Absinthe’s “so-easy-your-grandma-could-do-it” jailbreak tool just got an update to version 2.0, enabling support for a handful of Apple portables running iOS 5.1.1. Absinthe 2.0, which was developed by the “Jailbreak Dream Team” (Chronic-Dev and iPhone Dev) joins Redsn0w’s tool, and will support all iPhone and iPad versions, with the exception of iPad2,4 — the most recent iPad 2 variant, shipping with a 32nm A5 chip. The jailbreak tool can also be installed on iPod3,1 and 4,1 models. Assuming your iOS device is up and running with firmware 5.1.1, you can hit up the source link after the break to get your download on. AppleTV (second gen) users can get in on the fun too, with the latest version of Seas0npass for 5.0.1.

Continue reading Absinthe 2.0 hits the download wire, jailbreaks all iOS 5.1.1 devices but the 32nm iPad 2

Absinthe 2.0 hits the download wire, jailbreaks all iOS 5.1.1 devices but the 32nm iPad 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes you just don’t feel like getting up to flip through that Yacht Rock playlist on Spotify while your Apple slate rests comfortably in its dock. Satechi is looking to prolong your relaxation with its BT Media Remote for your iPhone, iPad or Mac. The accessory does exactly what you’d expect — it allows you to peruse your audio and video libraries on a Bluetooth-enabled iOS device while connected to a TV, docking station or your car’s stereo. On top of the usual remote functions, the accessory can be used as a remote camera shutter control for those all-important group shots and the home button can summon your smartphone’s personal assistant. Interested? You can snag yours now for a mere $40 via the source link below.

Continue reading Satechi BT Media Remote steers your iOS media habits, summons Siri via Bluetooth

Satechi BT Media Remote steers your iOS media habits, summons Siri via Bluetooth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Although PayPal’s mobile payment system started out small with a Home Depot deal, that snowball is quickly rolling itself into a boulder. Starting next month, 15 extra US retailers will be happy to see you slap down your smartphone (not literally, we hope) instead of a credit card. The selection leads us to think a lot of smartphone owners like to shop for wearables — Aéropostale, Foot Locker and JC Penney are in the batch, along with others — but there’s a few useful exceptions, like Barnes & Noble, Jamba Juice and TigerDirect. At least a total of 20 merchants are expected by the end of year, and as with Home Depot, you won’t need special hardware besides an Android or iOS device to spend your hard-earned cash. We’ll just be thankful we won’t have to buy our yogurt with actual cash, like savages.

PayPal lines up 15 retailers for mobile payments, will let you buy Jamba Juice smoothies with a smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tweetbot just got the update treatment, enabling a handful of features aimed at optimizing the way you interact with Twitter, both online and off. These added gems include an option to mute certain keywords (‘cereal’ may be a good start), location-based keyword searches, along with offline favorite and read later support (for booting links to apps like Instapaper or Pocket, for offline viewing). Most other functionality remains unchanged, as does the $2.99 price tag. You’ll find the full list of updates after the break, with download links just below.

Continue reading Tweetbot 2.4 brings keyword mute filters, offline favorite and read later support

Tweetbot 2.4 brings keyword mute filters, offline favorite and read later support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  Tweetbot (iPhone), Twitter (iPad)  | Email this | Comments

Been looking forward to porting your BBM addiction to iOS or Android in hopes of finally kicking that Crackberry to the curb? Take a seat — it looks like RIM’s private messaging service isn’t going anywhere. According to a Wall Street Journal source, the firm’s new CEO has shut down rumors of a BlackBerry Messenger port. “It was not up for discussion,” the WSJ was told. According to a person “familiar with the matter,” CEO Thorsten Heins decided that RIM shouldn’t be pursuing licensing deals. Heins’ apparent house cleaning might be a deal breaker for BlackBerry veterans looking to jump ship, requiring users to stick with RIM to maintain their dwindling BBM contact lists. Bummer? Sure is, but at least your pals don’t need a security clearance to ping you.

BBM staying exclusive to BlackBerry, says WSJ source originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 18:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook has kept itself rather busy in the last month or so with such tasks as going public and purchasing popular photo-sharing app Instagram, but that doesn’t mean it stopped working on other projects in the meantime. This realization is apparent with the launch of Facebook Camera, a photo-centric application that chooses to remain separated from the company’s general mobile representation. It’s still connected with the social network, of course, but it brings a fresh user interface and some light Photoshop-esque features to the table: filters, cropping, zoom, twist and so on. We had the opportunity to grab the new app and take it for a spin on an iPhone, so check out the gallery and continue below for our first impressions.

