Siri for Pre-iPhone 4S Jailbroken iPhones Available, but It Remains Complicated

Grant Paul (chpwn) has posted a new tool for Jailbroken iPhones that allows Siri to run on pre-iPhone 4S devices. The tool (called Spire) gets around any copyright issues by downloading Siri from device images housed directly on Apple's servers and installs them on your device. The download is about 100MB, so a Wi-Fi connection is recommended.

It's not quite as simple as that, however. Siri still requires special authentication when connecting to Apple's servers. For early testers, this has meant pulling the authentication key from a valid iPhone 4S. Not only that, but the key must be regenerated every 24 hours.

For Spire users, that means setting up a proxy server, and connecting an iPhone 4S to it regularly.

However, Spire is not a complete solution. Apple still requires authorization to use Siri, so information from an iPhone 4S is still required. To insert this information, Spire allows you to enter your own proxy server address. By using this (ancient) SiriProxy fork, you can setup a proxy using your own iPhone 4S to insert the needed information reasonably easily.

So, it's not quite as plug-and-go, but it's a step closer to that reality, if you are desperate for Siri -- and have an iPhone 4S at your beck and call. The proxy workaround is required while we wait for the iPhone 4S jailbreak that should simplify the matter somewhat, but even then you'll still need regular access to an iPhone 4S-generated authentication key.

Untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak Available for Non A5-Devices

Dev-Team and Chronic Dev Team have released an untethered 5.0.1 jailbreak for non-A5 devices. Developed by @pod2g, the new jailbreak is now available:

A few days ago, @pod2g gave the untether to both the iPhone devteam and the chronic devteam. We’ve put it into redsn0w 0.9.10 and PwnageTool, and the chronic devteam put it into a Cydia package (the same set of exploits is in all three).

Detailed instructions are available on each respective site. The new jailbreak is only available to devices prior to the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S which both use the A5 processor. Jailbreaks for those devices are still pending.

This is also the first "untethered" 5.0.1 jailbreak which allows the jailbreak to remain active without having to reconnect to a computer upon reboot.

Apple Planning Completely Redesigned iPhone for Fall 2012 Launch?

BGR reports that Apple is planning to launch a completely redesigned iPhone in the fall of next year, following the trend set by the iPhone 4S of new hardware being released later in the year as opposed to the mid-year timeframe used previously.

According the report, the next iPhone will utilize an aluminum back panel rather than the glass found on the iPhone 4 and 4S. The new design will reportedly also see the incorporation of a rubber or plastic bezel covering similar to that used on Apple's iPhone bumpers, with the covering serving to protect the device's antennas from direct skin contact.

We have also learned that Apple is planning to use a rubber or plastic material — similar to the material used in the company’s bumper cases — that will be built into the new iPhone case. In all likelihood, this material will be used as a bezel surrounding the front edge of the phone (like the iPhone 3GS bezel) and it will serve two purposes. First, it will join the glass iPhone face with a new aluminum back plate. It will also cover a redesigned antenna system that surrounds the device, allowing Apple to build the rear case out of aluminum without having to use a large plastic insert above the antennas as the company does on its iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.

 

BGR has a mixed track record when it comes to hardware rumors, coming relatively close on Apple's late 2011 iPhone lineup while missing with a claim of a redesigned WiMAX iPhone 5 exclusive to Sprint.

Best Buy Offering Buy One, Get One Free Offer on 32GB iPhone 4 Today

In another last minute Christmas Eve offer, BestBuy is offering the 32GB iPhone 4 in a Buy One, Get One Free Offer.

Apple doesn't officially offer the 32GB iPhone 4 anymore. After the introduction of the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4 is being officially sold now as an 8GB model only, but stock of the 32GB models must remain. The 32GB iPhone 4 costs $199 plus 2 year contract. If you buy two from Best Buy today (in store only), you get the 2nd one free. Both need to sign up for two year contracts, but it's still a nice savings -- if you're in the market for two new iPhone 4 devices.

Apple Pushing to Introduce iPad 3 on Steve Jobs' February 24th Birthday?

FocusTaiwan reports (via 9to5Mac) that Apple pushing its manufacturing partners to meet deadlines that would allow the company to launch the iPad on Steve Jobs' birthday, February 24th.

A local Chinese-language newspaper reported Friday that iPad3 might be launched on Feb. 24 to mark the anniversary of the birth of Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Citing sources close to Taiwanese makers in the iPad3 supply chain, the Economic Daily News said the gadget could be launched in mid-first quarter of next year or by the end of next March.

According to the report, workers at several iPad component suppliers as well as manufacturing partner Foxconn will have limited time off during the usual Lunar New Year holiday. The Lunar New Year holiday itself falls on January 23rd next year, with workers generally receiving a number of other days off from work around that date.


