Chaos and the Labyrinth of Time.”
Click icon to get it now!
“The highly anticipated follow-up to the original FINAL FANTASY, released in Japan in 1988.
FINAL FANTASY II features the bitter and beautiful tale of four war-orphaned heroes who become embroiled in the conflict between the hostile Empire of Palamecia and the rebel resistance. Eschewing conventional leveling for a proficiency system that allows players to tailor their characters’ growth, and incorporating a key term memory system that makes dialogue integral to gameplay, this game sparked the spirit of innovation for which the series has become known.
This edition also contains the bonus dungeons added to later editions of the game–the Soul of Rebirth and the Arcane Labyrinth.”
I have only played a few minutes of Final Fantasy I, but I will say, this looks like a nice port of this iconic video game. I can’t wait to play it more. I made a quick video, so you can see some of the gameplay.
The supposed Gull1hack team released their jailbreak tool, that was, apparently, supposed to jailbreak all Apple touch devices, on OS 3.1.3, on all bootroms. It turns out the whole thing was a fake, according to this message you receive, upon running the program:
Seems it was just some smart ass kid trying to prove a point. This program has nothing to do with jailbreaking any Apple touch device.
So, to repeat, this jailbreak is a fake. DO NOT update to OS 3.1.3 in iTunes, if you don’t have to.
A team called “Gull1hack” claim they have a jailbreak for all iPhones and iPod Touches, including newer ones with newer bootrom. So far, there has not been any proof to support this claim, but this team will obviously get some attention for just saying they have an exploit.
According to their video, once the Gull1hack is installed on your device, you will be able to install Cydia and/or Rock, without an internet connection. They posted this on their blog, on the weekend:
We just found an amazing Exploit in the Boot-System of the 3GS with the new Bootrom! This Exploit works on ALL iPhone and iPod Touches!
While booting, we overun the buffer memory, letting the iPhone think there is something wrong; But in the moment it tries to enter safe mode, we send a boot signal like Blackra1n or Redsn0w.
So no Computer required!
They also posted this video, trying to proove that they are not fake:
Is this just someone trying to get some attention, or is this the real deal? I would advise staying away from this, until we’ve heard about some real world results. I’ll keep my eye on this, and let you know how it goes.
UPDATE: Gull1hack has made another post on their blog, trying to prove their jailbreak. I must say, this new video looks promising, but I need to see some reall world results. Videos and screenshots can be easily faked. If this is real, then congrats to this German hack team.
Hey, here is Video with an iPhone 3GS from week 46; So is has the new Bootrom, like f0recast shows too.
But in this case you don’t need to use Blackra1n oder Redsn0w to restart! It boots alone 🙂
You also might notice that this iPhone hast Baseband 05.11.07. That’s because we modified Fuzzyband, to work with the iPhone 3GS too!
Update: Already some of you noticed that f0recast shows his information very early. That because our Gul1hack: The iPhone needs longer to boot, because of sending the boot comman to boot it. But f0recast dont need a complete boot, on a non jailbroken iPhone start round 5 seconds before lockscreen, on an iPhone with Gull1hack a few more
This is product that has been in developement for quite some time, and as far as I know, the only gaming peripheral for jailbroken iPhones only. The folks at iContolPad finally have a working design and have gone in mass production. The iControlPad is made to compliment video game emulators, on jailbroken iDevices, for a full screen gaming experience. No more glitchy touch controls with you fingers and thumbs covering half of the screen.
Here’s some details on the product and for ordering, from their blog:
Got Jailbreak running on your iPhone?Emulators and games just not really working well enough with the touch screen?We didn’t think so either – so we built this little add on.Yeah. Realize the full potential of the iPhone by adding real controls.Your iPhone just slides in and locks in to place via the serial port, there are no modifications needed and you can remove it at any time.
The iControlPad is already supported by some of the biggest iPhone devs (including ZodTTD – PSX, GBA emu etc.) and we are sending out units to several others.We will also be providing full source code and SDK support!
Ordering – Stock will be limited on the first batch, the best way to know when you can place an order is to be subscribed to the newsletter (the top right of the page). We will also post details on here and no doubt I will tweet details too via my twitter page (twitter.com/craigix).
The iControlPad will come in two different versions, one with an internal battery which doubles the iPhone battery life (ideal for long gaming sessions) and a budget version which has no battery. They both have the same controls.
I have been in contact with iControlPad, regarding getting a review unit. They have said “I’ll be in touch as soon as the review units are available.”. If I do get my hands on one, you can expect to read about it over at iPhoneinCanada.
