Friday, April 3, 2009

Top AppStore Apps

These are some great apps I've found on the AppStore. I'll keep this page updated with new apps as they roll out.


Beejive: This is hands down the best IM-Client on the iPhone. Beejive have truly delivered with this application. 24/7 connectivity even if you are not connected to the internet. However, recently, the developers have come down hard on the crackers and if you have the cracked application, you won’t be able to further use it.



IM+: I've been using as my primary MSN app for a long time now. It is impressive and is a 'good' substitute to Beejive. Supports IM Push solution which enables you to stay online even if you're not using the IM+ app. However, there is a bug which doesn't let you know the exact time you received a message from your contact and will instead show you the present time. Hopefully this should be fixed soon. Otherwise, a very useful app.





mBox Mail: mBox Mail is the best iPhone and iPod Touch Hotmail Solution. It offers full access and control of your Windows Live Hotmail. From folder management to Windows Live Contacts - all with a slick user interface, great performance, and unparalleled ease of use.



Concise Oxford English Dictionary and Thesaurus: Very easy to use and super handy. Dictionary and Thesaurus on the go.



Recorder: Handy tool to record lectures or anything that comes in mind. Records very good quality audio and lets you sync your recording to your computer using Wi-Fi.



RealSoccer2009: I LOVE THIS GAME! Definitely a must if you’re a football/soccer fan. The game play is addictive, has slick interface, amazing 3-D graphics and control that make this game a lot of fun to play. Do yourself a favour and get this game NOW.



iDracula: This game is a blast. Easily one of the best games on the App Store. It is an extremely impressive iPhone shooter with varied and scary monsters. Right from launching this game, the menu is superb and the graphics are awesome. The sound track is also really cool.



Tap Tap Revenge 2: To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the original Tap Rap Revenge, however, this new version is great. It is a well-polished game with great gameplay. No reason to not get this much-improved game.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

How to Convert Video to iPhone Format Using Kvip (Windows)

These are instructions on how to convert videos to iPhone Format using Kvip on Windows.

kVip is an awesome video converter which converts various video formats to a format that will play on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Follow these simple instructions to convert your favourite videos:

1] Download kVip

2] Open the kVip folder and then click on kvip.exe.



3] A window will open asking you to select the file which you wish to convert.



4] kVip will then commence it’s conversion to MPEG-4.



5] After conversion, launch iTunes and drag the converted video file to iTunes.



6] Connect your iPhone or iPod Touch and sync!


[Thanks to http://www.iclarified.com for the pictures]

Thursday, March 19, 2009

iPhone OS 3.0 Preview - BOOM!



On 17TH March, Apple held an invite only event that gave select media an advanced preview of the iPhone OS 3.0 at its Cupertino headquarters. The next version of the operating system that runs the iPhone, is available for developers to download but we would have to wait till this summer. This 3.0 Firmware will be available for all the iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Free update for the iPhone owners but the iPod Touch users will need to pay $10 for the upgrade.



The event went on for nearly two hours, Apple demoed the new ‘API’ for developers which features 1,000 new developer APIs, following with the new additions for the users. Apple boasts 100 new features for the iPhone 3.0 OS. However Apple did not showcase all of them. Some of the most important one’s are listed below:

Cut/Copy/Paste:



You wanted it, you’ve got it! Apple has finally delivered, and it will be available for all applications on the iPhone. To use this feature, double tapping on a word pulls up an option to cut, copy, and paste. To select more than a single word, simply slide your finger across the words. You can also copy texts from Safari and Photos. To undo the selection, a simple shake is needed.

Messaging:



The SMS app has been renamed to ‘'Messages’’. Apple has added the ability to forward and delete multiple messages. However, the greatest addition to the ‘Messages’ app is the support for MMS. You can now send and receive multimedia messages (MMS). You can send photos, voice recordings, and even contacts. Unfortunately due to hardware limitations, MMS support is only available on the iPhone 3G.






Voice Memos:



This is a new application by Apple, a voice recording app and has the ability to edit the memo and can also send the recording through email or MMS.

Spotlight Search:



Apple has brought about an iPhone version of its Mac OS X Spotlight Search. Key individual apps, including Mail, iPod, and Notes will have a search bar built in. By swiping to the left of the home screen brings up an open search box which allows you to search for anything you have on your iPhone including apps, emails and contacts.

Push Notifications:



This service was supposed to be implemented last September, but it was mysteriously removed from the beta. This will finally be a part of the iPhone Firmware 3.0 OS. Works the same way as it was shown at WWDC last year. Will notify you through audio alerts, text messages, and badge notifications. According to Apple this is a better solution than backgrounding which consumes too much battery. Can’t wait for this one!