Sources have been reporting a variety of rumored dates for an iPad 3 introduction, with some claiming a debut in the March-April timeframe while others have pointed to a February launch being in the works.

Apple last year launched new MacBook Pro models on Jobs' birthday, although that unusual Thursday introduction was likely a convenient coincidence driven by the debut taking place during the Presidents Day holiday week.

Evernote Releases Skitch for iPad

When image editing and sharing app Skitch was acquired by Evernote earlier this year, we were told iPhone and iPad versions were on the way -- and now Skitch for iPad has arrived.

Skitch is the amazingly fun and surprisingly powerful way to move your ideas and projects forward using fewer words. With Skitch, annotate and draw on just about anything that you see, whether it’s a new or existing photo, a webpage, screenshot, map, or a blank canvas. Then, share your work with friends, colleagues or save it all to Evernote. It couldn’t be simpler.

There are a number of ways to get content into Skitch including:

- Photos and Camera: Choose to work on an existing image from your camera roll or take a new photo with your iPad. Use the camera to take photos of things that inspire you or to draw a mustache on a friend. If you have an iPad 1 with no camera, then the camera option won’t appear.

- Screenshot: Skitch for iPad has built in smarts that help it identify recently-made screenshots. Taking a screenshot on your iPad is easy, simply press both the power and home buttons at the same time. The screen will flash and the screenshot will be saved to your camera roll. Open Skitch, tap the Screenshot button, annotate the image, then share it with your team. This is great for everything from mobile app design to showing off your latest Angry Birds score.

- Web: Skitch for iPad has its own web browser designed to help you mark up any webpages you encounter. After tapping the Web icon, you can either go directly to a URL or type in a search. When you find the page you want, tap on the Snap icon. Now you have an image of the webpage to annotate. Use this to provide feedback on a web project or to point out something you want to buy.

- Map: Have you ever struggled to explain exactly where to meet someone or which building on campus is yours or how to find the best hiking spot? Then the Skitch Map option is for you. Pinch and zoom into the map, then use the Skitch drawing tools to point out a landmark or draw a path. You would be surprised how often the exact place you need isn’t easy to locate without some additional help. With Skitch, you can put an end to driving in circles or walking for hours.

- Blank: Sometimes you just need to start fresh. Open the blank canvas and sketch to your heart’s content. Use the shapes, arrows, drawing tools, and colors to compose a work of art or to play a killer game of Pictionary.

Skitch for iPad is free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

This is What a 7.85-Inch iPad Looks and Feels Like

There's been increasing chatter in the rumor mill about the possibility of a smaller 7.85" iPad that could be introduced sometime in 2012.


7.85" iPad on left, 9.7" (current) iPad on right
The rationale behind the smaller form factor is for Apple to better compete against the new 7" Kindle Fire tablet from Amazon. Amazon's new Kindle line seems to be an early success with over 3 million sold over the first three weeks. Amazon doesn't break down the numbers for individual models but calls out the Fire as "the most successful product we've ever launched".

Apple's never been one to try to compete spec for spec against their competitors. The iPhone, for example, has kept the same basic form factor across 5 different generations, despite a proliferation of different sizes amongst its competitors. While we're not sure what makes a smaller iPad different, we've heard it frequently enough that we believe Apple is in late prototyping phases for such a device.

The supply chain has actually been very specific about the screen size of this rumored iPad. According to Chinese manufacturers, Apple is buying up 7.85" screens for this upcoming mini iPad. So, we asked our friends at CiccareseDesign to put together these mockups of what a 7.85" iPad would look like in comparison to the existing 9.7" iPad.

They also created this "actual size" PDF that can be printed out so you can play with one yourself in real life.

Download Printable PDF: Home Screen (6MB), Keyboard (18MB)
View on an iPad: Actual Size
Simply print the PDF at 100% size on your printer, and you too can see what a 7.85" iPad feels like in hand. If you don't have a printer handy, you can view it in actual size in an iPad web browser. If you save it as a web icon on your home screen, it will then launch without a menu bar so you can fully appreciate the size.

The 7.85" iPad actually feels a lot smaller than the existing iPad. The user interface elements, however, don't feel that far out of place. Icons are smaller than the 9.7" iPad, of course, but still bigger than the icons found on the iPhone. The on screen keyboard also seems quite usable at this size. Other elements, such as Safari's location bar, do scale down but, again, are no smaller than what we've seen on the iPhone.

We should point out that Steve Jobs had been adamant that a 10-inch screen is the minimum necessary for a tablet, and in a conference call said that he didn't believe a 7-inch tablet was a good user experience:

We're not not making a 7-inch tablet because we don't want to hit a lower price point. We just believe it's too small to hit the user experience people want. When we make decisions, it's not about cost, it's about value when you factor in the software. We're all about the best products at aggressive prices.

