Tag Archives: release

We Farm Released and Full Review

So at midnight (PST) ngmoco:) relleased it “sequal” to We Rule and the Farmville killer “We Farm.” So lets get into my review.

Farmville has only just appeared on the iPhone, and ngmoco is already testing the waters with their own farming sim, We Farm. If you thought We Rule was the developer’s answer to the Facebook farming phenomenon, you were only half right.

Everything about We Farm should be immediately familiar to We Rule fans; from the plot of land you are originally assigned, to the farms (called gardens) you have to maintain, to the Gro (think Mojo) you have to purchase to speed up various processes, there is little initial difference between the two games.

The differences become more apparent as you play through the tutorial which quickly progresses you to a level 6 farmer. Building a coop allows you to raise chickens (and later ducks and, I assume, other fowl as you progress in the game) which you must pet to keep happy. This latter innovation brings a simple type of Tamagochi pet management to We Farm, but it remains to be seen if this is developed at later levels in the game. I’m currently building some of the other farm areas available during the early stages in the game, so it remains to be seen what other new features We Farm will surprise me with.

The overall presentation of We Farm is, if you can believe it, even more cartoonish and exaggerated than We Rule, and the sound effects and music complement this approach perfectly, with frequent interludes of hayseed, down home banjos and harmonicas. It definitely has its charms, but will fans of We Rule want to build a similar mini-society in a similar way? The two games are very much alike.

We Farm is available on all of your iDevices.

Personally I love We Rule and can not wait to level up on We Farm. If you want to add me email me at conner@techgeec.com and I’ll give you my username so we can be friends. I do not want to give it out here because I really don’t want spammers.

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What Apple Released Today

Yes I know the image above is from the Apple Special Event where they released the iPad but the picture fit the occasion.

This is quote from the Apple Press info page. So here is what they said.

Apple Updates iMac Line
July 27, 2010
Apple today updated its all-in-one iMac line, widely praised as the world’s best desktop computers, with the latest Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors and powerful new graphics. Apple also introduced the new Magic Trackpad — available separately for $69 — which brings the intuitive Multi-Touch gestures of Mac notebook trackpads to the desktop. Read more: apple.com/imac

New Mac Pro With Up to 12 Processing Cores
July 27, 2010
Apple’s new Mac Pro line comes with up to 12 processing cores and up to 50 percent greater performance than the previous generation. Featuring the latest quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors, all-new ATI graphics, and the option for up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD), the new Mac Pro continues to deliver amazing performance and expandability for the most demanding consumers and professionals. Read more: apple.com/macpro

Apple Unveils New 27-inch LED Cinema Display
July 27, 2010
Apple unveiled a new 27-inch LED Cinema Display with stunning 2560 x 1440 resolution and 60 percent more screen real estate than the 24-inch LED Cinema Display. Featuring a built-in iSight video camera, microphone and speakers, powered USB 2.0 hub, and universal MagSafe connector, the new LED Cinema Display is an ideal companion for any Mac notebook or desktop. Read more: apple.com/displays

Now they also didn’t say this on their PR page but they also released the Magic Trackpad which is a big bluetooth trackpad with multitouch jesters. They also released a battery charger which is pretty self explanatory what a battery charger is.

So that as far as I’m aware of is all they released. So be sure to leave a comment if you have a question or email me at conner@techgeec.com Also if you are a developer for Apple and would like your app reviewed on the site email me a promo code for the app at conner@techgeec.com if your app is free then tell me about your app and I’ll download it.

Apple Announces WWDC 2010

The Moscone Center Calendar lists a “Corporate Event” from June 28, 2010 through July 2, 2010 in the Moscone West hall. Previous Apple events have been reserved with the same title.

This year, WWDC 2009 ran June 8 through June 12. In previous years, the event has marked the introduction of new iPhone models. This June, Apple introduced the iPhone 3GS.

The original iPhone debuted on June 29, 2007, along with an exclusive contract with carrier AT&T. Since then, it has been rumored that the two parties are locked into a three-year deal due to expire next summer. While AT&T has reportedly attempted to extend that contract, rumors have persisted that Apple will expand to other carriers.

If WWDC could be booked to coincide with the expiration of the current contract with AT&T. Recent reports have suggested that Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in the U.S., could offer a CDMA compatible iPhone next year. Some analysts see Verizon as the best choice for Apple to expand the platform, but others feel technical limitations and different corporate styles could serve as a roadblock for such a deal.

