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Noted iPhone hacker George Hotz is teasing the web with a video that displays a new jailbreak for all iPhone and iPod Touch models, and maybe even the iPad, too, he says. This supposedly improved process (there's no code to examine yet) aims to solve a problem that came into play when updated devices like the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3.0 were released. The issue? After performing the jailbreak on these newer devices, if you ever needed to reboot the phone, it had to be connected to your computer and the software that performed the hack would have to be re-run. No more, says Hotz. While it's great to see such a notable improvement on the horizon, there's one big question that it brings to mind: who's going to jailbreak an iPad? And why? Sponsor Why People Jailbreak Jailbreaking is a term that refers to a type of hack which opens up the mobile device to allow for the installation of unapproved third-party programs. It has become well known over the years as a method which provides access to pirated iPhone applications - versions of paid applications available for free download from special programs that can be installed on a jailbroken device. However, that's not the only reason that people jailbreak their iPhones and iPod Touches. The main reason, many would argue, is not for free apps but for more apps - the kinds Apple doesn't approve of. Thanks to a highly-regulated iTunes App Store and the restrictions it imposes on developers, some of the best applications are available outside Apple's domain. Want to turn your iPhone into a modem providing Internet access to your laptop (aka "tethering")? Want to download YouTube videos for offline viewing? Want to tweak hidden settings on your phone? Transfer files with Bluetooth? Enable Flash? Skin the phone with a custom theme and icons? Run apps in the background? Filter phone calls? The list goes on and on. And yet, while these hacks have great appeal to users of the small mobile devices, some of them will no longer be necessary on the iPad, Apple's upcoming slate computer whose launch is days away. Why Jailbreak the iPad? The ability to tether your iPhone to your laptop is one of the most popular reasons why people people jailbreak. However, on the iPad, you either have Wi-Fi only or you have 3G built in. Would you really need to tether your iPad to your notebook computer? Probably not. If you're carrying the iPad around, you probably left the notebook at home. Another favorite among jailbreakers is an application called Winterboard. This theming app lets you redesign your iPhone's UI from icons to the background and even the battery icon and the "side to unlock" bar itself. On the iPad, though, users can now use any image as the iPad's background image instead of just on the lock screen as is done on the iPhone. While the iPad feature is obviously still much more limited in functionality, it will likely placate some of those who feel the need for just a tad more customization than is available on the iPhone itself. Similarly, many of the jailbreaking apps that let you perform or tweak phone-related functions will no longer be necessary since the iPad is not a phone. Same goes for the camera apps - the iPad doesn't have one of those either. And Flash? Well, more and more sites are adopting HTML5 technology and with this, videos can be rendered plug-in free, just in time for iPad web surfers to enjoy. So although there may end up being plenty of reasons to jailbreak the iPad, there will be - at least at launch time - far fewer reasons than on the iPad's sister devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch. But we wouldn't be surprised to see an ecosystem of rejected but still incredible and useful apps spring up over time. If there's ever an unfilled niche the iPad doesn't address, there will almost certainly be "an app for that." You just might not be able to get it at the iTunes Store. Discuss
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Why Jailbreak an iPad?