So, based on that stance, it might seem unlikely that Apple would produce such a device, but they've been known to change their mind before.

Google Voice App Updated With Group Texting and Full Sprint Integration

Google has updated its iOS Google Voice app with a number of new features, including full support for Sprint integration. Google has a partnership with Sprint that allows customers to use Google Voice natively on their Sprint phone and have access to the full set of Voice features.

What's New in Version 1.4.0.2372
- Multi-recipient texting, with contact autocomplete.
- Sprint integration support: sends all calls to the native dialer when the phone is integrated with Sprint
- Multi-line text entry field with character count.
- 1-touch Copy/Paste in dial pad

The Google Voice for iPhone app was originally released in November of 2010 after more than a year in limbo. Google and Apple squared off over the Google Voice application, with Google claiming that Apple had rejected the application, citing duplication of the core functionality of the iPhone, while Apple claimed that it had merely not made a decision on the application.

Vocal Offers Mac Voice Control via iPhone 4S

When the original iPhone was released, it had no third-party apps, no voice control, no games, and no to-do list -- among many other things. But it was still revolutionary, completely different than what came before, and over time many of its shortcomings were addressed by hardware and software updates.

The same is true of Siri now. It has very little in the way of third-party integration, and there are many things that it cannot do -- but there is much promise. One piece of evidence to this future potential is Vocal, a new app that allows voice control of a Mac from a Siri-equipped iPhone 4S.

Vocal works by pairing a free application that installs on the Mac with a $1.99 app that is downloaded from the App Store. It allows the user to send commands and dictate text straight to the Mac, using the voice recognition feature on the iPhone 4S.

Lex Friedman at Macworld used his copy of Vocal to "control iTunes; send emails and tweets; look up definitions; select, copy, and paste text; search Amazon and Google; print; and create new documents." He reports that some commands are more successful than others, but on the whole:

Vocal is definitely cool. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a cheaper way to get your Mac to take dictation. Its support for other actions is a mixed bag; some work well, some don’t. If nothing else, Vocal proves that Siri—natively—on the Mac could be nothing short of remarkable.

The app updates its library of commands over the air, making updates and new feature additions easy for Vocal's creator, Matthew Roberts. He explained the thinking behind the software to The Next Web:

Vocal came essentially from playing with Siri on my new 4S as a sort of “novelty” as I just acquired the device, and since I use my Mac so much I wanted to see if I could write a Siri-like app for it. After looking around the only main competitor was the software from Nuance, but it was over 1GB to download and cost upwards of $50. Considering the 4S can already dictate text, I thought I could make a super simple app “for the masses”, I guess you could say.

Vocal is available for the iPhone 4S on the App Store for $1.99 [Direct Link] and the free companion app for the Mac is available directly from Vocal's website.

Siri Plays a Grand Piano With Some Help From AirPlay and Yamaha

Yamaha used some technological trickery to enable Siri to play a concerto on a Yamaha Disklavier Grand Piano.

By converting a MIDI songfile into an audio file that the iPhone can play and connecting the audio output of an Airport Express to the analog input of a MIDI-enabled Disklavier piano, the iPhone can "play" the MIDI file via AirPlay and control the multi-thousand dollar piano.

As explained to The Loop's Jim Dalrymple:

Then, you simply ask Siri to play your favorite song from your iTunes library, and Siri responds immediately, by making the Disklavier’s keys and pedal move up and down, recreating the performance, including full orchestration.

Apple's Work on Wearable Computer Concepts Includes Wrist-Wrapping iPod with Siri

The New York Times reports on Apple's and Google's efforts to develop wearable computers with the aim of augmenting their existing mobile product lines. In addition to peripheral devices that could communicate with a user's iPhone or iPod, Apple is said to also being looking at ways to make the device's themselves wearable, moving beyond the current iPod nano's wristwatch-like functionality when paired with third-party wristbands.

Apple has also experimented with prototype products that could relay information back to the iPhone. These conceptual products could also display information on other Apple devices, like an iPod, which Apple is already encouraging us to wear on our wrists by selling Nanos with watch faces.

A person with knowledge of the company’s plans told me that a “very small group of Apple employees” had been conceptualizing and even prototyping some wearable devices.

One idea being discussed is a curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist; people could communicate with the device using Siri, the company’s artificial intelligence software.

Last year, Apple hired wearable computing expert Richard DeVaul to work on prototyping concepts in a secret lab under the direction of Jony Ive. DeVaul spent only 18 months at Apple, however, before moving on to Google where he is presumably working on similar projects.