Archive for March, 2008

The Unavoidable Malware Myth: Why Apple Won’t Inherit Microsoft’s Malware Crown

March 31, 2008 - 9:52 pm Comments Off
the unavoidable malware myth why apple won%e2%80%99t inherit microsoft%e2%80%99s malware crown

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Daniel Eran Dilger
According to the Unavoidable Malware Myth, Microsoft’s Windows security epidemic of viruses, spyware, and adware will be passed on to the next major computing platforms as an inevitable symptom of platform popularity. Were this to be true, it would be bad news for both Apple’s Mac platform, which is growing several times faster than the PC average, and for the iphone and iPod Touch, which appear to have an early lead as one of the most promising mobile platforms of the future. But malware isn’t unavoidable. The myth is wrong, here’s why.

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3D game dev app to get iPhone tools

March 31, 2008 - 2:23 pm Comments Off
3d game dev app to get iphone tools

Neglecting to release any specifics on how the development environment will integrate with Apple’s official SDK, Unity Technologies has announced that its multiplatform 3D game development tool, called Unity, will soon be able to create titles that run on the iphone.

A brief statement from Unity reads:

“The Unity engine is the core technology that facilitates visually rich, engaging 3D game play, whether it’s on a traditional desktop, or on the Web at major gaming sites like shockwave.com, or now on the world’s leading mobile device – the iphone. […] With support of the iphone platform, the Unity engine becomes platform agnostic and significantly expands the reach and capabilities of the tool. As a fully supported deployment platform, developers can now use Unity to drive development of the best games to iphone’s massive mobile market and beyond.”

The company is now accepting applications for an iphone beta program.

Unity has been used to develop a number of lesser-known game titles including “Big Bang Brain Games” from Freeverse, MegaPixel and Dukateers.

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Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Apple widening iPhone developer program acceptance

March 31, 2008 - 1:36 pm Comments Off
apple widening iphone developer program acceptance

Despite disconcerting notices that were interpreted as rejection letters, Apple is now sending acceptance letters to a much broader swath of those who applied to the $99 iphone Developer program — including many who received the initial, dismissive notes. iphone Atlas has, in the past 24 hours, received messages from a number of developers indicating acceptance into the program.One iphone Atlas reader writes:

“Looks like Apple is expanding the iphone dev Beta. I just got accepted into the iphone developer program. Good timing since I finished my first iphone app yesterday!”

The text of the acceptance letter reads:<

p>”Thank you for applying to the iphone Developer Program. We have reviewed the information you submitted when you initiated your program enrollment request and we are ready to instruct you on the steps required to complete the enrollment process. “Please click here to review and agree to the iphone Developer Program License Agreement. You must execute this agreement prior to completing the purchase and activation process for the iphone Developer Program. Once you complete and activate your purchase, your enrollment will be complete.”iphone Developer Program.”

The iphone Developer Program allows access to pre-release iphone software (i.e. iphone OS 2.0); technical support; the ability to get code onto iphones for testing; and distribution of applications via the new App Store.Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

iPhone OS 2.0 leaks, gets Contacts application; warning

March 31, 2008 - 10:15 am Comments Off
iphone os 20 leaks gets contacts application warning

As suspected, iphone OS 2.0 — which was included with the Aspen Emulator in iphone SDK beta 2 — has been issued to approved iphone developers, and subsequently leaked as an IPSW file that can be installed on physical devices.

The new release, like iphone OS 1.2, is highly unstable and requires the use of “pwnage,” a tool that leverages an exploit found in the lower levels of the iphone/iPod Touch bootloader. Exercising the exploit allows these devices to run unsigned code. With this capability in place, Pwnage can modify the iphone OS 1.2 or 2.0 IPSW (installation file), pre-activating and pre-jailbreaking it.

New features in the iphone OS 2.0 release are sparse. Most significantly, there is now a “Contacts” application. Traditionally, contacts have been accessible only through the Phone application.

