Game controller support in iOS 7 is a step in the right direction

Introducing iOS 7 at WWDC last week, Apple's Craig Federighi mentioned MFi game controller support in passing. Apple's announcement has long-term ramifications for iOS 7 as viable gaming platform.

Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod

MFi is a licensing program Apple offers to developers. It enables hardware makers to certify that their products are up to Apple's spec for peripherals that work with for iPod, iPhone or iPad. The program's been around for a while, and if you've ever seen the "Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad" stamp on the box for a speaker system or peripheral, their manufacturer is part of the program.

Developers involved in the program gain access to hardware and software they need to make their devices compatible and up to spec with Apple's rigorous guidelines. More than just that, MFi is a necessity for any company that wants to make a hardware product sold in Apple retail stores or by Apple authorized resellers.

Game controllers for iOS devices have been around for a while, but up until now, they haven't really had Apple's full sanction. Successful devices like Ion Audio's iCade system have been able to work around MFi by going through Bluetooth instead.

A change of heart?

Games are already the biggest single category in the App Store, so it's entirely reasonable that Apple should bolster support for game devices with the MFi program. Apple has insisted for years that the right way to interact with iOS devices is by using the touch interface to its full potential. But game developers and critics have also insisted for years that many titles for iOS are hamstrung by the absence of proper game controller support.

Games that are created from the ground up for iOS, and ones that are really cleverly designed to work on touch interfaces, won't benefit from game controller support in iOS 7. But there are hundreds, if not thousands of games that will.

MFi is only one piece of the puzzle. Apple has also created a development framework to standardize the way game controllers should work on iOS, to make sure users get a consistent experience from device to device.

iOS, and the devices that operate it, aren't suddenly going to go toe-to-toe with Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo for dominance of the gaming market, and controller support in iOS 7 isn't going to change that. iOS is, first and foremost, a general-purpose operating system designed to appeal to a broad swath of consumers. Some technology Apple has developed for gamers is obvious, like Game Center. Other stuff is more under the hood - OpenGL 4 support in OS X 10.9, for example.

But by embracing support for third party game controllers, Apple shows that it is open to change, and that it's willing to extend the iOS user experience in ways that it has been very reluctant to in the past. And that's a good thing for iOS users and developers alike.

Source : http://www.imore.com/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:16 PM in News

3 Ways to View Zip and Archive Contents Without Extracting in Mac OS X

Wondering what is in that zip file or archive you downloaded, but you don’t want to extract it to find out? Maybe you are hunting around in a see of archives for a specific file you zipped up a while ago, but you’re not quite sure which archive contains it? You can easily peer into zips and other archive formats to view their contents without actually unzipping or uncompressing them, which is an excellent way to check if a particular archive has a file or folder you are looking for, and to make sure you downloaded the proper file.

There are a few easy ways to view zip contents on a Mac and we’ll cover three of them, two of which are zip-centric command line based and built into all versions of OS X (and many other unix and linux variations for that matter), and another approach which uses a free third party utility and Quick Look to be able to quickly glance at any archives contents.

Viewing Zip Archive Contents with zip info

The most informative for zips and perhaps the easiest to remember is the ‘zipinfo’ command. At it’s most basic usage, it requires no flags or anything fancy, just point it at a zip file and you’ll see a full list of the archives contents, the file size of each item within the archive, file count, total size of the zip, the read/write/execution permissions per file, file modification date and time, the compression level and efficacy of the compression, and of course, the file names. All of this information is revealed without uncompressing the zip.

zipinfo archivename.zip

Here’s an example of the command and some sample output, remember output always looks cleaner in the terminal than it does on a webpage:

$ zipinfo archive.zip
Archive: archive.zip 1743 bytes 5 files
-rw-r--r-- 2.1 unx 4068 bX defN 11-May-13 14:25 magicsample.conf
-rw-r--r-- 2.1 unx 204 bX defN 16-May-13 09:38 magicfile
-rw-r--r-- 2.1 unx 132 bX defN 21-May-13 12:44 testingsomething.txt
5 files, 4486 bytes uncompressed, 991 bytes compressed: 77.9%

The zipinfo command will only work for zip archives, and it will not view the contents of password protected zips.