Here’s some images and video:
A computer rendering of what they hope the iContolPad to look like.
Photo of an actual prototype.
This is the version with external battery. Includes analog control sticks.
I’m a sucker for silly, simple games on the iPhone. I’m always looking for the next “time-killer” app, but when it comes to actual, productive, utility apps, I’m pretty picky.
I’m a movie buff, and have tons of VHS, DVD, HD DVD, and BluRays, and had been thinking lately, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could just scan all the barcodes and have my movies cataloged automatically?”. Little did I know, there is an iPhone app that does exactly that.
Developer Hooked In Motion just released version 2.0 of “iCollect Movies“. This app allows you to scan the barcode of your movies with your iPhone’s camera. It then query’s it database and automatically adds the title, including information like genre, rating, run time, and much more.
Here’s a full feature list:
– Scan in your movies via UPC using the built-in camera.
– Manually type in the UPC.
– Manual entry with no barcode.
– Spiders Google and our own servers for a cover and information about a title.
– If no information is present, take your own picture and type in the details and add it to our server for others to use.
– Use a picture from anywhere on the web for your covers.
– Use a picture from your Photo Library.
– IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes links
– Add it to your library. Sort by Blu-ray, DVD, or customize your filter bar right from the main screen.
– Tab badges allow you to quickly see how many movies you own.
– Sift quickly through your catalog using the index.
– CoverFlow.
– Library view.
– Backup/Restore
– Shake for random movie.
– Sort without The and A option.
– Loan your movies out and keep track of who has what using your contacts list or custom entry.
– See movies you’ve never watched or watched a long time ago using the “Last Watched” feature.
– Entry for purchased value and date.
– Options for Actors, Directors, Regions, Audio, Subtitles, and more!
– Customs which information is displayed in your movie cells.
– Add a movie to a wishlist if you know you want to buy it in the future.
– Email out your wishlists to family and friends for holidays and birthdays.
– Already ordered a movie but don’t have it yet? Add it as a preorder. Add the release date as well.
– Incredible search capabilities. Browse through your library in a whole new way. Want to see all movies you have that star Steve Martin? Easy. Want to see all of your Japanese movies only? Easy.
– Video tutorial for help.
– A LOT more!
Here’s the official tutorial video from Hooked in Motion:
“iCollect Movies” is available now, in the App Store, for $2.99, and coming in March 2010, “iCollect Video Games”. Other similar apps in the works, are iCollect apps for music, books, comic books, Lego, Barbie, Beanie Babies, and wine.
This is a crazy, funny story I found on Twitter today, via MuscleNerd, who was retweeting @SebastienPage:
Went to local Apple Store about 2 weeks ago. For nothing other then I was in the area and had an hour to kill. Figured I’d browse around. Obviously, they were very polite and a salesperson approached me to see if I needed some help (store was not busy at all). Told him “Nope, just browisng”.
Being that they were not busy he starts asking me what type of comp I have, what kind of phone and etc. When I told him I don’t have an iPhone, he asked why and if I was interested in one. I explained why and told him I am not interested due to Apple’s unwillingness to allow owners to ‘do their own thing’ and that I have no intention of paying for an iphone if Apple is going to handcuff me. He kept going on and on about what I was missing out on. I then told him I was more then happy with my new Droid and I was more then happy with my iTouch. he said “Oh, so you do have an iTouch then?” I said yep and pulled it out. Flipped the case open and hit the home button and he saw my lockscreen, which is the Grateful Dead with some other ‘goodies’ on there.
He sort of stepped back and his eyes popped wide. He asked if he could look at it. I would NOT hand it to him, but what the hell, it is my device so screw ’em. I slid the lockscreen to access the device and very obviously (i’m sure he knew as soon as he saw my lockscreen) at first look he knew it was JB’d. He didnt say anything other then going sort of quiet and saying “wow”. He walked away.
I was then approached by the manager. He said ” I was informed you have an ILLEGAL iTouch”. I replied “I do have an iTouch but that it was not ILLEGAL”. He then asked if it was ‘modified’. I said (and happily I may add) “Yep, it IS MODIFIED. You should get one yourself as you dont know what you are missing out on”. He then said “Sir, that is an ILLEGAL device”. I said “Your NUTS. It is my device I paid for. I own it and can do anything I damn well please with it”. He then said “Sir, the device you have IS illegal, I must now ask you to turn over the ILLEGAL device at once”. I responded and said “Dude, your nuts, it is not illegal and if you think I am giving it to you, I have a bridge in the Sahara desert I’d like to sell you”. He then said “Sir, if you refuse to turn over your ILLEGAL device I must have a copy of your drivers license”. I said “Dude, you really are nuts. You’re not taking my iTouch and you have no right to ask for my DL”. He then said I had to either give him my iTouch or my DL, or he will contact security. LOL. Oh boy, the MALL POLICE!!! I told him “go right ahead. I’ll make myself comfy and wait”.
