Hasta La Gadget!

Soon, thanks to the tireless efforts of the iPhone Dev Team, you will be able to install apps on your AppleTV. An upcoming Jailbreak tool, called SHAtter, has already been used to unlock the new Apple TV’s firmware.

SHAtter was used to jailbreak the newest iPod Touch shortly after its launch, and thanks to its iOS roots, the AppleTV is also susceptible to its power. The hack was carried out on the firmware restore download just been posted by Apple. This file, which contains the entire OS of the Apple TV, is an IPSW file, the file-extension for iPhone and iPad OS files.

So what’s inside? According to the Dev Team member Will Strafach, “the new AppleTV OS seems to be a mashup of the old AppleTV OS and iOS.” This, he says, means that existing AppleTV hacks (or “frappliances”) may already work. Frappliances are the plugins that add functionality to the original AppleTV. Also, all of the iOS software frameworks are present, which could allow hacks to enable video-conferencing, for example (if you could figure out how to hook up a camera) or even let you install the iPad Hulu app.

I suspect that Apple will add apps to the AppleTV in the form of channels, just like the Netflix “channel” that is there already. A jailbroken AppleTV, though, could theoretically run anything that will run on the iPhone or iPad. A final word from Strafach: “The most interesting thing about the new AppleTV OS is that all binaries are marked iPad-compatible. I do wonder what Apple is planning…”

SHAttered iPod touch 4G (and Apple TV) [Dev Team Blog]

@willstraf [Twitter]

Illustration: Charlie Sorrel

See Also:

• JailbreakMe Unlocks iPhone 4, iPad With Your Browser
• Apple TV Runs iOS, Opening Door to Apps, Jailbreaking

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Oh man. I just found out why my sneakers smell so bad. Warning: look away now if you are eating.

Each human foot has more than 250,000 sweat glands and sweats up to eight ounces per day. This sweat causes your shoes to become breeding grounds for the fungus and bacteria that cause toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, and odor.

It gets worse:

People who suffer from these ailments are likely re-infecting themselves when they wear their shoes. You would never re-use a dirty band-aid, so why would you put a foot that is undergoing treatment into a dirty shoe?

Eight ounces! Of filthy foot-sweat! No wonder I have to leave my yellowing tennis shoes on the balcony overnight. Thankfully, there is a gadget that will help. It’s the SteriShoe, and it sits inside your shoes, bathing their stinking innards in cool, cleansing UVC light.

This ultraviolet light is the kind used for many germicidal applications, and the SteriShoe people say that their insert kills 99.9% of germs, making your shoe a safe place for your foot once again. UVC light can damage eyes and skin, however, so there are a few safety devices. First, the SteriShoe will only switch on when it is slightly compressed, meaning stuffed inside a shoe. Second, it only works in the dark. To this end, it comes with a pair of dark bags so you can use the SteriShoe with sandals and other hippie-wear.

How much would you pay for full foot freshness? If you answered $130 then you’re in luck, for that is just what SteriShoe is charging for one of its germ-killers. It comes in four sizes, and spare bulbs can be had for $12 apiece.

SteriShoe product page [SteriShoe via Oh Gizmo!]

See Also:

• Hung Star Hates Shoes, Loves Vibram FiveFingers
• Nike Patents Marty McFly's Self-Lacing Sneaker
• Lace-Amatic, The Dork-Amatic Shoe-Fastener

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Today we look again at one of the best kitchen gadgets we’ve ever seen, and it’s belongings.

Amazon is set to open the doors on an Android App Store, adding to the list of places where you may or may not be able to buy software for your device. According to Tech Crunch’s excellent MG Siegler, the store’s structure will be very similar to that of Apple’s App Store.

Developers will have to pay $99 to sign up, just like with Apple, and will get the same 70:30 revenue split. Amazon will decide what gets into the store, pull any apps it doesn’t like, and wrap everything up in its DRM. Further, you can’t sell your apps cheaper elsewhere. If it costs a dollar in the Android Market, it has to cost a dollar over at Amazon.

And it will be dollars. The Amazon app store will be U.S-only at launch, although as Daring Fireball’s John Gruber points out, “Amazon takes payments in more countries than Google Checkout does.” Apps can also be free.

One problem that won’t be solved is customer confusion. Unless Amazon makes its own tablet which has exclusive use of the store, then it will have to pick a range of Android devices to support. Unlike its music store, whose goods (MP3 files) can be played anywhere, an app store could only support a subset of devices.

Amazon will join Verizon and Google as outlets for Android apps, adding to the confusion. Remember the arguments about Android being “open” and iOS being “closed”? They’re starting to look a little silly now.

Yep, Amazon Launching Their Own App Store For Android Too [MG Siegler via ★]

Illustration: Charlie Sorrel

See Also:

• A Call for Transparency in Apple's App Store
• Verizon Promises Simpler, More Lucrative App Store for Developers …
• Independent App Stores Take On Google's Android Market

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Clearly, introducing one Bluetooth headset in a single day just isn’t enough for Motorola. In addition to the Oasis, the outfit has also let loose the new S10-HD, a wraparound set that is marketed as Bluetooth headphones rather than a BT headset (though it’s fully capable of acting as either / both). As expected, these guys are designed to withstand all sorts of sweat beads, enabling fitness junkies to keep on rockin’ in the free world regardless of how steamy the conditions may be. We’re also told that the speakers are recessed in their housing with a new ear cushion interface and hydrophobic acoustic mesh (fancy!), and silicon seals are in place around all of the electrical components. Should you receive a call while streaming tunes, it’ll gently pause the music until your call is done, and afterwards it’ll resume automatically. The S9-HD‘s proper successor will be landing in Best Buy locations starting October 24th for $79.99.

Continue reading Motorola’s wraparound S10-HD Bluetooth headphones: for the Usain Bolt in all of us

Motorola’s wraparound S10-HD Bluetooth headphones: for the Usain Bolt in all of us originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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