Archives for "iPod Touch"
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.
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.
How to Jailbreak iPod Touch 2.0 using WinPwn
Last Saturday, I’ve successfully performed a jailbreak on my iPod Touch 2.0.1. So I’m here to share and write about how I did it. First, let me talk about the new features on the new Firmware. The new firmware lets you install applications from the iTunes store to your iPod Touch. There are pretty much good free apps in iTunes so in my own opinion, I think it’s worth installing the latest firmware.
So how to do it? I’m not gonna rewrite the guide that I followed so I’m just gonna redirect you to it. But I’m here to give you some tips though, because some parts of the guide aren’t too clear. So let’s start.
You can follow the steps of this nice detailed guide. You must follow each step carefully. Here are some of the additional stuff that I did. They are numbered according to the guide/link I gave you.
On step number 9 from the guide titled 1st tab, Applications: The screenshot in this step is not updated. The latest WinPwn version has 3 checkboxes on the first tab, you must check them all, since you are on iPod Touch.
The rest of the steps are well clear enough for you guys to follow. If you are afraid that you might brick your iPod, don’t be. There have been no reports of bricked iPod yet.
To those having problems on how to get to DFU mode, here are the steps I did to have a successful DFU mode. You will need a speaker or headset for this one. And you must not be deaf.
- Connect your iPod Touch to a USB cable.
- Press and hold the home and power buttons until you hear the disconnect sound. When you hear the sound, release the power button and keep holding the home button.
- Do not release the home button yet until you hear another sound. That’s the time you release the home button.
- The screen on the iPod should be black. If you see a graphic on the iPod Touch telling you to connect to iTunes then you are on restore mode and not on DFU mode.
I hope the instructions are crystal clear for you guys. If you’ve got any questions or you need help, just leave your comment below.
New Software Update for the iPod Touch
I was browsing thru the Apple.com website and I learned that Apple has just released the new iPod Touch software. This software update will install the missing applications in the iPod Touch that the iPhone has. Here’s a list of the “new” applications you’ll be getting:
- Mail Application – Email client for the iPod Touch. This one lets you view rich html documents, PDF, Word and Excel attachments. This is very useful.
- Maps – Google maps. Very nice, indeed.
- Web Clips – creates a shortcut icon for web clips. Not really that great.
- Customizable Homescreen -let’s you customize your homescreen. You can rearrange the icons in the dock and the screen. SMB can do better than that.
- Stocks – Checks your stock. This isn’t really useful at all for people like me.
- Notes – Let’s you take notes and reminder. A very helpful application.
- Weather - Tells you the weather forecast.
- Movies and Music – Let’s you rent a movie from iTunes and watch it on the go. Enables you to view the lyrics from your favorite music while a song plays. Pretty useful.
That’s totally cool but wait — the software update is NOT free. How shitty is that? I mean What the Fuck?! I’ve already spent more than $300 buying the thing. Why can’t they just give it to you for free? This is a big disappointment for iPod Touch owners out there. Well, blame Apple.
The thing is I’m really not disappointed because I had those applications since I had my iPod Touch jailbroken. So my advice to all iPod Touch owners out there, if you want those applications but you don’t want to pay for it because you’ve already spent a lot of money just for the device, jailbreak your iPod. You’ll get more applications than you could ever imagine.
I really hope Sony doesn’t do this stupid thing too – I mean make the PSP owners pay for a firmware update. Because that is not the right way you treat your loyal fanboys.
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