Siri port now talking to Apple servers, avoiding Cydia



A little cajoling from a clever developer got Siri talking to the iPhone 4 and the iPad, but Apple’s tight-lipped servers kept the conversation effectively one-sided. The last-gen port was still missing something, and developer Steven Troughton-Smith knew where to find it: a jailbroken iPhone 4S. In an interview with 9to5Mac, Troughton-Smith said that getting Siri to talk to Cupertino’s data servers only took ten minutes after he had all of the pieces in place. Ready for your personal assistant port? Hold the phone, the process is a bit dodgy — our hacking hero said that getting Siri on the older device is a 20-step process, and it requires files from the iPhone 4S that he says aren’t his to distribute. When asked about distributing the hack over Cydia, Troughton-Smith said it was something he couldn’t be a part of. On Twitter he suggested that a release would “anger the hive,” but promised to post detailed notes on the hack after a iPhone 4S jailbreak drops.

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Siri port now talking to Apple servers, avoiding Cydia originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  source9to5Mac, @stroughtonsmith (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

myPlex makes streaming your media simple, gives you one queue to rule them all

myPlex

Plex is one of the more popular solutions to the problem of how to get all that (legally downloaded, of course) media sitting on your home PC to your various devices for consumption. But, like many of its competitors, getting the whole shebang set up isn’t always the easiest task. The company’s new myPlex platform aims to solve this conundrum, and adds a few welcome features along the way. Now, setting up a server or a client is as simple as logging in to your Plex account — no matter how many of either part of the media-streaming equation you may have. As an added bonus, your account is also now home to a queue that is shared across all devices. Stopped watching a movie half way through on your commute home? You can pick up right where you left off on your Roku. You can even add web clips from sources like YouTube to the list. Check out the source link for a few more details.

myPlex makes streaming your media simple, gives you one queue to rule them all originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple reportedly acquires C3 Technologies, iOS Maps overhaul on the horizon?

Last we saw of C3 Technologies’ 3D mapping software it was making an appearance on Sony Ericsson’s X10, but if 9to5Mac turns out to be right, its next stop could be the iPhone. According to the publication, Cupertino recently scooped up the Saab spin-off and C3 execs have since been working closely with the iOS division. Earlier this year, Apple posted job listings, looking for developers to “radically improve how people interact with maps and location-based services.” On a related note, the outfit previously acquired Poly9, a web-based mapping company. So is the fruity one looking to up its street (navigation) cred? Is it finally ready to give Google Maps the boot? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Apple reportedly acquires C3 Technologies, iOS Maps overhaul on the horizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP’s Todd Bradley refutes webOS shutdown rumors

HP’s Todd Bradley showed up on Bloomberg last night for a quick round of webOS damage control. Following a report from The Guardian, saying the company would in fact kill the webOS division, Bradley referred to the report as an “unfounded rumor.” He went on to say that “accolades for the operating system are broadly known” and that the company is focusing on how to “effectively utilize that phenomenal software.” Of course, there’s always a chance that the best way to utilize the troubled OS is to sell it to the highest bidder, but Bradley said HP will weigh all the “data and information” before making “the right decision.” For now, the operating system’s still kicking it in limbo. The full interview awaits you at the source link below.

HP’s Todd Bradley refutes webOS shutdown rumors originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia World 2011 wrap-up

Nokia had something to prove at its annual event, and an eight-month turnaround of its smartphone arm is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. While Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices were undoubtably the stars of the two-day expo, there was plenty more to investigate — Nokia’s legion of development labs certainly didn’t let us down. Check out a veritable world of coverage neatly arranged below the break for everything Nokia World had to show us, and few more tidbits we found for ourselves.

Continue reading Nokia World 2011 wrap-up

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Nokia World 2011 wrap-up originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poll: What’s broken (or working) for you in iOS 5?

If you haven’t updated to iOS 5 by now, let’s face it: you never will. It’s cool. We get it. Some of us are still using Netscape, too. For the rest of the iOS universe, though, iOS 5 has almost certainly been installed, and now that you’ve had a few weeks to tinker with it, we’re interested in seeing what quirks are being found. We’ve received a number of reports surrounding call connection issues (on both Verizon Wireless and AT&T), “invalid SIM” warnings, a bug that shows an inbox as being full (when it clearly isn’t) and iCloud refusing to load email altogether. Oh, and then there’s that pesky Siri pincode bypass — tsk, tsk! Toss your vote in below, and converse amongst yourselves in comments. Sharing is caring!

