Apple release iOS 4.2 beta

As soon as Apple officially released iOS 4.1, we knew it was only a matter of time before the iOS 4.2 beta would hit the developer community. iOS 4.2 is set to bring all the features of iOS 4.1 (already available for iPhone and iPod Touch) to the iPad. This includes multitasking, folders and game center, as well as new features such as remote printing and the ability to stream content over wireless, to other Apple devices (such as AppleTV).

Today Apple published the first iOS 4.2 beta for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

The download is available immediately if you are enrolled in the iOS Developer Standard or Enterprise Program. Unfortunately due to the developer agreement, I can't provide any additional details on how the new operating system performs. However, now the release is in the wild I am sure it won't be long before information starts to get leaked out.

Personally I am very interested to test some of the enterprise specific enhancements that iOS 4.x brings to the iPad. This includes the unified inbox, improved security and the ability to take advantage of the Cisco and Juniper full tunnel SSL VPN solutions.

The final release of iOS 4.2 is expected some time in November. If you can't wait that long, then you can always sign up to Apple's iOS developer program which starts at £59 for a one year subscription.

Update on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 5:27AM by Matt (LifeinTECH)

Just as I expected, we have already started to see information on iOS 4.2 for iPad hit the Internet. MacRumors have done a good job of pulling together a couple of videos.

One thing that is interesting is that it looks like Apple have repurposed the orientation lock to be a mute button, with orientation now being accessible from the multitasking menu (like on the iPhone). Personally I am not sure this is a good thing as I like the simplicity of locking the orientation by a physical button, however I'm sure with time I will get used to the change.

How to Jailbreak iOS

Jailbreaking is a process that allows you to run code not authorized by Apple on any iOS device, such as the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Jailbreaking has been around since the early days of the iPhone, however has always been a grey area in terms of its legality. Thankfully with the recent changes to the DMCA this area has been clarified and it is now perfectly legal to jailbreak your iPhone, as long as any code executed is not breaking any other copyright laws. For additional information on jailbreaking, including its potential benefits, check out my previous article - "iPhone Jailbreaking - Worth it?"

So the next question is how do you jailbreak your device? Thanks to the iPhone Dev Team the current process is incredibly simple, however before proceeding I thought I would answer a few questions.

Why Jailbreak? Jailbreaking gives you access to unofficial app stores such as Cydia. These app stores have thousands of applications that are available for free, but are not available in the official Apple app store.

Is jailbreaking legal? Yes, thanks to recent changes to the DMCA. However, downloading software that is protected by copyright law is (and always will be) illegal. There are still thousands of free applications that can be downloaded through unofficial app stores, such as Cydia.

Can jailbreaking "brick" (break) my device? Anytime you make an unofficial change to your device you risk potential damage. However, 99.9% of the time, a simple restore via iTunes will recover your device.

Will jailbreaking allow me to user other carriers networks? No, this would require you to "unlock" your device (a more complex process). However, jailbreaking is often the first step required in the unlocking process.

What happens when Apple release a new iOS update? When Apple release a new iOS update you can upgrade like normal through iTunes, however you will most likely loose your jailbreak and apps not installed through the official Apple app store. It will then be a waiting game for the iPhone Dev Team to find a new way of jailbreaking.

How do I install unofficial app stores and applications? The majority of jailbreaking processes will automatically install an unofficial app store (normally Cydia). This store will allow you to install and manage your unofficial applications.

Does jailbreaking breech my Apple warranty? Yes, Apple have stated that if you break your iPhone due to jailbreaking then it will void your warranty. With that said, normally a restore will return your device to factory default and therefore Apple store staff will have no obvious way of knowing that the device was ever jailbroken.

How do you Jailbreak your device?

So now that we have the main questions out the way, it's simple a case of heading over to www.jailbreakme.com. From this website you simply have to "slide to jailbreak" (which will also install the Cydia app store). The process works for all iPhone's, iPod Touch's and iPad's as long as they are not running iOS above version 4.0.1 (or 3.2.1 for the iPad).

Jailbreaking will take a approximately 30 seconds (depending on your connection speed) and your device will need to reboot at the end of the process. Remember, if you ever need to remove the jailbreak you can simply restore your device using the normal method via iTunes.

Finally, I should mention that this jailbreaking method takes advantage of a known exploit in iOS to do with PDF fonts. Therefore it is possible for other websites to use the same exploit to run malicious code on your device (although there have been no reports of this happening, yet). As a result I would expect Apple to issue a patch in the very near future.

iTunes - Activation-only Mode

The first thing you need to do when you buy a new iOS device is activate it with iTunes. This can actually be a bit of a pain if you are away from your main computer or setting up a device for someone else, because the iOS device will automatically associate itself with iTunes and attempt to synchronise data.

There is however a way to activate the iOS device without associating it with iTunes. This can be done on Mac OS X or Windows using a simple command line setting.

To enable activation-only mode on Mac OS X.

Make sure iTunes isn’t running before opening Terminal. Enter the following command:

To turn activation-only mode on:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes StoreActivationMode -integer 1

To turn activation-only mode off:

defaults delete com.apple.iTunes StoreActivationMode

To enable activation-only mode on Windows:

Make sure iTunes isn’t running before opening a Command Prompt window. Enter the following command:

To turn activation-only mode on:

"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt StoreActivationMode 1

To turn activation-only mode off:

"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt StoreActivationMode 0

To verify that iTunes is in activation-only mode, choose "iTunes > About iTunes" and look for the text "Activation-only mode" under the iTunes version and build identifier.

Now when you launch iTunes it will automatically activate the iOS Device, but then instantly eject the device. Next time you connect to your own computer, iTunes will ask you to register and sync like normal.

iPhone Goes Epic!

Being less then a week since Apple released the iPad, I didn't anticipate any big updates for a while - but thankfully I was wrong. Today Apple unveiled the iPhone OS 4.0 and it is epic!

They literally unveiled so much that it is easier for me to point you towards the Engadget and MacRumors summaries.

In short we have - multi-tasking, folder support, custom homescreens, increased application limit, unified inbox, multiple exchange accounts, iBooks, enhanced enterprise support, game center and iAd. This is just scraping the surface as each of these new features brings with it a host of new ways to use your iPhone, not to mention the 100 other new features Apple have said are included.

The iPhone and iPod Touch will get the update this summer, while the iPad will get it in autumn. It looks like the older generation devices like the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2nd Generation will not be able to utilise all the new features (such as multi-tasking).

If iPhone OS 4.0 lives up to what Apple have shown, it looks like it will blow the competition clean out of the water. Google, Microsoft, Palm; I hope you're watching!

Build your own iPhone Stand

Since the launch of the iPhone back in 2007, the market has exploded with custom docks and stands. These stands can be very useful for watching video with friends, especially when travelling. Unfortunately, even with so many products on the market, they can still be quite expensive, especially considering most are essentially one small piece of plastic folded and cut into position (see the GoGoStand pictured below). 

As a result the clever people over at Dessine moi un objet have come up with a home made design that involves you just folding and cutting a piece of card. The result is professional looking, functional stand that takes no more then a few minutes to make.

They even provide a PDF template and video to make the build process even easier. I suggest you head over to their website and give it a try.