Checking Zip Contents with unzip

Another way to see the contents of zips is to use the familiar ‘unzip’ command with a simple -l flag. The reported information is not as detailed as ‘zipinfo’ but it still includes meaningful details including individual file size, file modification date and time, total file count, and file names.

unzip -l archivename.zip

Sample output of the command is shown below:

$ unzip -l archive.zip
Archive: archive.zip
Length Date Time Name
-------- ---- ---- ----
4068 05-11-13 14:25 magicsample.conf
204 05-16-13 09:38 magicfile
132 05-21-13 12:44 testingsomething.txt
-------- -------
4486 5 files

For most uses it’s probably best to use the zipinfo command, if not for it’s simplicity, than for it’s extended reporting of archive contents. One advantage to unzip however is that it appears on more unix platforms than zipinfo, meaning you should find it to be compatible with almost any OS you run across, whereas zipinfo is often not as common to come across. Nonetheless, zipinfo is bundled in virtually every version of Mac OS X so if you’re primarily a Mac user you should never have issues using it, even if you’re stepping back in time with a very early OS X version.

Again, unzip -l will only view the contents of .zip files, so if you’re looking for an all-encompassing solution for viewing the contents of many archive formats go with the BetterZipQL utility we’ll cover next.

Viewing Contents of Any Archive Without Extraction via Quick Look

If you’d rather not dig around in the command line, you can use a free third party Quick Look plugin to view the contents of zips and nearly any other archive files without extracting them. Called “BetterZip QuickLook Generator”, the plugin is easy to install and to use, and it works with the latest versions of OS X. BetterZipQL is great for a few reasons, it’s quick and simple to use thanks to Quick Look’s easy access from the space bar, plus it supports much more than zip, allowing you to view all of the following archive formats without extracting them: ZIP, TAR, GZip, BZip2, ARJ, LZH, ISO, CHM, CAB, CPIO, RAR, 7-Zip, DEB, RPM, StuffIt’s SIT, DiskDoubler, BinHex, and MacBinary. Nice huh?

To use BetterZipQL to view the contents of all these archive formats, you’ll need to download and install BetterZipQL first, here is how to do that, plus how to use it once you’ve gone through the simple installation process:

• Download BetterZip for Quicklook here and uncompress it
• From the Finder, hit Command+Shift+G to summon Go To Folder and go to /Library/QuickLook/
• Drag the unzipped BetterZipQL.qlgenerator file into that /Library/QuickLook/ folder
• Open Terminal and restart the Quick Look daemon for the plugin to load:
• qlmanage -r
• Find any zip file in the Finder, select it, then hit the Spacebar to view the contents

The viewed zip (or other archive) will look like the following, you can interact with folders and hierarchies to dig deeper into archive formats if desired:

BetterZipQL is great but the interface is clearly designed for earlier versions of OS X, thus it looks a little out of place with the more subtle lighter appearances of newer versions of Quick Look. Nonetheless, it still works great and the funky mismatched appearance is hardly any reason to not download it and use the awesome free utility.

What about viewing archives in iOS?

Not on a Mac but still need to see what’s in an archive? If you’re on the go with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and want to check the contents of a zip, rar, sit, or many other archive formats, you can use the excellent free WinZip utility for purposes of viewing contents, plus it can also open and extract zips and other archive formats, you can read more about zips and iOS here if interested.

Heads up to MacWorld for the zipinfo trick and for finding the BetterZip Quick Look utility. I’ve been using the unzip -l tool for years and it’s always great to find new alternatives.

Source : http://osxdaily.com/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:15 PM in How to

How to Check if iPhone is Unlocked or Not

An unlocked iPhone means it can use any cellular network, so long as you have a compatible carrier SIM card. Due to this, unlocked iPhones are more valuable and highly desired for both local and international users, because it allows you to use any GSM carrier whether at home or abroad just by swapping out SIM cards. But how do you know if an iPhone is unlocked or not? You usually can’t tell just by looking at it, but we’ll show you how to find out if the device is factory unlocked or not using one of three methods. If you plan on doing some international travel, you’ll want to check before you leave. Similarly, if you plan on buying or selling an iPhone, you’ll want to check if its unlocked or not before completing the transaction.

First, here are a few safe assumptions: if an iPhone was bought on contract, it will probably remain locked to that carrier. Exceptions to this are if an iPhone has been manually unlocked by a provider (many CDMA carriers will unlock the SIM card slot on iPhone models even while in contract, you just have to ask), or if an iPhone has ended its contract and the device has been unlocked per request, such as you can do with AT&T. On the other hand, if you know that the iPhone was bought unlocked from Apple by paying full price, then you don’t need to do anything other than swap in whatever carrier SIM card you want to use.