For their part, Verizon officials said last week that their network would be capable of handling the added bandwidth from the addition of the iPhone. They did not, however, imply that the handset was coming to their network.

Another option could be T-Mobile. While the fourth-largest carrier in the U.S. does not have the size or stature of AT&T or Verizon, it is a GSM-based network, meaning compatibility with T-Mobile would be simple to accomplish with the existing iPhone hardware. Given the simplicity of such a move, some have predicted it to happen in 2010.

iPhone OS 4.0 Rumors and Event Date

Apple has announced an iPhone OS 4 event on April 8th at 10AM PT for a “sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software.” So if you’re wondering about the future of the platform… your answers will appear sooner than you think. It’s also pretty unusual to see such a big event coming from Apple right on the heels of something like the iPad launch.

Here Are Some Rumors That Might Be Talked About At The Event:

The upcoming 4.0 reference release of Apple’s iPhone OS will deliver new support for running multiple concurrent third party apps, and allow users to switch between them using a windows management mechanism similar to one made popular on the company’s Mac OS X operating system.

The technology, detailed by people familiar with Apple’s plans for the new firmware, will finally allow users to launch multiple apps in the background and quickly switch between them, as AppleInsider exclusively reported earlier this month. Currently, a running app must be quit when the user returns to the Home screen.

Apple initially avoided an app model supporting multiple apps running at once to help preserve battery life and simplify the user experience. Other platforms that do support the launching of multiple apps, including Android and Windows Mobile, require users to manually manage system resources and kill off performance robbing background tasks.

Today’s iPhone 3.x firmware is a fully preemptive multitasking operating system, but it artificially restricts apps (other than specific ones bundled with the system by Apple) from running in the background.

Iconic Expose

Those familiar with the design of iPhone 4.0 said that the user interface will resemble Apple’s desktop Expose feature, in that a key combination — reportedly hitting the Home button twice — will trigger an expose-like interface that brings up a series of icons representing the currently running apps, allowing users to quickly select the one they want to switch to directly. When a selection is made, the iPhone OS zooms out of the Expose task manager and transitions to that app.

Apple patented the Mac OS X Expose concept in 2005, but the desktop implementation relies upon scaling each application’s widows so that they all fit into the screen in a single layer without any overlap.

On the iPhone, scaling down several screen views to fit into the relatively small display would be problematic, and apps never have multiple windows, so the new mechanism currently presents just each app’s icon. This renders the feature more similar to the basic Command+Tab app switcher than Expose itself as a desktop feature, but people who’ve been privy to pre-release builds of the iPhone 4.0 OS say it exhibits several characteristics of the Expose brand.

Two other features seen in pre-release builds of iPhone 4.0 are a global mailbox view and the ability to add individual contacts to the iPhone’s home screen, such as a button that will call “Mom” or “Dad” directly. Since the software remains under active development, there’s always the possibility that either or both of these enhancements could be chopped in the coming months.

Multiple apps without broken security

Controversy over “multitasking” within the iPhone OS has been brewing ever since Apple launched iPhone 2.0 with the ability to run third party software titles. While often reported as being a technical flaw, the iPhone OS really has no problem with multitasking. The system’s phone, SMS, email, iPod, voice recorder, Nike+, and certain other bundled apps can continue in the background while the user launches another app.

However, third party titles obtained from the App Store (including apps from Apple, such as Remote or iDisk) can not be launched at the same time. This is currently only possible after jailbreaking the system, where the iPhone OS security model is compromised via an exploit, allowing the user to launch and run multiple apps.

This also opens the door to both malware and widespread piracy, both of which have been contained by the default security system put in place by Apple. At the same time, Apple’s signed app model in iTunes with its mandatory certificate security mechanism means that iPhone users will be able to run multiple apps from the App Store without fear that their software will spy on them, pop up ads, or send out spam.

Other platform vendors do not mandate rigid security for their software libraries, with Android permissively allowing users to install apps from any source, something that will likely serve as a welcome mat for malicious hackers once that platform gains enough visibility.

Notifications pay off on the way to multitasking

Rather than immediately jumping to a multitasking environment for the iPhone, Apple introduced a system-wide push notifications service to enable third party apps to appear to respond to outside updates (such as incoming messages or news alerts) even when they were not actually running.