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It's human nature - we are wired to be averse to change. When something new comes into our lives, we inherently approach it with caution, and at times, with negativity and hostility; but if that change is fundamentally good and right, it will gradually become widely accepted. For startups, especially those in the early stages of existence, changes come frequently and now and then in large chunks, which can be jarring for users who may have just become accustomed to the previous version of a product. Sponsor Anyone who uses Facebook knows that even the slightest changes in UI or the shuffling of features can create a cacophony of public outcry in the form of "I Like The Old Facebook Better!!" groups. But the interesting thing about those groups is that they eventually fizzle out and people get used to the new version of the site. Change takes time. So what are startups to do when an updated version of their product or service sets off a firestorm of hate mail from previously pleased users? Well, for starters, make sure you're not taking a Borg-like approach by assimilating customers into submission; forcing things on people never goes over well. Secondly, as crowdSPRING co-founder Ross Kimbarovsky advises, take the time to listen to your users; after all, they are the ones using your product day-to-day and they probably have a few good ideas. "You have to be patient, you have to give your customers and your community some room, some time to react, to criticize, to discuss, to debate," says Kimbarovsky in a recent video blog . "You can't harshly tell them 'this is the way it is and that's it', because it will close off communications and make it sound like you don't care what they say." There also may be a chance to bring about the change gradually as to not upset your customers with sudden drastic changes. Kimbarovsky recounts an example in which eBay wanted to change its background color from yellow to white, so instead of flipping a switch, they slowly changed the background to a lighter shade of yellow day-by-day until the background was white. But for the most part, changes can't always be long and drawn out like eBay's color choices, so Kimbarovsky simply says to engage with your customers when they react and let their voices be heard. "After a short amount of time, if your change is good, if it's reasonable and if it's meant to improve as you believe it is, then your customers and your community will understand it," says Kimbarovsky. "And if it's not, then you will understand that it just isn't working." Discuss
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Resistance Isn't Futile: Don't Assimilate Your Customers
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Researchers at Stanford University have just made a major breakthrough that may impact the technology industry for years to come: they've built a better battery. The project, an attempt to use lithium-sulfur in place of the lithium-ion technology that is used in batteries today, has been in development since 2007. Recently, the scientists' efforts were rewarded when they created a battery that lasts four times as long as its lithium-ion counterparts while also having the benefit of being "significantly safer" than today's batteries which occasionally explode after short-circuiting. Although still a ways off from commercial viability (and availability), the lithium-sulfur batteries promise advances like 80% more capacity, 10 times the power density and, theoretically, the ability to last four times as long as modern batteries. Sponsor The new battery technology represents the final step in our quest for always-on connectivity to the mobile web. We already have Wi-Fi hotspots, 3G and 4G networks for Internet everywhere and a host of mobile gadgets from netbooks to iPads and mobile phones to notebook computers. But what we haven't had yet is a way to keep our gadgets powered up for more than a day or so without a charge. That may be soon about to change. An Always-On Mobile Web With these sorts of improvements, lithium-sulfur batteries could lead the way in the next phase of the mobile revolution. They could allow us to fully enjoy the web from anywhere in the world, without having to worry about dying batteries, access to power outlets or having to carry around battery replacements when planning long-lasting mobile computing sessions. Far more than just a convenience, better battery technology would impact how our mobile devices are designed and how they behave. For example, Apple currently imposes numerous restrictions on members of their mobile device lineup for the sake of battery performance. On Apple iPhones, iPod Touches and the forthcoming iPad, applications aren't permitted to run in the background and Adobe Flash technology has been banned altogether, supposedly for its CPU usage which rapidly drains battery juice. Other mobile smartphone makers, while not necessarily as restrictive as Apple, still have to weigh the benefits of providing these same types of features with the performance hit their gadgets will take if they do so. And as anyone who regularly fires up their smartphone web browser knows, too much Internet surfing during the day means a phone that dies out before nightfall. Another example of the technology's potential impact: e-Readers. Today, if you want to pack your Kindle or Nook device to take with you on vacation, you still have to go through the thought process: how long will I be gone? Will my battery last? Should I pack the cord? Now imagine that you could just throw your e-Reader into your bag without a second thought, just as if you were packing the paperback novel or newspaper these sorts of gadgets aim to replace. Would that encourage more people to make the switch from the analog formats to digital? The Impacts of Better Batteries What if, in the future, concerns like these were no longer a worry? What if phones, netbooks, e-Readers and other mobile devices could be used for days on end without the need