Landscape Support:



A welcome addition! All default apps will now have landscape support. You can finally take advantage of the bigger keyboard in Messages, Notes, Mail and others.

Peer-to-Peer:



Peer-to-Peer connectivity will allow the iPhone to connect to another iPhone over Bluetooth using Bonjour. This would allow users to play multi-player games without the need to be connected through WiFi. It will automatically discover other iPhone’s in close proximity running the same application. Brilliant!

Stereo Bluetooth/A2DP Support:

The iPhone 3G will now have support for stereo Bluetooth headsets.
Note: Unfortunately this does not include file transfers.

Navigation:



The iPhone Firmware 3.0 will offer support for ‘turn-by-turn’ directions and developers can build it into their apps. Very handy for some people.

In-App Purchase:



This lets you buy additional or new features from directly inside the App you are using, for example new additional levels for a game might have to be bought. However, free apps remain free. I’m not much of a fan of this new feature as it will make apps more costly.


According to Apple, this new iPhone OS 3.0 will have more than 100 new features. I for one can’t wait to see what Apple has in store for us. I’m sure you all also can’t wait to update your iPhone OS. Although, I’m disappointed that Apple didn’t announce a ‘Video Recorder’. Cycorder does a great job but I want to see a built in version. For the rest, we’ll have to wait until the *summers* :)

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Some Great Cydia Softwares

After Jailbreaking your iPhone, some must have Cydia Software’s are:

Chronus: An application that allows you to back up your iPhone. You can backup your contacts, text messages and so on. So if you accidentally delete it, you can save yourself from cursing and just restore :)

Cycorder: This is a ‘must have’ Cydia software! It’s a free Video Recorder and the quality is brilliant. For a 2MP Camera, this is some good stuff.

iRealSMS: Serves as a paid replacement for the standard SMS app on jailbroken devices. It offers a few advantages over Apple's app, like landscape mode for everything in the app, the ability to organize messages into folders, save drafts, search messages by the sender's name, forward messages and more.

Installous: Download cracked apps directly on your iPhone. (Covered in more detail below).

mAdvLock: Locks applications(both system and AppStore ones) and all kinds of files in your iPhone with password. It is also a simple anti-theft tool, you can setup mAdvLock to lock your iPhone when SIM is changed, and send a SMS to a pre-defined number. mAdvLock protects important information and personal data that you have stored in your iPhone. It's a must-have application for your iPhone, especially when your iPhone is in the hands of your ‘stupid’ friends ;)

Winterboard: Gives you the ability to change the home screen (springboard) wallpaper, home screen icons, status bar and more.

[I’ll keep this page updated whenever great software’s rolls out].

Install Cracked AppStore Apps (IPA's) Directly On Your iPhone

Yeah, it’s possible! Thanks to the guys at hackulo.us, you can download all those sweet Apps from the AppStore directly on your iPhone. Brilliant! No need to sync them over every time you download a new one. So let’s start:

1] Go to Cydia, and add this source: http://cydia.hackulo.us
2] Install Installous from the source and quit Cydia
3] Reboot your iPhone

That’s it. Now you’ll have a new icon on your springboard. Open it and you’re all ready to go. Browse for an application and then tap ‘Install’ and you’re done.

Note: It is extremely important that you uninstall Safari DL Plugin first (i.e. if you have installed it in the first place otherwise just continue), otherwise you will get a source error while trying to install this application!

Now for the noobs:























Enjoy :)

[Thanks to http://how-du.blogspot.com/ for the pictures]

Sunday, March 8, 2009

How to Update iPod Touch (1st Gen) to Firmware 2.0 for Free



This tutorial is directed towards people who have the 1st Generation iPod Touch.
If you have one of these and you are desperately wanting to upgrade to Firmware 2.0 and above, to have the magnificent 'AppStore' but are upset about the fee of $9.25 then this is the guide for you!

Just follow the steps below and soon you will be having an updated iPod Touch 2.0 absolutely for free:

1] Download and install the latest version of iTunes

2] Hold Shift and click Restore.

3] Select iPod1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw

This will upgrade your iPod Touch to firmware version 2. To get the latest version (which is not v2 any more), open iTunes and click “Update”. This will automatically update your iPod Touch to the latest version (whichever it is) for free.