Let’s get on with three easy ways to check the unlock status of any iPhone:

Method 1: The Easiest Way to Check if an iPhone is Unlocked: SIM Cards

By far the simplest way to determine if an iPhone is unlocked or not is to swap in another GSM provider SIM card, wait a moment or two, and see if the iPhone gets service. That’s all you will need to do, but this assumes you have access to another GSM SIM. For example, in the USA you could check if an AT&T iPhone is unlocked simply by borrowing a T-Mobile SIM card, placing it in the iPhone, and seeing if the device gets service. Either use a friends SIM card or visit a T-Mobile store and they’ll be able to check for you. If you don’t have access to alternative provider SIM cards, you can also check through the web using the next method.

Method 2: Checking iPhone Unlock Status via Web Service

Don’t have an alternate carrier SIM card available? No big deal, you can use a free web service called IMEI Info to check an iPhone’s unlock status, but there’s a catch; you have to use a Facebook account and click a “Like” button to actually determine if the device is locked or unlocked. If you’re OK with that, the service is extremely easy to use:

• Find the iPhone IMEI number by dialing *#06# on the phone – you do not need cell service to dial that number, the iPhone just has to be turned on. If the *#06# trick doesn’t work, you can also find the IMEI from iTunes, on the back of iPhone 5, on the devices SIM card slot, or through the iPhone itself as described here
• Head over to the IMEI.info site
• Enter the devices IMEI number exactly as shown, click “Check”, then at the next screen choose the big green “SIMLOCK & WARRANTY” button under the Free checks header, followed by the Like button as requested

After you click the “SIMLOCK” button, you’ll have to “Like” the IMEI service on Facebook to actually get the unlock status of the iPhone. It may take a moment or two as a server is accessed where the IMEI numbers are checked against. When finished, you’ll find the iPhone’s status as well as some other information:

IMEI.info does have a limitation in place for checking up to three IMEI numbers per day, that limit is IP based and not cookie based, so you’ll need to use a proxy or VPN if you want to go beyond that limit for some reason or another. And yes, IMEI Info will also find unlock statuses of Android phones and other devices as well, even the antiquated dumb phones of yesteryear.

Method 3. Checking Unlock Status with iTunes by Restoring

One final method of checking an iPhone’s unlock status is by resetting to factory defaults and restoring through iTunes by connecting the device to a PC, if you see the familiar “Congratulations, the iPhone is unlocked” message you know the iPhone has been unlocked:

This message is what you’ll see if you went through the free unlocking methods offered by AT&T after a contract is over, or if you requested a SIM unlock through Verizon or Sprint while still on contract.

Source : http://osxdaily.com/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:11 PM in How to

Imitate iOS 7 Beta on Jailbroken iOS 6 Device

Apple recently launched the iOS 7 Beta 1 for developer testing at the annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. IBTimes UK recently posted a step-by-step guide to downgrade iOS 7 Beta to more stable releases such as iOS 6.1.3 or iOS 6.1.4 in order to install custom jailbreak tweaks and apps.

Those who have already upgraded their device to iOS 7 Beta can follow our step-by-step guide to downgrade iOS 7 Beta to the latest iOS 6 versions. Conversely, those who are still undecided on upgrading have some great news.

As Redmond Pie points out, several new features found in iOS 7 are now accessible via Cydia's latest jailbreak tweaks, and hence the iOS 7 upgrade is no longer needed. In other words, the latest Cydia packages and tweaks can emulate iOS 7 on a jailbroken iOS 6 device with latest features and UI additions.

A jailbroken iOS 6 device can be transformed into iOS 7 look-alike by installing a few simple jailbreak tweaks and themes. A complete list of necessary Cydia packages and tools along with their prices and repos are given below (courtesy of Redmond Pie):

