Latest Posts
8 Reasons Why You Will Pre-Order the iPad
So the iPad is now available for pre-orders. Apple has updated their online store and you can now order their latest toy – the iPad. So I am thinking of reasons why you should go and order the iPad now when it hasn’t even been reviewed yet.
Here you go:
1. You are a Fanboy
2. You have $700 to waste
3. You simply love gadgets
4. You want a huge iPod Touch
5. You think you’d be cool being the first to own an iPad
6. You have masturbated and dreamed over this device for too long and you can’t take it anymore
7. You will buy anything Steve Jobs tell you so
8. You are going to try and find an exploit and jailbreak this device
Well, I’m not an Apple hater or something. I love gadgets but if I am gonna buy an iPad, I think I’m gonna have to wait for the next iteration. I don’t want to waste my money on something not worth it.
The Apple iPad is less than revolutionary
Apple just unveiled their new “magical” product called the iPad. It’s magical alright because it’s an enlarged iPhone/iPod Touch. It wasn’t that surprising as thousand of rumors were cluttered around the web before it was even released. Millions of Steve Jobs’ fanboys had great expectations for this device. But did Apple meet their expectations? I think not. Even the Engadget staff were underwhelmed while Adam Frucci says it’s a backbreaker.
As early as now, many gadget lovers were disappointed with Apple’s new device. I was one of them. I was expecting it to have at least a new Operating System which can handle multitasking. The lock screen looks very empty and with that huge screen, it will look good with widgets. It also doesn’t support flash and it has no GPS. And Jobs’ tells us it’s the netbook killer. Really? That’s like comparing a basketball player to a baseball player instead of comparing 2 basketball players.
Netbooks can do a lot more than the iTampon. Can you do video call, multitask, and install any program on your iPad? The answer is a big no. As far as I know the iPad’s target audience are die hard fanboys and idiots. Who needs this device when I already have an iPhone and an iPod Touch. If I need a bigger gadget, I’ll stick with my desktop computer and laptop.
Conclusion
If you really want to have this device, don’t give in to the hype now. At least wait for the second revision or even the third revision. Don’t be an early adopter. Heed my advice and you’ll thank me in the future.
How to Install Custom Firmware 5.50 GEN-D
What’s up fellow PSP gamers and homebrewers out there. The latest custom firmware by Team GEN, Custom Firmware 5.50 GEN-D has been released. It lets you play back-up UMDs, or ISOs as most of you know, that require firmware 5.55 or 6.00 without having to patch the eboot. It means no more dirty work for you and your happy, lazy pirate friends. Of course that’s a joke — and a fact. We are all pirates. We’ve done it at least once in our life. What, you ask? Something illegal, that is. Peeping toms out there? Sorry for the rant.
You should thank GENyUS and Yoshihiro for this great custom firmware. The bad news is, it does not yet work for PSP-3000 and the PSP Go. But it should work on the PSP Phat a.k.a PSP-1000 and the PSP Slim (PSP-2000).
Here’s what’s new:
- All features of 5.50GEN-B2 are available
- Ability to run 5.51 + games without having to patch it (UMD or ISO)
- Possibility to launch PSN demos requiring 5.51 + without having to patch them (as MGS for example)
- Possibility to connect to the Playstation Store by the using of MEDIAGO, to retrieve games and goodies without having to install Fake USB or other complicated stuff
- Possibility to use the XGEN Updater to install the official firmware 6.10 (use it only if you have a Pandora XGEN to be able to return later in Custom firmware)
- 480×272 AVC Videos ere supported
An option to accelerate reading of the memory stick (the fatmsmod, I presume) is also in the process of getting ported to the 5.50GEN releases
You can download the custom firmware by clicking on this link.
Source: QJ.net
How to convert videos for your iPhone and iPods
I have read this very common question in iPhone and iPod forums a thousand times before: How do I convert my videos for the iPhone/iPod? And I’ve also read a million of different answers. All of their answers might be right but some may be suggesting the use of expensive video converters. In reality the best video converters out there are free. Let’s take for example, Handbrake – this is one of the best video converter tools and did I say it’s free? Handbrake does the job and does it well and it’s what we’re gonna use for this tutorial.
What you need
- Handbrake – Download
- An hour or less. It depends really on how long your movie is and how fast your machine goes.