Continue reading Facebook Camera hands-on

Facebook Camera hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bump has managed to garner quite a following among iPhone and Android users, but they’ve so far only been able to transfer files between two mobile devices, not between their phone and their home computer. The company’s managed to find a workaround of sorts to that limitation though, and has today rolled out a new feature that will let you send photos (and only photos) from your phone to your desktop. To do so, you’ll first have to update the Bump app on your phone and then head to the Bump website, at which point you can simply tap the spacebar to transfer your photos (with your phone if you want to keep the whole “bump” motif going). As you can probably surmise, that means photos are transferred to Bump’s website and not directly to your computer, but that does have the added benefit of making the photos a bit easier to share on your social network of choice.

Bump app for Android and iOS adds desktop photo sharing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking for yet another way to share photos on Facebook? Then you now have a new option to consider courtesy of the company itself, which has today rolled out its new Facebook Camera app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It promises to let you share and view photos faster than within the main Facebook app (not to mention give you higher-res photos), and you’ll also get a variety of Instagram-style filters (15 in all) as well as some basic editing tools — features that were apparently developed independently by Facebook itself and not borrowed from Instagram, which it hasn’t yet completed its acquisition of. As with Facebook’s other apps, it’s completely free, and you can grab it right now at the App Store link below.

Facebook releases new filter-equipped Camera app for iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 13:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did you see the Google+ 2.0 update for iPhone and wonder if Google’s attention had drifted away from its own baby? Don’t fret, as the Android app has just been given similarly loving treatment. The interface shares the reworked stream look that we saw on iOS while keeping the swipe-to-switch category filters that Google+ has used from the start. There’s even small rewards for having to watch your iPhone friends go first: you can now start a Hangout video chat from the main menu, get ringing Hangout notifications, download photos directly from conversations and edit your posts after the fact. The new look has already proved polarizing, but if you’re the sort who revels in the purity of a Google social network running on a Google platform, you can now try the overhaul for yourself.

Google+ on Android gets its turn at a UI remake, extra Hangout and photo features in the bargain originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been jonesing for a more international look at smartphone market share for the start of 2012, and IDC is now more than willing to oblige. In case you’d thought Android’s relentless march upwards was just an American fling, Google’s OS has jumped from 36.1 percent of the world’s share a year ago to exactly 59 percent in the first quarter of this year. That’s nearly two thirds of all smartphones, folks. As we’ve seen in the past, Android is siphoning off legacy users looking for something fresher: Symbian and the BlackBerry have both lost more than half of their share in one year’s time, while Linux (led mostly by Bada) and Windows Mobile / Phone together lost small pieces of the pie despite raw shipment numbers going up. As for Apple? Even with all the heat in the kitchen, the iPhone’s share grew to 23 percent, leading to a staggering 82 percent of smartphone buyers siding with either the Cupertino or Mountain View camps.

Continue reading IDC: Android has a heady 59 percent of world smartphone share, iPhone still on the way up

IDC: Android has a heady 59 percent of world smartphone share, iPhone still on the way up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Documenting Your Life Series is presented by Western Digital. We believe your life’s most valuable moments should always be close and accessible. My Passport 2 TB portable hard drives let you dream big and carry small.

Making a great video used to mean pulling out an expensive video camera and owning your own video editing suite. Now you can do many of the same things once exclusively reserved for a high-end equipment right on your iPhone without a ton of cash or a lot of training.

The iPhone is capable of recording high-definition video suitable for the giant plasma screen in your living room, and there are a number of video editing apps out there to help you polish your video and add opening credits, sound effects and even a soundtrack into the mix — without ever leaving your device.

If you’re more interested in sharing your video than giving it a professional look -– or if you want to share a masterpiece you’ve just created immediately –- most iOS video apps also offer the ability to upload your finished product directly from your phone to popular video hubs such as YouTube and Vimeo, where you can share them with friends, family and the world.

Check out the gallery for some of our favorite iOS video apps for shooting, editing and sharing videos. Included in the mix are some apps that will give your video a finished look as well as a few apps designed to make your high-tech video look like it was recorded on a Hi8 camcorder.

Do you have your own favorite video app for iOS? Let us know what you like to use to create and share videos in the comments.

1. iMovie

iMovie is a video app created by Apple, and it’s possibly one of the most well-known video editing apps for iOS. Much like iMovie on a Mac, iMovie for iOS lets you edit your videos and include photos, music and sound effects into the mix — and it all happens on your phone. The app has eight built-in themes with their own titles, transitions and soundtracks, as well as nine built-in trailers for creating the perfect preview for your film.

Finished masterpieces can also be immediately uploaded and shared on video sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo.

Cost:: $4.99

Click here to view this gallery.