Instead of the MALL POLICE, an actual Police Officer came. They spoke to the manager then came to me. I told them I am breaking no laws and there is no way in hell anybody is taking my iTouch unless the COURTS order me to turn it over. I said “Here is my info…take me to court. Otherwise, get off my friggin back or I will sue Apple and file complaints against you as just because you have a badge does NOT give you the right to detain me or ask me to give you my personal possessions unless you can tell me WHAT LAW I AM BREAKING”. They walked away, talked to the manager, came back and said “Sorry for the inconvenience. You have a pleasant day”, and I left.
Anyway, just thought I’d share this since I see others posting about geting banned from their stores and etc, and I want to make sure everybody knows: DO NOT LET THEM CON YOU INTO GIVING UP YOUR DEVICE. Some are intimidated by the authorities so may give up their device out of ‘fear’. DONT DO IT. Tell them to explain what law you are breaking and to either arrest you or get F*cked. Do not let them CON you into giving up YOUR PERSONAL iPhone/iTouch!!!!!
A great story, wether it’s true or not. I hope this happens to me. I’d react the same way!
chpwn, developer of “Infinidock” and “ProSwitcher“, is working on a new tweak for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It will enable vertical scrolling, giving you what will seem like an infinite amount of rows on your page.
A demo of the new tweak on YouTube:
chpwn is currently looking for ideas for the name of this new tweak. You can post your idea on Twitter, with a public reply to @chpwn. If chpwn picks yours, you get a free copy!
So, I received an invite to join this group, on Facebook.: “Test It & Keep It: Apple iPad”. This group claims it will have 10,000 iPads to give away to testers. This is obviously a scam, as they use a fake iPad picture on their page, and Apple is known for keeping testing really quiet.
The page is run by a website called myrewardsvault.com, which gives away gift cards and things if you buy stuff from them, and is only good for US residents. Their terms and conditions are as follows:
*This promotion is conducted exclusively by my-rewardsvault. To receive the gift for this promotion you must: 1) register with valid information; 2) complete the user survey; 3) complete at least 2 Silver, 2 Gold and 2 Platinumoffers. Available offers will vary and some offers may require a purchase to qualify. Receipt of your item requires compliance with offer terms, including: age and residency requirements; registration with valid email address, shipping address and contact phone number; completion of user survey and sponsor promotions; and not canceling your participation in more than two Sponsor Offers within 60 days of your Sponsor Offer Initial Transaction Date (the Cancellation Limitation). Upon valid completion of all Program Requirements we will ship your item to the shipping address you provided. Unless otherwise indicated, participation eligibility is restricted to US residents, 18 and over. Void where prohibited.
Further to this, it is not sponsored by Apple, at all:
This Facebook Page is not affiliated with Apple Inc. All Apple® trademarks are the property of Apple Inc. and this Facebook Page does not, in any way, claim to represent or own any of the Apple® trademarks or rights. Apple® does not own, endorse, or promote this Facebook Fan Page.
If you get this request, don’t waste your time.
UPDATE: SOPHOS has created a video warning folks against this, now. Apparetnly, once you click everything and give them all you info, you’re cell phone gets signed up for some sort of premium something, costing you about $10 per week. As I said before, STAY AWAY!
Today, Microsoft unveiled their newst Windows Mobile OS, called “Windows Phone 7 Series”, and launched a website to show it off. From demo’s I’ve seen, the OS looks very Zune-ish. They have taken a huge departure from Windows Mobile 6, and they are obviously going after the iPhone and Android market with this.
The navigation and layout of this OS seems confusing and cluttered, to me. The transitions look nice, but finding your way around looks like a chore. Not like the typical “grid” view of the iPhone and Android OS’s. Windows posted a walkthrough video, to give potential customers an idea of what to expect:
Windows Phone 7 Serires will be released sometime near the end of 2010.