Here’s what you need to do
- If you haven’t installed HandBrake yet, you may download the installer here and install it on your computer. After the installation open HandBrake and a window will appear.
- Click on Source and a dropdown menu will appear. Choose Video File option and then look for the file that you are going to convert. If you are converting a DVD, then choose the DVD Drive or if you have your DVD copied to your computer’s hard drive, choose the DVD/VIDEO_TS Folder option.
- After choosing the source, choose iPhone & iPod Touch on one of the available Presets panel on the right side of the Handbrake Window. The Output Settings panel will change to the Preset you have chosen. You can change the output format if you prefer to but if you are not sure, leave it as is.
- Don’t forget to choose your destination folder. Just click the Browse button on the Destination panel and name your destination file.
- You are now good to go! Press the Start button on top and a window will appear showing you the Encoding task. You’ll also see the remaining time left (ETA). Sit back and relax while waiting for it to finish. The window will automatically close after the encoding process and an Encoding Finished message on the bottom left of the window will appear.
- You’re done! Now you can transfer the converted video to your iPhone or iPod Touch device. Watch it later on the bus or while you are doing nothing at school or at the office.
If you’re wondering on how to transfer your videos to your iPhone, just add the new video to your iTunes library and sync it to your device. If you want for a tutorial on that, let us know in the comments and we’ll be happy to write one for you.
iPhone Internet Settings for Philippine Users
For iPhone users in the Philippines, internet settings are preconfigured by Globe once you get your units from them.
Tap on Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data Network
How to Jailbreak and Unlock your iPhone 3G/3GS using Blackra1n and Blacksn0w
Thanks to Geohot, here’s the simplest ever jailbreak procedure for your iPhone 3G/3GS.
This has been developed by Geohot for the latest firmware and baseband update for the iPhone (FW 3.1.2 BB 5.11.07).
Blackra1n is for jailbreaking and hacktivating your iPhone, while Blacksn0w will unlock your baseband thus allowing you to use the SIM of the carrier of your choice.
However, this will work only as a tethered jailbreak for iPhone 3GS units with the new bootroms (released mid October 2009). This means that you would need to rejailbreak, rehacktivate and reunlock once your iPhone reboots. So remember not to let your batteries die down, else you have to repeat the procedure all over.
What you need.
- A working internet connection
- iTunes 9.0
- Official 3.1.2 update from iTunes (if you havent updated yet).
- Blackra1n (http://www.blackra1n.com)
- A bit of patience and common sense in following instructions.
Here’s what to do:
- If you haven’t upgraded yet, do so now, using iTunes. iTunes will download the official firmware for you, backup your data, upgrade your phone and restore your data. This probably would be most time consuming step. Close iTunes after downloading but keep your iPhone connected via the USB cable.
- Once you’ve updated, download Blackra1n from Geohot’s site. Click the windows icon and save the file into your hard disk.
- After you’ve finished downloading, run the program. For Windows 7 users, make sure to run as administrator.
- A pop-up window will appear as follows:
- Ready to jailbreak? Make sure your iPhone is on and connected to your computer. And the easiest part to it: just click the “make it ra1n” button.
- Goehot’s program proceeds to jailbreak your iPhone. In a matter of about 30 seconds, your iPhone will automatically enter recovery mode, load the jailbreak and
you’re done.
- Another pop up window appears informing users that Blackra1n is entirely free for all to use.
- At this point your iPhone will reboot and you’ll notice an icon of a black raindrop on your springboard.
- Now to install Cydia and Blacksn0w, do the following:First, make sure you have a working internet connection. Test your wifi if it works. a few people have reported problems with their wifi after installing blackra1n. Reset your network settings by tapping Settings>General>Reset>Reset Network Settings. Your iPhone will reboot and wifi should be good by then. Another option for those using factory unlocked phones and those using the official carriers is to use 3G internet.
- Tap on the blackra1n icon. The following screen appears.
Tap Cydia to install Saurik’s Cydia Installer to your iPhone. Next tap on Sn0w. You’ll notice green checkmarks beside them. Finally, tap on the blue install button on the upper right hand portion of the screen. You should see your iPhone downloading both Cydia and sn0w. After a successful install, you’ll see a post installation log screen. Tap close and your iPhone will respring and bring you back to your home screen.