The company has worked to refine this mechanism before moving to a fully multitasking model, which means that existing apps with notification support won’t necessarily need to be launched in the background just to continually poll for updates. Additionally, third party apps that are running in the background will be less likely to drain performance and battery compared to other platforms because the notification mechanism is more efficient than having multiple apps each polling a remote server for their own updates.

For example, RIM’s BlackBerry OS has long offered multitasking support for apps but the company only recently opened up its push delivery infrastructure to third party developers. As a result, most of the relatively small library of BlackBerry apps are designed to inefficiently poll a server for information rather than avail themselves of the BlackBerry’s famous push messaging features.

Google provides no standard mechanism for system-wide push on Android, forcing developers to all roll their own support. Meanwhile, Microsoft is planning to roll the clock back with Windows Phone 7 later this year, erasing its existing multitasking support for third party apps in Windows Mobile to deliver a model patterned after iPhone 2.0.

Apple Releases the iPad Finally

Apple Inc. began selling its much-anticipated iPadon Saturday, drawing eager customers intent on being among the first owners of a tablet-style device that the company is hoping to convince more people they actually need.

Some of these initial iPad buyers were drawn by the ability to read electronic books, watch video and run a myriad of useful or fun applications, including Scrabble.

Ray Majewski came to an Apple Store in Freehold with his 10-year-old daughter, Julia, partly as a reward for getting straight A’s in school. He decided on an iPad over Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle electronic-book reader.

“I like the electronic books, and my daughter is really getting into them as well,” Majewski said. “I was thinking of getting a Kindle but then said to myself, `Why not get an iPad because I can get so much more from that than just reading books.’”

The iPad is essentially a much larger version of Apple’s popular iPhone, without the calling capabilities. The new device is a half-inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds and has a touch screen that measures 9.7 inches on the diagonal — nearly three times the iPhone’s. Also like the iPhone, it has no physical keyboard, but sports an accelerometer, which lets gamers tilt the device to control what’s happening on the screen.

For now, Apple is selling versions of the iPad that can only connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi. Those models start at $499. Versions that also have a cellular data connection will be available by the end of the month. They will cost $130 more, with the most expensive at $829.

Scores of people lined up outside many Apple Stores and Best Buy outlets well before the iPads went on sale. Apple’s store on New York’s Fifth Avenue had a party-like atmosphere, with employees cheering and clapping as customers entered and left.

Although Apple is adept at generating frenetic buzz for not-yet-released products, it may have to work extra hard once the initial iPad excitement settles. Many companies have tried to sell tablet computers before, but none have caught on with mainstream consumers.

Apple will need to persuade people who may already have smart phones, laptops, set-top boxes and home broadband connections to buy yet another Internet-capable device with many of the same functions.

And while early adopters who pre-ordered an iPad in recent weeks gush about all the ways they hope to use the iPad — casual Web searches on the couch, sharing photo albums with friends, reading books — skeptics point to all the ways the iPad comes up short.

They argue the on-screen keyboard is hard to use and complain that it lacks a camera and ports for media storage cards and USB devices such as printers. They also bemoan the fact that the iPad can’t play Flash video, which means many Web sites with embedded video clips will look broken to Web surfers using Apple’s Safari browser. And the iPad can’t run more than one program at a time, which even fans hope will change one day soon.

Apple’s New iPad

It’s hard to believe we could fit so many great ideas into something so thin.

A large, high-resolution LED-backlit, IPS display. An incredibly responsive Multi-Touch screen. And an amazingly powerful, Apple-designed chip. All in a design that’s thin and light enough to take anywhere. iPad isn’t just the best device of its kind. It’s a whole new kind of device. Watch the iPad video

LED-backlit, IPS Display

The high-resolution, 9.7 inch LED-backlit, IPS display on iPad is remarkably crisp and vivid. Which makes it perfect for web browsing, watching movies, or showing off photos. It’s also been designed to work in any orientation — portrait or landscape. And because it uses a display technology called IPS (in-plane switching), it has a wide, 178° viewing angle. So you can hold it almost any way you want, and still get a brilliant picture, with excellent color and contrast.

Multi-Touch

The Multi-Touch screen on the iPad uses the same revolutionary technology that’s in an iPhone. But for iPad, the technology has been completely reengineered for the larger surface, to make it extremely precise and responsive. So when you’re zooming in on a map, flicking through your photos, or deleting an email, iPad responds with incredible accuracy. And it does just what you want it to.