The iPod1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw firmware can be downloaded from:

Here

Note: If you have the second generation iPod Touch then this guide is not needed as the new generation is loaded with Firmware 2.1. Enjoy :)

The Best Source for IPA's (Cracked Apps)

Many people have asked me, what is the best website to get cracked apps? Well I recommend: http://appulo.us/appdb/
It has a great extensive database and currently my favourite. Just hit the link and enjoy!

[After downloading the app, drag to iTunes and Sync! Make sure to read my post on 'How to install cracked apps']

How to get Cracked Cydia Softwares

For some great cracked Cydia softwares go to:
http://xsellize.com/register.php
Register and then add your 'own' source.. It'll be something like: http://xsellize.com/cydia/your username-your password'
Once you do that, you get alot of cracked Cydia softwares like Chronus, iRealSMS and alot more!

As you people know, the iPhone sadly cannot forward text messages and this feature is greatly missed. However, these great developers have found a workaround. Download 'iRealSMS' [Premium Version] software which features text forwarding from the xsellize source.

Chronus is a successor of TimeCapsule for firmware 2.x. Chronus backups and restores settings of applications on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Download from the same source.

How to Install Cracked iPhone Apps Through iTunes



As a reminder, this is illegal! I do not encourage anyone to hack or crack iPhone games. Some developers spend quite some time working on them and they don’t want to see their work ripped off. If you see an iPhone game or application that you like, download it legally through the App Store.

Installing cracked iPhone apps on your iPhone is really easy, it requires you to jailbreak your iPhone, install OpenSSH, and replace a certain framework known as MobileInstallation.

But still there is an easier method to achieve it, and it works on the latest 2.2 firmware.

Follow the 2 easy steps, click the link below.

First you need to jailbreak your iPhone.
Then go to Cydia and add this repo: xsellize.com/cydia
The last step is to install this application : 'IPA Prep 2.2'

That’s it, now you can install cracked iPhone apps directly through iTunes.

[Courtesy: http://www.macgeekblog.com]

Create an iTunes App Store account without a credit card

So you have a spanking new iPhone or iPod Touch and you can’t wait to download all these applications from iTunes until you realize you need a Credit Card to have an iTunes account. Or, maybe you do have a Credit Card but the app you want is not available in your country? Don’t panic, there is an easy solution to this problem, and best of all, it’s totally legit and should take you about 2 minutes to set up.

This tutorial will teach you how to create an iTunes account in any country whether you have a credit card or not. All you need is 2 minutes, an Internet connection and have iTunes already running on your computer.

1. Select country



1] First things first. Go to iTunes homepage, and select United States at the very bottom of the page.

2] Click on a free app

Once you have selected your country, you want to click on a free app in the “top free apps” section (see image above). After clicking on the app, it will open the app description page. From there, click on “Get App”.



3] Create a new account

After clicking on “get app”, a window like the one below will pop up. Simply click on”Create New Account”.



4] iTunes welcome message

You will see this welcome message. Click “Continue”.



5] Terms Of Service

You will now see the usual Terms Of Service. Check the box saying that you agree and click “Continue”.



6] Create your iTunes account

Enter the information required to create your iTunes account. DO NOT lie about your email address as it would be pointless. You have to provide a real email address to activate your iTunes account. After creating your account info, click “Continue”.



7] Payment method

Now, where you would normally be supposed to enter your credit card information, you have another option showing up: “Payment method: None”. Select “None”. Choose City and State as 'New York', Zip Code as '10005' and enter Phone number as '212-any 7 digit number' and Click Continue.



8] Verify your account

You now get a message saying that a confirmation email has been sent to the address you provided.




9] Check your emails to activate

Go check your emails. You should have received the email below from Apple. If it’s not here, make sure to check your spam folder. Click the link in the email to activate your new iTunes account.




10] Sign in your new iTunes account

Now you should be prompted to sign in. Enter your email and password.



11] Congratulations

Done! You now have an iTunes account that you created without giving your credit card information.



Hope this is of help to some of you :)
[Thanks to www.iphonedownloadblog.com]

Saturday, March 7, 2009

The iPhone - What it replaced!



Yeah, there it is, my iPhone! Initially, I was nervous about the high cost of the phone, but in hindsight, it is very worth it when you simply consider the stuff I don't need anymore! (Granted, I didn't have all of this stuff before, but now I don't need to get it, do I?)

So here's what my phone replaces:

Telephone
Camera
Calendar
Note pad
Watch
Alarm Clock
MP3 Player
Voice Recorder
Handheld Gaming Device
Calculator (just for quick calculations)
Dictionary
Handheld Language Translator
Flashlight
My free time =P

Things it does that I didn't do at all before:
Mobile E-Mail and Mobile Messenger