If the installation fails, try again. Chances are, your internet provider is the problem. So if you’re using wifi, try your 3G internet, and vice versa. After a successful installation, you may now install your favorite Cydia apps and use the SIM of the carrier of your choice.
A few easy steps and you’re on your way to fully utilizing the the capabilities of your iPhone!
Thanks to Geohot’s genius for making this possible, and to all the people behind the iPhone scene for their great contributions.
If you have questions or problems with your jailbreak or unlock, please feel free to post your comments here. We’d be glad to help.
How to open an iTunes account without a Credit Card
The first thing you need to enjoy your iPhone/iPod touch with iTunes is an iTunes account.
Opening and iTunes account is fairly easy. All you need is to fill-out a form using your valid email address and credit card. But what if you don’t have a credit card or you’re only interested in free apps?
Here’s an easy way to open an iTunes account without a Credit Card.
- Open iTunes and go to the iTunes Store.
- Browse for a free app.
- Once you’ve chosen an app, click Get App. A new popup window will appear, prompting for your iTunes account log-in details.
- Click Create New Account.
- A welcome screen will appear. Click Continue.
- Read and Agree to the iTunes Store terms and conditions. Click Continue.
- Create your iTunes store account. Fill-out the necessary details completely. Click Continue.
- Fill-out the next form. In the payment method, choose none and fill out the other important details correctly. Click continue and you are done.
- Final step is to validate your itunes account. Go to your email and follow the instructions sent to you in validating your iTunes account.
Now you have access to all the free apps you want. If you wish to purchase apps from the itunes store, just update you iTunes account and provide the necessary Credit Card details.
If you have problems following this tutorial, leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Speed up your slow PCs with ReadyBoost
Are you having problems with your PC being so slow all the time? Or is it being too slow that it crawls like a turtle and you just want to throw it away already? Before you do that, you might want to consider reading this:
With Windows ReadyBoost, you can use non-volatile flash memory, such as that on a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, to improve performance without having to add additional memory “under the hood.”
The flash memory device serves as an additional memory cache—that is, memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard drive. Windows ReadyBoost relies on the intelligent memory management of Windows SuperFetch and can significantly improve system responsiveness.
It’s easy to use Windows ReadyBoost. When a removable memory device such as a USB flash drive or a secure digital (SD) memory card is first inserted into a port, Windows Vista checks to see if its performance is fast enough to work with Windows ReadyBoost. If so, you are asked if you want to use this device to speed up system performance. You can choose to allocate part of a USB drive’s memory to speed up performance and use the remainder to store files.
How to Install 5.00 M33-6 Custom Firmware on your PSP
Hey fella PSP gamers out there. It’s nice to be back again. Sorry if I haven’t updated this site in 3 months. There were problems with my cheap web hosting and I’ve been busy with work. The recession on the states has affected me so I need to work my ass off to pay my mobile phone bills and other expenses..
I know this post is very much too late but it’s like obligatory to post the instructions on how to install the latest update. We’ll here it is (taken from DA’s instructions):
This update is a try to fix memory stick low speed since 3.80.
Instructions: Copy UPDATE folder /PSP/GAME/ and run.
If you come from a version prior to 5.00 M33, put sony update as 500.PBP in same folder, or let the program download it for you using a wifi connection.
Changes in 5.00 M33-5:
- A setting has been added to recovery, that, when enabled it may increase memory stick reading speed. (only on the psp, not in the pc).
By default it is disabled. If you installed 3.71 fatmsmod, do not use this setting, as its perfomance with 3.71 driver has not been tested.
Instead, reinstall 5.00 m33-4 using dc8 and update to 5.00 m33-5Changes in 5.00 M33-6:
- Fixed a bug that made unbootable psp without memory stick or with a bad one.
The included file fat_comparison.html contains a comparison of perfomance between the 5.00 fat driver, the 3.71 one, and the 5.00 one with the speed up hack during the read of an iso.
The test was done on the game Valkyrie Profile in cso format in march33 mode. Other games, modes and applications different than iso reading showed similar results.
Download update: http://rapidshare.com/files/186553068/500m33_6.zip
Made by Symmetric Web
Distributed by Smashing Magazine