Series presented by Western Digital

More About: App, Documenting Your Life Series, features, iOS, ipad, iphone, iPod Touch, mashable, Video

We’re all familiar with syncing bookmarks and save-for-later web services like Instapaper, but it’s not often that they come with a full web component. Yahoo’s hoping to hit the proverbial two birds tonight with Axis, which combines a desktop web browser extension (your choice of Chrome, Firefox or Safari) with a mobile app on the iPad and iPhone. You can bookmark any page and get at it later through a common portal — hence the Axis name. That unity idea also extends to the idea of browser searching, where you’ll see both trending topics as well as immediate answers and visual thumbnails of the top search results. Mobile users can share content through email, Pinterest or Twitter, if that’s their inclination. Axis is ready and free to use as of today, although Android users won’t get their turn until closer to the end of the year.

Engadget had a chance to give Axis a quick spin, and we largely like what we see, even if we’d say it’s not for everyone. The desktop browser extension largely stays out of your way until you need it, although we’re surprised the social sharing elements are left out. On the mobile side, it’s effectively a full, tabbed web browser, and a fairly solid (if simple) one at that. Most of the advantage comes through having the deeper search options just a pull away. Our issues mostly stem from the need for the app and the ecosystem it’s leaping into. If you already thrive on (or want to try) services like Instapaper or Pocket, you’re not going to get significantly more here, especially since you can’t save content offline. Choosing iOS also means you can’t make Axis your default browser, so any links you get from other apps can’t be directly shared with Yahoo’s mobile app.

Yahoo Axis on desktop, iOS unifies your bookmarks, makes the web visual (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft is planning to release both iOS and Android variants of its Office suite of products this fall, a new report says. The date matches closely to when the company is expected to release Windows 8 and the new version of Office.

According to Boy Genius Report, which cites a “reliable source,” both the iOS and Android versions will be the “full Office suite.” Presumably that includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as tie-ins to Microsoft’s cloud services for Office. There are already OneNote and SkyDrive apps for iOS, and the former is on Android as well.

The report said it’s unclear whether Microsoft plans to release Office on iOS for just the iPad or for the iPhone and iPod Touch as well. A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to comment to Mashable about the story.

There have been previous reports that Microsoft is working on Office for iPad, and The Daily said it had even seen the app first-hand. However, Microsoft said an alleged screenshot of the app is a fake. That report, from February, said the app was “weeks” away from release.

That timeframe was obviously incorrect, but creating an iPad version of Office is a logical move for Microsoft. The company is already a presence on Apple’s platform with its other iOS apps and Office for OS X. Office for iPad is also in the spirit of Microsoft’s general new direction toward making its software more platform-agnostic.

Microsoft has previously announced it was working on the next version of Office, and it describes “Office 15″ as the “most ambitious undertaking” yet from the company’s Office Division. The release is certainly timed to coincide with the launch of Windows 8, which will see new versions of Office tailored to Windows 8 tablets.

What do you want to see from Office on iOS or Android? Sound off in the comments.

More About: android, iOS, microsoft, office

Having already made headway into the digital frontier last year, video game subscription service GameFly is now ready to expand its sphere of influence into the world of mobile. The company’s aspiring for greatness, announcing this morning that it plans to begin publishing iOS and Android titles as early as this summer. And that’s not all, folks: we can expect to see the GameFly GameStore, a gaming-oriented competitor to the Play Store and Amazon AppStore, sometime this fall. In addition to its goal of being the biggest and baddest kid on the block, GameFly intends to don the role of philanthropist, setting aside a fund to assist struggling devs who might just need a few extra bucks to finish the next mobile masterpiece. If you fall in this category, the company’s already accepting submissions, so read through the press release below to get all the necessary details.

Continue reading GameFly to begin publishing smartphone apps, will launch its own Android game store

GameFly to begin publishing smartphone apps, will launch its own Android game store originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google gave its official search app an iPad remake late last year, and now it’s smaller iPhone and iPod touch devices getting the new UI’s treatment. As of Google Search App 2.0, the smaller iOS devices see a big emphasis on full-screen navigation, with an automatic full-screen mode and a dedicated full-screen photo search making the most of the limited display real estate. You can now swipe back to search results like you could with the iPad, and it’s overall much faster in the app to hop between different search types as well as web apps like Calendar or Gmail. There’s still something in it for you if you’ve already been deep into the iPad port’s interface, as the tablet and the iPhone alike can now save photos directly to the iOS camera roll. You’ll need at least iOS 4.2 to live in Google’s non-Android mobile universe, but those that measure up can leap in through the source link.

Google Search for iPhone gets the 2.0 remake, full-screen search and swipes aplenty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we’re not looking up at the stars, we’re likely looking at a screen, so any chance to combine those two is greeted with open arms. As it happens, we’ve been thumbing NASA’s iOS app for a while, and now it’s finally gotten an update. Users of the iPhone / iPod version can enjoy — among other things — a new interface, weather forecasts in the sighting opportunity sections and printing support. So, if you missed the action this morning, perhaps you can print off a memento?

