Mac Games and More The Blog

Excerpt from pcworld:

“…Jailbreak your iPhone
Download and install QuickPwn, an easy-to-use jailbreaking application for Windows and Mac (the latest version works with iPhone OS 2.2.1). Run the software and follow the onscreen instruction very carefully!

Install iPhoneModem by Addition
QuickPwn installs an app on your phone called Cydia, which is essentially the App Store for apps that were rejected from the official App Store (or, for whatever reason, the developer chose not to release through Apple). Run Cydia, search for iPhoneModem by Addition and install it. Keep in mind you can only delete Cydia installed apps via Cydia’s Manage-Sources function. Now download and install the helper app on your laptop and you’re almost ready to go.

Set up the network
Run the helper app and hit Connect. The helper app sets up an ad hoc wireless network that can be accessed via iPhone. The default network it creates is called “iPhoneModem” and does not have a password (you can change this in the Preferences of the helper app). Now open up your iPhone’s Settings and tap WiFi. Make sure WiFi is turned on and select the network “iPhoneModem” (or whatever you called it). Type the password if you assigned one. Open up the Modem iPhone app and everything else will configure automatically. After a few moments the helper app and the iPhone app will confirm that a connection has been established and you can browse away with all the comforts of your laptop!

Shortcomings
While 3G seems plenty fast on a phone, it feels a little slow on a laptop. Also, most major web browsers work but not all are supported. In addition, a lot of other internet applications aren’t supported, but for all intents and purposes, you should be able to browse just fine….”

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From AP:

“Nevada gambling regulators have warned casinos about a card-counting program for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch that can illegally help players beat the house in blackjack.

Card counting can help blackjack players determine when they are likely to win a hand and should adjust their bets.”

Picks are up: mac games. New releases are below:

xampp 1.0 – Complete webserver solution. (Free)
GrandPerspective 1.0 – Graphically shows disk usage within a file system. (Free)
Ringy Dingy 1.0 – Create ringtones for iPhone. (Demo)
Snowmen Saver 1.0 – 3D animated group of snowmen whimsically skating on a frozen lake. (Free)
Filter Designer 1.0 – Simplifies the design of lumped element audio filters. (Free)
Apple Mail Updater 1.0 – Addresses stability issues with Mail in OS X 10.5.6. (Updater)
PhoneFinger 1.1 – Transform your mouse into simulated finger for testing iPhone apps. (Free)
MovieInfoCM 1.0.1 – plugin used for displaying the properties of movie files as entries of the Finder’s contextual menu.
Float 1.0 – Light, airy RapidWeaver theme. (Commercial)
Textcast 1.0 – Turns any text into personal podcasts. (Demo)
Indicator(s) 1.0 – Divide your Dock applications into sets, categories. (Free)
Qu-s 1.0 – Organize your temporary items on your desktop. (Shareware)
Audio Splitter 1.0.1 – Split big audio files in unprotected MP3 or AAC file format. (Free)
iPhotoBurnToDisc 1.0.1 – iPhoto plug-in burns images to multiple DVDs or CDs. (Demo)
Dropbox Cache Cleaner 1.0 – Widget to keep your Dropbox cache at a respectable size. (Free)
iPhoneScreenGrabber 1.0 – Easily grab and save high-quality LZW-compressed TIFF screenshots from the iPhone SDK’s iPhone Simulator.
My iTunes RSS 1.0 – Widget displays the music of all countries available on iTunes Store. (Free)
Skeiron 1.0 – iTunes controller, displays track info and artwork and more. (Free)
FMSmallBusiness 1.0.3 – FileMaker solution for running a small business. (Demo)
GPS2Aperture Pro 1.0.24 – Geotagging application for Aperture and Google Earth. (Shareware)
Winter Wonders 1.1 – iTunes visualizer adds magic and merriment to your holidays. (Demo)
sed+awk Cheat Widget 1.0 – All the main commands for sed and awk *nix tools. (Free)
FlyPath 1.0.6 – Fle browser and file manager. (Demo)

Happy New Year!!!!

From the latimes:

“By creating games and other programs for the iPhone, software developers hoped to find millions of new customers. But they didn’t expect to feel muzzled.

The software development kit that Apple Inc. distributed to programmers bound them to not discuss the process of creating programs for the iPhone. Companies typically waive such legal restrictions once the product in question launches, but Apple didn’t. And it won’t say why.

As a result, iPhone developers — and businesses that cater to them — say they are prohibited from asking technical questions or sharing tips anywhere in public. On Apple’s official support website, moderators remind visitors that they are bound by the nondisclosure agreement and should mind what they say or ask.

Conference organizers are trying to figure out how to plan sessions for iPhone software developers when they’re not allowed to talk about iPhone software. Book publishers are sitting on how-to manuals, afraid that if they ship them Apple will sue.

And software developers are forced to make applications for the iPhone in an information vacuum, without the help of a developer community that is used to openly sharing tricks of the trade. Quality may suffer.

The Cupertino, Calif., company is famous for tightly controlling its products and image. But even professionals who for years have made products and services to complement Apple’s are startled by the information clampdown.

Many had hoped to make big money off the much-hyped iPhone franchise, and many developers are. Apple recently said that customers have downloaded more than 60 million games, productivity tools and other widgets through its iPhone App Store, which lets programmers sell software or give it away.

But many Apple enthusiasts are left in the cold.

“We can’t talk about our problems,” said Jeffrey Long, a developer for Banterability who is working on a satellite radio program for the iPhone. “At the same time, we can’t talk about the problems we’ve fixed.”

Apple did not return calls seeking comment.

When it launched the iPhone last year, Apple decided it would be a closed platform — developers could create programs that ran on the device’s Web browser but not programs that could be downloaded to the device itself, as they can for computers.

After a backlash, Apple opened the iPhone to programmers in March and began selling their programs through its App Store in July. Apple says it sells about $1 million in iPhone programs each day.

But to get the software needed to create iPhone programs, developers had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. They expected Apple to lift the restrictions on July 11, when the new version of the multifunction gadget, the iPhone 3G, hit stores.

Many developers say they are erring on the side of caution. They interpret the agreement to mean they can talk about the programs that they make, but they can’t discuss the Apple developer tools used to make them, even with friends.

They also believe they’re barred from…….” Read the rest

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