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Poll: What’s broken (or working) for you in iOS 5? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IDC: Samsung, ZTE see jump in mobile shipments, Apple slides to fifth place

Q3 earnings reports have been pouring in over the past few days, which means it’s time to check in with IDC on the state of the mobile market. The research firm’s latest report, released today, is something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Q3 global shipments increased by 12.8 percent year-over-year — higher than the 9.3 percent that IDC had predicted for the quarter and the 9.8 percent growth observed last quarter. At the same time, however, the market grew at the second slowest pace in two years and shipments to Western Europe and the US actually declined over the year, something the company attributes to more restrained consumer spending and more widespread economic uncertainty.

On the company level, both Samsung and ZTE came away as the biggest winners this quarter; Sammy’s shipments increased by 23 percent over the year, good for second place, while ZTE’s shot up by a whopping 57.9 percent, launching the company into fourth place. Apple, meanwhile, saw 26.2 percent growth in its shipments and a slight bump in market share, but still couldn’t avoid getting leapfrogged by ZTE and dropping down to fifth place. And then there’s LG, which had by far the worst quarter, relative to Q3 2010. The manufacturer saw shipments decline by nearly 26 percent over the year, while its market share slipped to 5.4 percent. All these horses, however, are still chasing Nokia, which saw a small drop in shipments, but managed to hang on to the top spot, with over 106 million shipments during the quarter — good for 27 percent of the market. For more numbers and insight, check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading IDC: Samsung, ZTE see jump in mobile shipments, Apple slides to fifth place

IDC: Samsung, ZTE see jump in mobile shipments, Apple slides to fifth place originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did the Nokia Lumia 710 pass through the FCC?

Lookee here, it’s the other new Windows Phone-packing Nokia handset. No, not that one, this is the Lumia 710 — you know, the budget phone with the 3.7-inch LCD and those colorful backplates. The Mangoriffic phone appears to have made its way through the FCC, with the ID on the filing matching up with listings on the Finnish phonemaker’s site. Don’t get too excited, however — while this and the product page are certainly enough to get some stateside Nokia fanatics’ blood pumping, the company has given us word that the Lumia is not destined for our shores, sadly — at least not in any official capacity.

Update: We just received word from Nokia that, contrary to earlier information, Lumia devices will in fact be arriving in the States. As far as what those specific products will be, however, the company isn’t quite ready to talk just yet.

Did the Nokia Lumia 710 pass through the FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Glass: a detailed tour inside the Samsung Galaxy Note

While the Samsung Galaxy Note might be a behemoth of a phone (or is it a phablet?), momma always taught us that it’s what’s on the inside that really counts. But first we need to get to know the device a little better. To do this, we once again recruited the knowledge and insight of Francois Simond (Supercurio) to dive into the circuitry, sensors, and other innards to find out what makes this Note tick. Follow on below to get the inside scoop.

Continue reading Behind the Glass: a detailed tour inside the Samsung Galaxy Note

Behind the Glass: a detailed tour inside the Samsung Galaxy Note originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Guardian: HP shutdown of webOS division said to be ‘imminent’

Could the writing have already been on the wall for webOS when former VP of worldwide developer relations Richard Kerris left HP for Nokia this week? While nothing is yet confirmed, The Guardian is now reporting that HP will indeed finally shut down its webOS division, which could affect up to 500 jobs (either through reassignment or layoffs — we’ve previously heard that some layoffs had already begun). That word comes from some unnamed internal HP sources, who reportedly expect an “imminent closure,” with one employee adding that “there’s a 95% chance we all get laid off between now and November.” For its part, HP remained noticeably mum on any news about webOS when it announced that it would hang onto its PC business this week, and its decision to use Windows 8 on tablets certainly didn’t do much to inspire the webOS faithful.

The Guardian: HP shutdown of webOS division said to be ‘imminent’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Guardian  | Email this | Comments