If you happen to come across a leaked copy of iphone OS 2.0 we strongly recommend that you not attempt installation. Not only is the release unstable, causing potential problems with playback of iTunes content and more, but it is also illegal to posses. Installing the update will certainly void your warranty, and could potentiate legal action on Apple’s part.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

ZiPhone 3.0 — unlock/jailbreak tool — gets new features, fixes

March 31, 2008 - 10:03 am Comments Off
ziphone 30 %e2%80%94 unlockjailbreak tool %e2%80%94 gets new features fixes

Ziphone, the most popular tool for automatically jailbreaking and unlocking iphones, has been updated to version 3.0. The new release includes these enhancements:

  • No more need of fix nvram
  • Solution for GREYED wifi
  • No need for YouTube Fixes
  • Embedded apps installer
  • Customized plugins

The new release is available in both Mac and Windows versions from this download page. For further instructions on jailbreaking and unofficial third-party applications, see our resource page.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Exploring Time Capsule: WiFi 802.11n and the 5GHz band

March 31, 2008 - 9:46 am Comments Off
exploring time capsule wifi 80211n and the 5ghz band

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Earlier versions of the WiFi specification all used the 2.4GHz radio spectrum. The new 802.11n standard, supported in Time Capsule, the square AirPort Extreme, and recently shipping AirPort Express units, allows users to alternatively select the use of 5GHz channels. This segment, the third of six, compares the pros and cons of using this new section of frequencies, which can be both problematic and provide a major boost in speed.

Continues: Exploring Time Capsule: WiFi 802.11n and the 5GHz band

Previous articles related to Time Capsule and its AirPort Extreme cousin:

Exploring Time Capsule: theoretical speed vs practical throughput
Exploring Time Capsule: how it fits into Apple’s AirPort family
An in-depth review of Apple’s 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station
Apple Time Capsule unboxing and preview
A Look Inside Apple’s New Time Capsule
Answers to Time Capsule reader questions

Technorati Tags: , iphone” rel=”tag”>iphone, , ,

Engadget: iPhone Lookalike BlackBerry 9000 is “Sexy.” Umm, not so much.

March 30, 2008 - 9:26 pm Comments Off
engadget iphone lookalike blackberry 9000 is %e2%80%9csexy%e2%80%9d umm not so much

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Daniel Eran Dilger
Engadget profiled RIM’s new iphone styled BlackBerry 9000 (above on the right, aping the iphone’s chrome and black style but lacking its touchscreen), calling it sexy and praising its “beautiful user interface, which has been totally revamped from the ground up; gone is the cartoonish look and feel of the current lineup, replaced with a modern, warm theme with wireframe icons and slick animations.”

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Thom Holwerda of OSNews Calls “Mac Shot First” Misinformation and Slander. Oops!

March 30, 2008 - 9:08 pm Comments Off
thom holwerda of osnews calls %e2%80%9cmac shot first%e2%80%9d misinformation and slander oops

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Daniel Eran Dilger
Responding to the article “Mac Shot First: 10 Reasons Why CanSecWest Targets Apple,” Thom Holwerda of OSNews wrote a point by point essay titled “Countering Misinformation” that described my article as “an unrivaled wealth of misinformation, [with] some things even bordering on slander.” Of course, one can’t write slander (it’s called libel), but his serious accusations failed to refute any of the points I raised, and really betray his effort to smear me rather than correct any facts I presented. He’s wrong, here’s why.

Countering misinformation, OSNews
Mac Shot First: 10 Reasons Why CanSecWest Targets Apple

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Mac Shot First: 10 Reasons Why CanSecWest Targets Apple

March 29, 2008 - 9:27 am Comments Off
mac shot first 10 reasons why cansecwest targets apple

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Daniel Eran Dilger
The details emerging from the CanSecWest security contest fill out a story that is bigger than the simple “Mac Shot First” headlines convey. This was not a contest where three systems were placed in an equal foot race and the Mac simply lost due to being a slower runner. Here’s why.

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Exploring Time Capsule: theoretical speed vs practical throughput

March 28, 2008 - 5:41 pm Comments Off
exploring time capsule theoretical speed vs practical throughput

 Exploring-Tc-Part2-1

Time Capsule, announced earlier this year, is a base station with an integrated hard drive and power supply. The previous segment of this series exploring Time Capsule in depth looked at the differences in members of the AirPort family. This segment, the second of six, compares the differences between the hypothetical maximum data transmission speed and typical real world performance of Time Capsule’s SATA, USB 2.0, Ethernet networking, and WiFi Wireless networking interfaces.
Continues: Exploring Time Capsule: theoretical speed vs practical throughput