Thin and light

One of the first things you’ll notice about the iPad is how thin and light it is. The screen is 9.7 inches, measured diagonally. So overall, it’s slightly smaller than a magazine. And at just 1.5 lbs and 0.5 inches thin,1 it’s easy to carry and use anywhere. There’s also a slight curve to the back. Which makes it easy to pick up and comfortable to hold.

10 hours.

Up to 10 hours
battery life

To maximize battery life, Apple engineers took the same lithium polymer battery technology they developed for our notebook computers and applied it to the iPad. As a result, you can use iPad for up to 10 hours while surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching videos, or listening to music.2

Wireless

With built-in 802.11n, iPad can take advantage of the fastest Wi-Fi networks. And it’ll automatically locate available Wi-Fi networks, which you can easily join with a few simple taps. iPad also comes with Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, which lets you connect to devices like wireless headphones or the Apple Wireless Keyboard.

3G

iPad will also be available in a 3G model, with super-fast data speeds up to 7.2 Mbps.3 So if you’re traveling, or you happen to be somewhere that doesn’t have a Wi-Fi network, you can still get a fast connection for surfing the web, downloading email, or getting directions.

Performance

Apple A4 chip.The A4 chip inside iPad was custom-designed by Apple engineers to be extremely powerful, and yet extremely power efficient. So the performance is unlike anything you’ve ever seen on a touch-based device. Which makes iPad fantastic for everything from productivity apps to games. But at the same time, the A4 chip is so power efficient that it helps iPad get up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. And iPad is available with a choice of 16, 32 or 64GB flash storage.4 Which gives you lots of room for your photos, movies, music, apps, and more.

Connectivity

The 30-pin dock connector on the bottom of the iPad allows you to dock and charge it. It also lets you connect to iPad accessories like the Camera Connection Kit or the Keyboard Dock.

Audio

The powerful, built-in speaker produces a full, rich sound. Which makes watching a movie or listening to music even more enjoyable. It also comes with a headphone jack and a built-in microphone.

30-pin connector. Built-in speaker.

Accessories

There are lots of great accessories that have been specifically designed for iPad. The Keyboard Dock, for instance, is a dock with a full-size keyboard. There’s also a standalone Dock. And because iPad has built-in Bluetooth 2.1, it’ll work with an Apple Wireless Keyboard, too. There’s also a Camera Connection Kit that lets you import photos from a camera or SD card. There’s even an iPad Case that not only protects it, it also allows you to use iPad in various positions, to make it easy to type, look at photos, or watch movies. And through a range of accessories, iPad can output to TVs, projectors and displays. Learn more about iPad accessories in Tech Specs

Technical Specifications

Size and weight1

Height:
9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
Width:
7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
Depth:
0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
Weight:
1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;
1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model

Display

  • 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
  • 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
  • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Wireless and Cellular

Wi-Fi model
  • Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
Wi-Fi + 3G model
  • UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz)
  • Data only2
  • Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Location

  • Wi-Fi
  • Digital compass
  • Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
  • Cellular (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

In the Box

  • iPad
  • Dock connector to USB cable
  • 10W Power Adapter
  • Documentation

Environmental Status Report

iPad embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

  • Arsenic-free display glass
  • BFR-free
  • Mercury-free LCD display
  • PVC-free
  • Recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure

Capacity3

  • 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive

Processor

  • 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip

Sensors

  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light sensor

Audio Playback

  • Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  • Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
  • User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV and Video

  • Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable
  • H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Mail attachment support

  • Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Languages

  • Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian
  • Keyboard support for English (US) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
  • Dictionary support for English (US), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin), Russian

Accessibility

  • Support for playback of closed-captioned content
  • VoiceOver screen reader
  • Full-screen zoom magnification
  • White on black
  • Mono audio

Battery and Power4

  • Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
  • Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
  • Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Input and Output

  • Dock connector
  • 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
  • Built-in speakers
  • Microphone
  • SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)

External buttons and controls

  • On/Off, Sleep/wake
  • Mute
  • Volume up/down
  • Home

Mac system requirements

  • Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
  • Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
  • iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
  • iTunes Store account
  • Internet access

Windows system requirements

  • PC with USB 2.0 port
  • Windows 7, Windows Vista; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
  • iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
  • iTunes Store account
  • Internet access

Yet another unbelievable feature: The price.

