Hasta La Gadget!

Well, that didn’t take long. Greenpois0n jailbroke the new Apple TV just yesterday, and PwnageTool 4.1 this afternoon, and we’ve already got what appears to be the first custom software successfully running on the device. As you can see, it’s a simple weather app, designed by a tiny software firm called nitoTV, but it’s a harbinger of things to come when developers get cracking on the Apple TV in earnest. See a picture of nitoTV’s custom launcher after the break, while your subconscious frantically tries to figure out what the four cities in the above pic could possibly have in common.

Continue reading Apple TV hacked to run weather app

Apple TV hacked to run weather app originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IOS hacker p0sixninja, aka Joshua Hill, has jailbroken the new AppleTV. To do it, he used an unreleased version of the tool greenpois0n, an exploit designed to crack iOS version 4.1.

The v2 AppleTV runs on the same iOS that Apple uses for all its mobile devices, and shares the custom A4 chip used in the iPhone 4, the iPad and the latest iPod Touch. Greenpois0n, like other jailbreak exploits, hacks the operating system to give the user access to the file system, and from there the ability to install third-party applications.

As you can see from the photograph posted by Hill on Twitter, the hack adds in greenpois0n menu to the AppleTV. It can’t be long now before he manages to install apps from Cydia, the unofficial jailbreak app store, and perhaps even official apps meant for the iPad. VLC on the AppleTV? Yes please!

Ohai AppleTV [Joshua Hill on Twitter]

Greenpois0n [Chronic Dev Team]

Photo: Joshua Hill

See Also:

• Hands-On With New $100 Apple TV
• AppleTV Runs iOS, Already Jailbroken
• Logitech Google TV Box Embarrasses Apple TV
• 6 Reasons to Jailbreak Your iPhone

Amongst the wealth of information disseminated at Apple’s fourth-quarter earnings call yesterday was the little fact that the AppleTV has sold a quarter of a million units since its launch at the end of September, or almost three weeks ago. That’s around 13,000 per day, not bad for what Apple has always referred to as a “hobby”.

Speaking in the call yesterday, Jobs said “we’re happy with how it’s turned out.”

This figure is tiny in comparison with the sales of other iOS devices. Apple is activating around 275,000 iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches every day. But while we don’t know just how well the previous generation AppleTV sold, one thing is for sure – the new one is selling better. This is the first time AppleTV figures have been made public.

In fact, Jobs expects things to get even better when iOS 4.2 is deployed across the iOS universe. “I think that when we get the AirPlay stuff in place before the end of this year, it’s gonna give another big reason for people to buy it,” he said.

The AppleTV is still selling in limited markets, too. Right now, you can’t buy it in Spain, for instance, presumably because there is still no way to rent or buy any video through iTunes, rendering the little brick as useful as an actual brick. IOS 4.2 will change that, allowing us to stream out own content, and then the AppleTV may really take off.

Complete Transcript of Earnings Call [Macworld]

See Also:

• 3 Secret Apple TV Features Steve Jobs Hasn't Told You About …
• Hands-On With New $100 Apple TV
• Steve Jobs Says 7-Inch Tablets Are 'Dead on Arrival'

IOS hacker extraordinaire MuscleNerd has successfully jailbroken the Apple TV, before many pre-orders have even been filled. This gives the user “root” access to the operating system, allowing them to install or tweak anything they like.

What MuscleNerd hasn’t figure out yet is how to actually get apps running on the AppleTV. Given that the set-top box has the same A4 processor found in the iPhone 4, iPad and iPod Touch, and is loaded with 8GB RAM, it shouldn’t be long before this is solved. Here’s a video showing MuscleNerd logging in to his AppleTV from a Mac via the terminal.

There is just one app installed on the AppleTV. Named Lowtide, it is the front-end you see when you use the device. Lowtide has already been loaded and run on the latest-gen iPod Touch

Where will this lead? Well, expect apps especially written for a jailbroken AppleTV to start popping up as soon as MuscleNerd and his colleagues work out how to run them. This could mean anything from Hulu+ to games. Imagine playing old Super Nintendo games on your big screen TV using your iPhone as a controller. Far-fetched? You can already do it on your iPad.

SHAttered AppleTV 2G [YouTube]

SHAttered iPod touch 4G (and AppleTV) [iPhone Dev Team Blog]

See Also:

• AppleTV Runs iOS, Already Jailbroken
• 3 Secret Apple TV Features Steve Jobs Hasn't Told You About …
• Hands-On With New $100 Apple TV

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

Well, there you have it, kids. Your new favorite hobby has gone from having a confirmed exploit to a legitimate jailbreak in the space of a mere couple of days. MuscleNerd reports that the Shatter jailbreaking endeavor has claimed its latest iOS victim today, though as you can see for yourself, it’s “not quite ready for prime time yet.” App installations still have to be figured out, but at least the door’s been opened for making some good, if not magical, things happen. You’ll find video evidence of root access after the break.

[Thanks, dsbilling]

Continue reading Apple TV jailbreak complete, next step: figuring out how to run apps (video)

Apple TV jailbreak complete, next step: figuring out how to run apps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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