Yesterday, Feb 11, 2010, Shaw Communications cut positions from a few departments in their Victoria, BC system. Arguably, one of the most successful systems, in Shaw’s repertoire, cut back on at least 5 positions, that I am aware of. This comes as a surprise, as the company just reported great earings in the first quarter of fiscal 2010. The positions were varied, from office staff to field staff, so it would seem the company is trying to save money, all around.
I am not sure if this has happened in other Shaw systems, accross Canada. I tried to contact Shaw’s Human Resources Coordinator, Rachel Paisley, for a comment, but she is conveniently, “out of the office” this week.
Cutting jobs means more cash on the bottom line, so this will most likely make stock prices rise. Could this be the reason for the layoffs? This is unknown.
I am sad to report that I was one of the unlucky few who lost their position at Shaw yesterday. This definitely comes as a shock to me and my family. It will take some time to figure out what I want to do next, in life, but I’m sure I will land on my feet.
As of the time of this post, it is still unknown why these posotions were cut, as Shaw has yet to officially comment on the situation.
UPDATE (Feb 13, 2010): I ran into a former co-worker today. He told me another 5 people were let go, the following day. I wonder how many more across the country have lost their jobs?
UPDATE (Feb 16, 2010): Rumour is 10 more people were let go today. I have not been able to confirm this, but I got the info from a good source. Why is there nothing in the news about this?
Today, the iPhone Dev Team gave warning against scam websites saying they have an unlock for baseband 5.12. There is no such unlock at the moment, and when there is, it will be completely free. Don’t fall victim to these sites. They are just trying to capitalize on your misfortune.
There has been some reports of some progress on unlocking this newest baseband, but there is no ETA for it’s release.
Here’s what the Dev Team had to say:
While Apple’s 3.1.3 firmware was minor in terms of new features, it’s had the side effect of opening up a huge market for scam sites. These sites will promise you a 3.1.3 jailbreak for newer devices like the iPod touch 3G, or a baseband 05.12 software unlock. Those desperate enough to “just give it a shot” will find, 100% of the time, that they were misled. After money has changed hands they’ll be told “well the 05.12 unlock is coming, in the meantime here’s the 05.11 unlock” (of course the 05.11 unlock was intended to be free, as you all know). They’ll hold your money until one day the 05.12 unlock does come out, even if that’s months later (and of course it’ll be released for free). In the meantime they’ll be able to claim they gave you part of what they advertised, and keep at least part of your money (in actuality they’ll usually keep all of it).
Don’t fall for these scam sites! None of them have a 05.12 unlock, none have the 05.11 unlock working on 3.1.3, none have a 3.1.3 jailbreak for newer devices like the ipt3G. They’re trying to capitalize on your upgrade mistake, and they only need a very small percentage of people to fall for them to make their money and run.
Those following twitter may have seen some recent very early developments in the 05.12 unlock situation. One of our more helpful commenters sherif_hashim (at a rating of 84p you know he’s helped others much already!) found what looks like a very promising crash in the new baseband. He’s put in a lot of work looking for crashes over this past year, and he’s still looking for more! We’ve started to look at his crash but it’s a long road between any given crash and a fully working unlock, and we couldn’t put an ETA on it even if we wanted to. It’s not even guaranteed that an working unlock will come from this particular crash — it’s just too early to tell.
In the meantime, please stay vigilant against these scam sites. Don’t be part of the small percentage of people that fall for them because that small percentage is all they need.
Zoom Media Plus, have announced a SD card reader for iPhone, called “Zoomit“. It connects to the dock connector of your iPhone or iPod Touch, and comes with a free app, to manage your files. Here’s the official description from their website:
Zoomit is a revolution in managing content with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Combining application software with an intelligent accessory, zoomIt allows you to view, listen to, and share all of your photos, music, video and files on the go without the need to connect to your camera, Mac or PC.
One of the things that iPhone and iPod Touch owners have complained about, for some time, is no expandable memory. This card reader is SDHC compatible so you could potentilly more than double your iPhone’s capacity with this device. Although, ZoomMediaPLUS hasn’t mentioned it, the Zoomit should also work on the iPad.
The Zoomit is available for pre-order now. It is $59.95 USD, but if you pre-order you get $10 off. Additionally, the first 250 customers will get a free 4GB SD card! The accompanying app, will be a free download, from the App Store.
Hey everyone. So, you may have noticed I haven’t been posting anything here in a while. Well, due to some changes in my life, I’ve been trying to figure out what the hell I really want to be “when I grow up”. It turns out I really like this writing thing, and want to keep doing it, full-time. The thing is, this is a tough business to get into, and be successful, so I decided I cannot do it alone.
RoryPiper 