With iPad, you get all our latest innovations. And all our most advanced technologies. In one of the most revolutionary products we’ve ever created. All at a price that’s well within reach.

16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
Wi-Fi $499 $599 $699
Wi-Fi + 3G $629 $729 $829
  • Prices in US Dollars. International pricing will be announced at a later date.
  • 3G data plan sold separately.

Leave a comment below to tell us what you think of the new iPad.

Apple’s Jan. 27, 2010 Event Info Leaked?

Apparently, Ryan from UniqueApps has released information (from an unknown source) stating the releases that will be announced tomorrow at Apple’s January 2010 event. Here are the supposed announcements:

  1. New iLife and iWork ‘10
  2. New MacBook Air
  3. iPod Touch with video camera
  4. iPhone open to other carriers
  5. Apple Tablet

Let’s hope Ryan’s sources are correct (I’m hoping on the iPhone being open to new carriers)… Here’s his video that he posted on YouTube:


How to Jailbreak 3.0.1 Firmware

Courtesy of  QuickPWN.com:

The iPhone 3.0.1 update was recently released. If you want to jailbreak any iPhone running on  iPhone OS 3.0.1, you must use redsn0w 0.8. Do not update to 3.0.1 if you are using an iPod Touch, there is no need to. This post will show a step-by-step tutorial on how to jailbreak iPhone 3.0.1 with redsn0w.

Note:

  1. redsn0w only recognizes iPhone 3.0 firmware (not 3.0.1 yet!), although you are running firmware 3.0.1 you must still download iPhone OS 3.0 firmware for your device.
  2. The recent iPhone 3.0.1 update does not fix the iPhone 3GS hole, so it’s safe for iPhone 3GS users to update. If you downloaded a purplera1nday file or your iBec or iBSS for iPhone 3GS you don’t need to redownload it because it’s identical in this update.

First you must download redsn0w for Windows, Mac, or Linux from here.

redsn0w 0.8 works for Phone 3.0.1, iPhone 3G 3.0.1, iPhone 3GS 3.0.1, iPod Touch 3.0, and iPod Touch 2G 3.0.

1. Download the iPhone OS 3.0 IPSW file for your device and save it to your desktop. Here are the file names for each device, make sure you have the right one:

  • iPhone 2G – filename: iPhone1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw [download link]
  • iPhone 3G – filename: iPhone1,2_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw [download link]
  • iPhone 3GS – filename: iPhone2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw [download link]

2. Open the redsn0w 0.8 application to jailbreak iPhone 3.0.1.

3. Click the Browse button.

redsn0w browse

4. Locate your device’s IPSW file that you downloaded in step 1 and click Open.

Browse for IPSW

5. The redsn0w window will have the “IPSW successfully identified” message. Click the Next button to continue.

IPSW Successfully Identified

6. redsn0w will ask you to “Please select which options you would like to have“. Make sure the Install Cydia box has a check mark and then click Next.

redsn0w select options

7. redsn0w will ask you to make sure your device is both OFF and PLUGGED IN to your computer. Make sure you plug in your device in to your computer and then turn it off. Click Next once you have done this.

redsn0w - Make sure your devices is OFF and PLUGGED IN

8. redsn0w will now ask you to connect your device in DFU mode, you must do this properly to jailbreak iPhone 3.0.1.

  1. Hold down the Power button for 3 seconds
  2. Without releasing the Power button, also hold down the Home (bottom center button) for 10 seconds
  3. Without releasing the Home button, release the Power button BUT KEEP holding the Home button for 30 seconds
  • If you don’t do this properly you will get a DFU Mode Failed message and you’ll have to go back to step one.

redsn0w DFU Mode

9. Once your device has successfully entered DFU Mode, redsn0w will show the following message: “Please wait while your device is being jailbroken. Waiting for reboot.” Your device should reboot after this. If redsn0w is stuck on Waiting to Reboot, unplug your USB cable quickly and plug it back in. The jailbreaking process should continue after tha.

10. Once your device has rebooted redsn0w will start uploading the RAMDisk and kernel.

11. After everything has been successfully uploaded to your device, redsn0w will have; the “Done!” message. Your device will now reboot and you should see the Cydia app on your SpringBoard. Your iPhone is now jailbroken!