• iOS 7 Theme for iPhone: It is the icon set used in the video for incorporating iOS 7 icons to replace the boring iOS 6 stock app icons. It can be downloaded via MacCiti repo for free.
• iOS 7 Bars And Battery: It offers an identical status bar to iOS 7, including the new flatter battery icon, and dots in replacement for signal bars. It is also downloadble via MacCiti repo for free.
• BlurriedNCBackground:provides the functionality required to have a Gaussian blur effect which replaces the familiar linen NotificationCenter background. This tweak is available for free on the BigBoss repo.
• CardSwitcher: This tweak is used to replicate the iOS 7 AppSwitcher. It almost mimics the multitasking functionality found in iOS 7, and costs £1.3 ($1.99) via BigBoss repo.
• Thin Lockscreen: This theme provides a very minimalist approach to the lock screen, and looks incredibly similar to the iOS 7 lock screen. It is available via the Patrick Muff repo for free. It can be accessed by adding the source "patrickmuff.ch/repo" to your Cydia sources and the lock screen wallpaper is found here: goo.gl/SkxzY
• FolderEnhancer: This tweak is used to emulate the functionality and appearance of iOS 7 folders. It is available for £1.6 ($2.49) from the BigBoss repository.
• Auxo: This tweak replicates the functionality of Control Center within iOS 7. Though it looks a bit different, the functionality it offers is almost same and even considered better with the addition of app switching. It is priced at £1.3 ($1.99) from the BigBoss repo.
• DeepEnd: It produces a parallax effect by moving your home screen wallpaper, in sync with the accelerometer motion detection from your device. It offers a very cool 3D effect to your springboard, and is downloadable for free on Ryan Petrich's beta repo (rpetri.ch/repo).
• BytaFont + Roboto Light: These tools provide a font that precisely resembles the default font found in iOS 7. Both are available for free from Cydia.

Source : http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:37 PM in How to

Add iOS 7 Control Center inspired toggles to iOS 6

iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons is a new jailbreak theme that brings iOS 7 inspired toggles to lesser firmware. The toggles, based on those that appear in iOS 7′s new Control Center, help bring the look and feel of iOS 7 to jailbroken iPhones.

Designed by renowned designer, Surenix, the toggle theme integrates with NCSettings, and requires WinterBoard. It’s also been recommended that you add a blur effect tweak to the Notification Center window, further emulating the signature style of iOS 7.

I’ve installed iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons on my iPhone, and I’d like to show you how it all comes together. Check out our hands on video walkthrough after the break…

After installing the theme, you’ll need to venture into WinterBoards’s settings to enable the theme. Once the theme is enabled, head into the stock Settings app and locate the preferences for NCSettings. Select the theme selection under the Appearance section, and enable the iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons theme.

Now, when you slide down Notification Center to expose NCSettings, it should showcase this new theme, which looks very similar to iOS 7′s Control Center. To further replicate iOS 7, Surenix recommends adding a blur effect tweak for Notification Center to the mix. I decided to use Ryan Petrich’s FastBlurredNotificationCenter tweak, which, in my opinion, works best. You can find that package on Petrich’s beta repo: http://rpetri.ch/repo/.

iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons is a great looking theme for NCSettings users. Even if you’ve never used NCSettings in the past, now you have even more of a reason to do so. Best of all, iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons is a free theme available right now on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. In fact, all of the packages required for this look, NCSettings, iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons, WinterBoard, and FastBlurredNotificationCenter, are free of charge on Cydia. Let me know what you think about this new theme in the comment section below.

Source : http://www.idownloadblog.com/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:36 PM in News

Use Any iOS Device as an AirPlay Receiver

AirPlay is a great way to stream music to your favorite stereo or Apple TV, but what if you don't have special hardware designed to receive AirPlay? Now any jailbroken iOS device can be used thanks to the tweak AirPlayServer. For example, an unused old iPhone can be set up as an AirPlay receiver, so that other iOS devices on the same Wi-Fi network can send audio to the unit.

This becomes especially handy when connecting the AirPlay receiver to a stereo or other external speakers. Instead of spending money on an AirPlay-specific accessory, simply plug the headphone jack of the jailbroken iOS device into the stereo for full sound. Any other iOS device on the network can be configured to send audio to the new AirPlay receiver using the built-in AirPlay menu.

Although AirPlayServer only supports audio streaming, the tweak is completely free. Once installed, there is a section for settings that makes it possible to enable or disable the AirPlay server. If the iOS device is connected to Wi-Fi and Settings -> AirPlayServer is set to ON, it will be automatically added as an AirPlay streaming option in audio apps on other iOS devices.

AirPlayServer is available on Cydia from the BigBoss repo free of charge. Check here for instructions on how to jailbreak iOS 6.x with evasi0n. You can also find out how to purchase and install Cydia tweaks with this guide.