for a charge? That would radically impact the way we think about and use our mobile devices. There are a million other use cases that could benefit from this technology change, too, including sensor networks, computing from remote areas, faster news dissemination from areas impacted by disasters (either natural or man-made) where power outages have occurred, gadgets for hikers, campers and other explorers who spend weeks away from civilization and, therefore, away from electricity, mobile location-based services that run in the background on smartphones and other personal mobile gadgets and - OK, we'll admit it - the ability to Twitter all day long without a recharge. For the nitty gritty technical details about this new battery technology, MIT's Technology Review explains everything from the cathodes to the conductivity as well as the challenges still ahead for this breakthrough technology. Most notably, the scientists still need to figure out how to maintain capacity. After five discharge/recharge cycles, the batteries lost one-third of their initial storage capacity and after 40 to 50 cycles, they ceased to function altogether. However, if the researchers can overcome that final hurdle and a few others, the new technology could one day become commercially viable. It's too soon to know if that will actually occur, but as gadget lovers ourselves, we're hopeful. Discuss
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Battery Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Mobile Computing
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Once upon a time, smartphones were mostly about connecting busy professionals with their email accounts while on the go. Now that smartphones have reached the mainstream consumer market, however, people are looking for more than just email access - and a surprisingly large number of smartphones hardly ever leave their owners' homes. According to a new study from Web analytics firm Compete, 74% of smartphone owners now primarily use their devices for personal reasons, and they often spent the most amount of time with the device at home. Sponsor As we noted last October , when they leave their homes, a lot of consumers with iPhones and phones that use Google's Android operating system are now also using their devices to compare prices and look up reviews while they are out shopping. Compete looked a bit further into this market and found that more than 35% of consumers with smartphones would be interested in receiving coupons on their devices. Another 29% would like to be able to scan barcodes with their phones and get more information about the product as well as access to coupons and other promotions. Location-Aware Coupons While it doesn't come as a surprise that a lot of consumers would like to receive coupons, one surprising result from Competes report is that 21% of respondents would like to get SMS alerts with promotions when they walk by a store. Another 15% also would like to receive ads via SMS. Chances are that a lot of marketers would like to offer these kinds of location-aware ads and coupons that catch a consumer while they are already out shopping and close to a retailer. At the same time, though, most modern smartphones don't allow developers to create these kind of applications. The iPhone, for example, doesn't (yet) allow developers to run application in the background, which would be necessary if a developer wanted to create a service that could send out ads via SMS based on your location. Discuss
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Smartphone Users Want Mobile Coupons, Barcode Scanners & Location-Aware Ads
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AppleInsider is reporting this morning that some trusted sources are predicting a "full-on solution" to multitasking in the iPhone 4.0 OS, which is set to be released this summer. Already, the iPhone shows that it is capable of multitasking with bundled apps like iPod and Nike+, but the update is said to handle a number of security and interface issues. Sponsor Already, jailbreaking the iPhone shows how the device is fully capable of multitasking, but opens up the device to malware and poorly designed third-party apps that can make a full restore necessary. As AppleInsider points out, the real benefit of closing off the iPhone to multitasking is that there are no malicious apps running in the background, hijacking your phone. You are, after all, carrying a constantly GPS enabled multimedia recording device with you. At the same time, it would be absolutely wonderful to be able to listen to Pandora while using the MapMyRide app to track your bike ride across town, or any other number of combinations currently unavailable. But beyond security, AppleInsider discusses the issues of user interface that we might not think of right off the bat. In other operating systems, switching between apps is simple, by way of a taskbar or system dock. On the iPhone, multitasking is often handled by a small strip added at the top of the screen, but this would become messy for multiple applications. Perhaps we'll see a new hardware solution to accompany this issue with the next iPhone "4GS" this summer. And, as Gizmodo points out, if we get multitasking for iPhone, can we really be expected to accept an iPad that can't do the same? While AppleInsider says that its sources have predicted this "full-on solution", it notes that the much called-for feature has been falsely rumored, by their own articles nonetheless, on three separate occassions over the past year. In addition to this, it says that two of the biggest problems - resource conservation and battery life - were not addressed by their sources. Would we really want these features if it meant a bogged down device we had to charge every hour on the hour? And is this just another case of the boy who cried wolf? Let's hope not. Discuss
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Potential Summer Blockbuster: iPhone 4.0 Multitasking
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