NASA app goes 2.0, the safest launch this century originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 17:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Although we generally raved about the performance of Sonos’ Play:3 wireless HiFi speakers, one of our chief complaints rested in their slightly muddy bass output. Folks who’ve felt similarly should be pleased to know that the company has unveiled its first subwoofer, dubbed Sonos Sub. This $700 bass-dropper works wirelessly with your existing Sonos speakers, requiring a quick a setup within the app to ensure it’s in-phase and putting out an adequate level of volume. You’ll only find a single cable and switch for power on the outside, while looking through its center reveals a duo of “force-cancelling” drivers. Two internal air-ports also flow from top to bottom to aid in the unit’s bass reproduction.

We gave a pre-production unit a very brief listen with a stereo array of Sonos Play:3s and came out fairly impressed. The speakers are no slouches on their own, but there’s no denying the extra power a sub can add to the HiFi boxes. Measuring in at 15.8 x 6.2 x 15 inches (402 x 158 x 380mm) the Sub dwarf’s even the larger Play:5, but a Sonos rep let us know it ensures it’ll cover a range of spaces — not mention folks using the Connect:Amp with their own HiFi speakers (Sonos’ Connect, ZP90 and ZP80 aren’t compatible, however). We got pleasing results from our unit planted on a table a few feet away from any walls, and the system didn’t show any signs or shaking or rattling. The Sub can thankfully rest sideways for placement under some couches, but you’ll likely want to “set it and forget it” since it weighs about 36 pounds. Our only displeasure rests in the glossy finish — a magnet for fingerprints and dust — but we’re told a non-gloss version will be offered later for $100 less. You’ll be able to pick up this wub-maker come June 19, so check out the video and press release after the break for more info in the meantime.

Continue reading Sonos’ wireless Sub adds extra thump to your Sonos system for $700 (ears-on)

Sonos’ wireless Sub adds extra thump to your Sonos system for $700 (ears-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 10:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If there’s some video chat corollary to Moore’s Law, ooVoo is adhering to it. Almost a year to the day after announcing six-way calls, the company is expanding its offerings to include 12-way chats on both Facebook and ooVoo’s iPad app. It would seem that on FB, at least, that means true 12-way, face-to-face conversations — an obvious one-up to Facebook’s native video calling app, which is powered by Skype. On the iPad, however, that 12-way claim comes with a substantial quid pro quo: while you can partake in chat with 12 people at once, you can only view up to four people’s streams at a time. Moving on, folks using ooVoo on Android or the iPhone will notice some UI tweaks starting today, while people plugged into the desktop version will be treated to a more drastic overhaul. Rounding out the list of newsy bits, the ability to record and upload video chats to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter is now free. You can get your update on now at ooVoo.com, the Apple App Store or Google Play, and we’ve got one last screen shot after the break to help illustrate what’s on tap.

Continue reading ooVoo opens up 12-way chat on Facebook and the iPad, gives other apps a facelift

ooVoo opens up 12-way chat on Facebook and the iPad, gives other apps a facelift originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smartphones have revolutionized how we communicate and the way we create, share and consume content. Yet there’s one aspect of using these devices that remains stuck in the last millennium, and that’s the calling experience — yes, apparently some people still make phone calls. Sure, there are plenty of VoIP and video calling apps out there, but few are simple and beautiful.

Enter Sidecar, a free app which aims to reinvent the way we make phone calls by adding messaging as well as real-time video, photo, location and contact sharing to that antiquated calling experience. It achieves this through an intuitive and polished user interface plus a handful of standards such as SIP and XMPP. Phone calls between Sidecar users are free anywhere in the world — the app even supports free WiFi calling to any number in the US or Canada.

While Sidecar’s been available in beta on Android for several weeks, it’s launching on iOS today with support for the iPhone and iPod touch. We’ve been using the app on and off for a few days on several handsets, including a Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ and an iPhone 4S and it works exactly as described. Looking for additional details? Check out the demo video and full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sidecar comes out of beta, reinvents phone calls

Sidecar comes out of beta, reinvents phone calls originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As the temperatures heat up, the availability of new network TV programming is falling off as it does every year, and Hulu is taking advantage of the lull to amp up its offerings of original content with ten new shows this summer. The shows include selections like Kevin Smith’s Spoilers which is a chat about the summer’s films, travel series Up To Speed and playground basketball comedy We Got Next. All ten shows are set to debut throughout the summer on both the free Hulu and paid Hulu Plus services. One thing subscribers don’t have to wait for however, is a freshly updated version of the Hulu Plus app for iOS, which features a “re-engineered, optimized video player”, new iPad GUI, support for retina display on the iPad and improved handling of AirPlay mirroring and HDMI video out. Version 2.5 can be found on iTunes, while a press release with details on all ten shows and video trailer are embedded after the break.

Continue reading Hulu delivers 10 new original shows for summer, iOS app update with iPad retina display support

Hulu delivers 10 new original shows for summer, iOS app update with iPad retina display support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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