Source : http://www.iphonefaq.org/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:34 PM in How to

Update Your iPhone's Look With Free iOS 7 Themes

For those who just can't wait until this fall to see what iOS 7 is all about, there are several free iOS 7 themes popping up in the Cydia jailbreak app store. Not only can the home screen be themed, but there are options for an iOS 7 style lock screen, status bar, control toggles, messages, and even the calculator. All of the themes require a jailbroken iPhone and Winterboard.

Once Winterboard and the individual themes are installed, they can be enabled under Settings -> Winterboard. Winterboard will also add an icon to the home screen that can be used to access the list of installed themes. A respring button is provided in Winterboard, which must be selected before theme changes are applied. The complete list of free iOS 7 themes currently available on Cydia includes:

• - iOS 7 Bars and Battery
• - iOS 7 biteSMS Theme
• - iOS 7 Calculator Theme
• - iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons
• - iOS 7 Lockscreen Theme
• - iOS 7 Messages Theme
• - iOS 7 Theme (2)
• - iOS 7 theme complete
• - NEW iOS 7 Signal Bars Theme
• - Trans Keyboard iOS 7

iOS 7 Theme pictured above is available on Cydia from the ZodTTD & MacCiti repo free of charge. Check here for instructions on how to jailbreak iOS 6.x with evasi0n. You can also find out how to purchase and install Cydia tweaks with this guide.

Source : http://www.iphonefaq.org/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:32 PM in How to

Install iOS 7 Beta On Your iPhone With and Without Registering Your iOS Device UDID

With the release of iOS 7 and the dramatic changes and great new features that it brings, it only makes sense to at least consider upgrading your iOS device to this new operating system. However, since Apple will release iOS 7 officially in a few months still, the only option available for now to those who want to upgrade is to install a beta version of iOS 7.

Here’s is a step by step process on how to do this.

Important Note: Before we start, know that beta versions of any kind (including iOS 7) are not finished by any means and usually come with several issues. iOS 7 beta in particular is intended for developers and suffers from many bugs and software compatibility issues. So please consider this before attempting to install it, even more so if you will do it on your main/only device. We are not responsible for any damage or loss of data caused to your iOS device by updating to iOS betas.

Update to iOS 7 Registering Your iPhone’s UDID Number

• Step 1: To start, you will first need to register your iPhone’s UDID number with a developer account. Since this is a beta version of iOS, only authorized Apple developers are allowed to run it on their devices.

There are a few ways to register your iOS device UDID:

If you ever tested an app for a developer and you provided them with your device’s UDID.
In my case, I tried this paid registration service that registers your iPhone instantly. If you fear scammers or just want something simple and reliable, then I recommend it.

• Step 2: Download the iOS 7 beta from this website. Make sure it is the right version required by your iOS device model. Look at the back of your iPhone to find it. In my case, my iPhone’s model number is A1428, which is the model number for all GSM models.

Important Note: Before installing iOS 7, make sure to backup all your important content. This is extremely important.

• Step 3: With your UDID registered and iOS 7 downloaded, open iTunes (make sure you have the latest version installed) and plug in your iPhone. Go to its Summary tab and then while holding the Alt key on your Mac (Shift on Windows), click on the Restore iPhone… button.
• Step 4: Select the iOS 7 installation file that you downloaded before, confirm the next steps and sit back and relax while iOS 7 installs.

Once it is done, feel free to either set it up as a new device or to restore your settings and information from a backup.

Update to iOS 7 Without Registering Your iPhone’s UDID Number

If you don’t want to pay or just don’t want to give your iPhone’s UDID number to an unknown developer, you can try this free upgrading method. In previous versions of iOS it was not possible to do it, but now it seems to be working.

I haven’t tried this personally, but even if it works, nothing stops Apple from blocking it next time the iOS 7 beta file is updated, which is why I chose to go with the first method above.

• Step 5: First, download iOS 7 beta just as specified in Step 2 above.
• Step 6: Open iTunes and plug your iPhone to your computer. Go to its Summary tab and, while holding the Alt key on your Mac (or Shift on Windows), for this process, click instead on the Check for Update button.

Important Note: If for any reason you click on Restore iPhone…, you will then be forced to register your UDID.

• Step 7: Select the iOS 7 installation file that you downloaded previously, confirm the next steps and wait while iOS 7 installs.

There you go. Stick to the instructions, pay attention to the note across the articles and you will be running iOS 7 on your iOS device in no time. Enjoy!

Source : http://www.guidingtech.com/

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:31 PM in How to